Luke Littler is a teenage darts sensation. Photo: PA/Zac Goodwin
Luke Littler is warned against simply cashing in on his sudden fame after Barry Hearn claimed the 16-year-old darts sensation was the answer to Tiger Woods.
Littler demolished legend Raymond van Barneveld on Saturday to reach the quarter-finals of the World Championship. And while Littler could become an instant millionaire through exhibitions and sponsorship alone, Hearn stressed the need for balance.
Finishing in the last eight against Brendan Dolan on New Year's Day has already guaranteed Littler £50,000 just six months after finishing his GCSE exams, but he is also now second favorite to win the £500,000 first prize on Wednesday.< /p> 
Luke Littler crushed his opponent, darts legend Raymond van Barneveld, at the World Championships.
Hearn, whose company Matchroom owns the professional darts corporation, believes Littler's phenomenal success – and the new audience that is flooding him – will change darts forever, but stressed the “delicate stage” of his development.
“I've had it.” with Steve Davis,” said Hearn, who believes Littler could “without blinking” immediately fetch £1 million for the exhibition work at the current price. about 10,000 pounds sterling per night.
“You just get the balance right where they still have a semi-normal life,” Hearn said. “You allow them to mature as individuals without just focusing on money. It sounds strange to me, [but] in the long run you will achieve much more.
“He clearly has a lot going for him, his parents and the group around him. he is very supportive. Now they don't have to just look at the money because it will come automatically if you are good enough.
Luke Littler speaks to the media after his match with Raymond van Barneveld Photo: PA/Zach Goodwin
“There are a huge number of great players who come in because they smell the money. Top darts players probably earn £2-2.5 million a year.
“For him, it’s about drip feeding his fame. If I managed him, I would increase his fee to an astronomical amount, and then, by the laws of supply and demand, this would reduce the likelihood of him burning out. The biggest job for him will be to actually control his diary.
“You compare him to [Emma] Raducanu. I would not be cruel and would call it a glimpse, but this [Raducanu] is an isolated incident, which was not followed by any action. She is still a good player – there is something missing, some injuries. You think this guy could be the face of darts for the next 25 years.
“I think he is one of those players who will emerge in 10 years. We will look back and say, “That was the moment when the game changed again and took itself to the next level.” People look at Luke Littler and think, “Bloody Nora, why not me?” This will inspire a whole generation.”
Hearn, who has managed the likes of Davies, Chris Eubank, Anthony Joshua and Ronnie O'Sullivan, admitted the PDC also now shares the responsibility of looking after Littler's job after the World Cup ends on Wednesday. It follows calls from Gary Anderson, the 2015 and 2016 world champion, to simply “let the boy play darts” following concerns about excessive media attention.
Barry Hearn's Matchroom owns professional darts corporation Photo: PA/Richard Sellers
“You feel like you shouldn't put too much pressure on a kid and then you watch him play and he doesn't look under any pressure. He goes there and talks about barbecue,” Hearn said.
“He doesn't think, '500 grand, change my life.' He thinks, 'Wow, this is fucking amazing.' It's just fun – and that makes him the most dangerous darts player on the planet.
“I feel like asking for his passport, just double check. He plays like he's 16 instead of 16. My wife is a great reference point. She's not a darts fan at all and was glued to the screen on Saturday. She's flipping through The Voice ” – a show he watches every week – and wants to watch 'Luke Littler.' Suddenly, the story of the darts player was not just in the sports news, but in the mainstream news.
” It was made for the World Series, where we take darts to faraway places. You can imagine him in New York and Madison Square Garden throwing darts – the Yankees would go crazy because everyone loves stories like that.”
Hearn said it can also be seen in the “huge” ratings for Sky Sports, which, he notes, has just 18 months left on its contract to continue the PDC World Cup coverage that began with its launch 30 years ago.
” The ratings around the world are through the roof,” Hearn said. “It's number two on Sky [Sports] behind Premier League football. I think Sky will be over the moon. Other broadcasters will look at this and say, “Why don't we have this?”
“I'm getting calls from companies we've never dealt with before—we've done a deal with Bosnia. Herzegovina the other day. Promoters get carried away, but I get carried away because this is an important moment for the sport. This is a Boris Becker moment, this is a Tiger Woods moment.”
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