The latest farce was in darts where a player who's far from amateur beat Luke Littler.
Fallon Sherrock in action at the 2026 Women’s World Matchplay at Winter Gardens on July 26 this year. Picture: Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images
Over the last few years Netflix have joined up with boxing, mixed martial arts, professional wrestling and – most recently – darts to televise live sporting “super events”.
Massively publicised on social media with incredible amounts of money being offered to headline such events sounds like a great idea – in theory.
But where Netflix have missed the mark, are the athletes they have got to compete in these events.
From a 58-year-old Mike Tyson – once regarded as the most dangerous man on the planet – losing to a social media influencer in a boxing match, to a pair of female MMA fighters who should have fought each other over a decade ago.
Now the latest in these feeble attempts from Netflix happened this past weekend – and I was so hopeful that this was the event that would restore my faith.
Current two-time defending darts world champion, 19-year-old Luke Littler, was to take on 20 amateurs in a single leg of 501 – the most common format in darts – and if one of them were to beat Littler, they would walk away with £501,000.
Now for anyone who has picked up a dart, you know that this very simple concept is anything but.
From a 14-year-old with great potential, to an electrician, to a former army officer, they all came and went in the blink of an eye.
In what was a great spectacle – as darts always is – Littler went on to beat 14 hopefuls without breaking a sweat.
Then came a 32-year-old hairdresser from Milton Keynes, by the name of Fallon Sherrock.
Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong.
Sherrock – nicknamed the Queen of the Palace for being the first woman to win a match at the World Championships at Alexander Palace – is in fact one of the top female darts players in the world.
She stepped up and knocked off 501 in 14 darts, beating Littler and walking away with the cash.
Now according to the rules, an amateur is someone who does not have a tour card on the darts circuit, which Sherrock does not have, but she is far from an amateur.
No disrespect to Sherrock, she followed the rules and walked away rich.
But, something that should have a great advertisement for darts, turned into yet another farce. Come on Netflix, be better.
