I Can’t Sleep - Darts | Gentle Bedtime Reading for Sleep

Episode Date: January 11, 2024

Unwind with this calm bedtime reading as Benjamin explores the history and game of darts, helping you relax and ease the struggles of insomnia. You’ll discover how this pastime developed from its early origins to the modern sport enjoyed around the world, with rules, traditions, and cultural significance woven throughout. Benjamin’s soothing cadence transforms these details into peaceful storytelling that reduces stress and quiets the mind. This isn’t whispering or hypnosis—just gentle, fact-filled narration designed to guide you into sleep. Press play, settle in, and let the calm rhythm carry you into rest. Want More? Request a Topic: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/request-a-topic Ad-Free Episodes: https://icantsleep.supportingcast.fm/ Shop Sleep-Friendly Products: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/sponsors Join the Discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/myhGhVUhn7 This content is derived from the Wikipedia article on Darts, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. Read the full article: Wikipedia – Darts. Happy sleeping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to a Glassbox media podcast. What if I told you that most of the modern day self-help advice you've been hearing could actually make you worse? The key to a better life isn't about feel-good gimmicks that sound catchy. The Mentally Stronger Podcast gives you access to a licensed therapist who shares science-backed tools that will actually change your life. Hi, I'm Amy Morin, psychotherapist, mental strength trainer, and international best-selling author. In each episode, we cover research-back strategies, like how to stop relying on willpower and start creating habits for lasting change. And the five mental strength-building exercises you can do from your couch. I also speak to world-class experts like Dr. Nicole Kane, who shares how to permanently heal anxiety by addressing the root cause.

With over 200 episodes in our catalog, this podcast is for you if you're ready to crush self-doubt, conquer challenges, become stronger than ever with therapist-approved strategies that can change your life. Listen to Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast, where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice. I'm your host, Benjamin Boster. Today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled Darts. Darts or dart throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bear-handedly throw small, sharp-pointed missiles, known as darts, at a round target, known as a dartboard. Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the board, though unlike in sports, such as archery, these areas are distributed all across the board and do not follow a principle of points increasing toward the board.

bullseye. Though a number of similar games using various boards and rules exist, the term darts usually now refers to a standardized game involving a specific board design and set of rules. Darts is both a professional shooting sport and a traditional pub game. Darts is commonly played in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland and recreationally enjoyed around the world. The original target in the game is likely to have been a section of a tree trunk, its circular shape and concentric rings giving rise to the standard dartboard pattern in use today. An older name for a dartboard is butt. The word comes from the French word, butt, meaning target or goal. The standard numbered point system is attributed to the

Lancashire Carpenter Brian Gamlin, who devised it in 1896 to penalize inaccuracy, though this is disputed. Many configurations have been used, varying by time and location. In particular, the Yorkshire and Manchester log-end boards differ from the standard board in that they have no triple, only double, and bullseye. The Manchester board is smaller than the standard, with a plain area of only 25 centimeters or 9.8 inches across, with double and bull areas measuring just 4 millimeters, or 0.16 inches. The London 5's board is another variation, with only 12 equal segments,

with the doubles and trebles being a quarter of an inch wide. Mathematically, removing the rotational symmetry by placing the 20 at the top, There are 19 factorial, or 121 quadrillion, 645 trillion, 100,408,000 possible dartboards. Many different layouts would penalize a player more than the current setup. However, the current setup actually does the job rather efficiently. There have been several mathematical papers published that consider the optimal dartboard. Before World War I, pubs in the United Kingdom had dartboards made from solid blocks of wood, usually elm. But darts poked the surface of elm, such that it was common for a hole to develop around the treble 20.

The other problem was that elm wood needed periodic soaking to keep the wood soft. In 1935, chemist Ted Leggett and pub owner Frank Dabs began using the sentry plant, a type of agave to make dartboards. Small bundles of sysyl fibers of the same length were bundled together. The bundles were then compressed into a disc and bound with a metal ring. This new dartboard was an instant success. It was more durable and required little maintenance. Furthermore, darts did little or no damage to the board.

They simply parted the packed fibers when they entered the board. The earliest darts were stubs of arrows or crossbow bolts. The first purpose made darts were manufactured from solid wood, wrapped with a strip of lead for weight, and fitted with flights made from split turkey feathers. These darts were mainly produced in France and became known as French darts. Metal barrels were patented in 1906, but wood continued to be used into the 1950s.

The first metal barrels were made from brass, which was relatively cheap and easy to work. The wooden shafts threaded to fit the tapped barrel were either fledged as before or designed to take a paper flight. This type of dart continued to be used into the 1970s. With the widespread use of plastic, the shaft and flight came to be manufactured separately. although one-piece molded plastic shaft and flight darts were also available. According to the darts regulation authority, a regulation board is 451 millimeters in diameter and is divided into 20 radial sections. Each section is separated with metal wire or a thin band of sheet metal.

Quality dart boards are still made of sisal fibers from eastern Africa, Brazil, and China, less expensive boards are sometimes made of cork or coiled paper. Modern darts are made up of four components, the points, the barrels, the shafts, and the flights. The points come in two common lengths, 32 and 41 millimeters, and are sometimes nerled or coded to improve players' grip. Others are designed to retract slightly on impact to lessen the chance of the dart bouncing out. The barrels come in a variety of weights and are usually constructed from brass, nickel-silver,

or a tungsten alloy. Brass is cheap but light, and therefore brass barrels tend to be very bulky. Tungsten, on the other hand, is twice as dense as brass, thus a tungsten barrel of equivalent weight could be 30% smaller in diameter than a brass one. Pure tungsten is very brittle, however, so an alloy is commonly used, with between 80 and 95% tungsten,

and the remainder usually nickel, iron, or copper. Nickel silver darts offer a compromise between density and cost. Barrels come in three basic shapes, cylindrical, ton, or torpedo. cylindrical barrels are the same diameter along their entire length and so tend to be long and thin. Their slenderness makes them better for grouping, but because they are long, the center of gravity is further back. Ton-shaped barrels are thin at either end and bulge in the middle.

This makes them fatter than a cylindrical barrel of equivalent weight, but the center of gravity is further forward, and so theoretically easier to throw. Torpedo-shaped barrels are widest at the pointed end and taper towards the rear. This shape keeps the bulk of the weight as far forward as possible, but like the ton gives it a larger diameter than the cylinder. The shafts are manufactured in various lengths, and some are designed to be cut to length. shafts are generally made from plastics, nylon polymers, or metals, such as aluminum and titanium,

and can be rigid or flexible. Longer shafts provide greater stability and allow a reduction in flight size, which in turn can lead to closer grouping. But they also shift the weight towards the rear, causing the dart to tilt backwards during flight, requiring a harder, faster throw. the flight stabilizes the dart by producing drag, thus preventing the rear of the dart from overtaking the point. Modern flights are generally made from plastic, nylon, or foil, and are available in a range of shapes and sizes.

The three most common shapes in order of size are the standard, the kite, and the smaller pear shape. The less surface area, the less stability, but larger flights hamper close. grouping. Some manufacturers have sought to solve this by making a flight long and thin, but this in turn creates other problems such as changing the dart center of gravity. Generally speaking, a heavier dart will require a larger flight. The choice of barrel, shaft, and flight will depend a great deal on the individual player's

throwing style. For competitive purposes, a dart cannot weigh more than 50 grams, including the shaft, and flight, and cannot exceed a total length of 300 millimeters. The World Darts Federation uses the following standards for play. Height. The dartboard is hung so that the center of the bullseye is 1.7 meters from the floor. This is considered eye level for a 1.83 meter tall person. Distance. The okey, line behind which the thrower must stand, should be 2.37

meters from the face of the board. If the face projects outward from the wall, owing to the thickness of the board and or a cabinet in which it is mounted, the Oki must be moved back appropriately to maintain the required distance. The regulations came about owing to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world playing at different lengths, with 2.37 meters being the compromise length. The standard dartboard is divided into 20 numbered sections, scoring from 1 to 20 points, by wires running from the small central circle to the outer circular wire. Circular wires within the outer wire subdivide each section into single, double, and treble areas. The dartboard featured in the Indoor League television show of the 1970s did not feature a trouble section,

and according to host Fred Truman during the first episode, this is the traditional Yorkshire board. Various games are played using the standard dartboard. However, in the official game, any dart landing inside the outer wires scores as follows. Hitting one of the large portions of each of the numbered sections, traditionally alternately colored black and white, scores the point value of that section.

Hitting the thin inner portions of these sections, roughly halfway between the outer wire and the central circle colored red or green, scores triple the point value of that section. Hitting the thin outer portions of these sections, again colored red or green, scores double the point value of that section. The double 20 is often referred to as double top, reflecting the 20's position on the dartboard. The central circle is divided into a green outer ring worth 25 points, known as outer, outer, outer bowl, or single bowl, and a red or black inner circle, usually known as bull, inner bowl, or double bull, worth 50 points. The term bulls eye can mean either the whole central part of the board or just the inner red-black section. The term bull's ring usually means just the green outer ring. The inner bowl counts as a double when doubling in or out.

Hitting outside the outer wire scores nothing. A dart only scores if its point is embedded in or is touching the plain surface. This rule applies to any dart that lands in such a way as to be partially or totally supported by others that have already hit the board. When a standard board is used, any dart whose point does not remain in contact with the playing surface until being collected by the player does not score. This includes darts that bounce off the board for any reason, that fall off on their own, or that are dislodged by the impact of later throws. However, when an electronic board is used, fallen dislodged darts do score as long as their impact is registered on the board first. The highest score possible with three darts is 180, commonly known as a ton 80. 100 points is called a ton, obtained when all three darts land in the triple 20.

In the televised game, the referee frequently announces a score of 180, an exuberant style. Once a player reaches a low enough score, they are considered to be on a finish, meaning they can win the game with their remaining darts. In professional matches, the match referee will usually tell the player which score they require once on a finish. As the winning dart in a game must be a double or bullseye, the highest possible finish with three darts is 170. Finishes are also known as checkouts. Regular players become familiar with the combinations, needed to check out a particular number. For instance, a player on 138 could hit T20, T18, D12.

Most numbers can be checked out with more than one combination. For 138, a player could also hit T19, T19, D12. Good arithmetic is helpful, as in the event of missing a target number, players need to quickly recalculate their new score and which number they now need. need to hit. For instance, if a player on 93, T19, D18, hit single 19 was their first start, they can still finish, but will now need to check out 74, T14, D16. Checkout charts detailing which numbers are required for each particular finish are widely used. In the 1990s, a board was a quad ring between the triple ring and the bullseye appeared, which gave quadruple points, meaning a 240 maximum, three quad 20s, a 210 maximum checkout, Q20, Q20, and a seven dart finish,

five quad 20s, triple 17, bullseye, were possible. One make of this board was the Harrowe 240. The board was used during the short-lived WDC-UK matchplay. Although no seven-dart finish was ever scored on the board, John Lowe did come close to a nine-dart finish in the 1993 PDC-UK matchplay. He scored 200, T-20, T-20, Q20, then 160, 20, T-20 Q20, and got his final T-20. 20 and T15, only to miss D18 on his final throw. Several players did score a 240 maximum during the event, and Phil Taylor hit a 188 checkout, Q20, Q20, D14. The tournament was discontinued in 1996,

and the board has not been used in a professional event since. Assuming standard scoring, the optimal area to aim for on the dartboard to maximize the player's score varies significantly based on the player's skill. The skilled players should aim for the center of the T20, and as the player's skill decreases, their aim moves slightly up and to the left of the T20. At Sigma equals 16.4 millimeters, the best place to aim jumps to the T-19. As the player's skill decreases further, the best place to to aim curls into the center of the board, stopping a bit lower than and to the left of the bullseye

head sigma equals 100 millimeters. Many games can be played on a dartboard, but the term darts generally refers to a game in which one player at a time throws three darts per turn. The throwing player must stand so that no portion of their feet extends past the leading edge of the oki, but may stand on any other portion and or lean forward over. it if desired. A game of darts is generally contested between two players who take turns. The most common objective is to reduce a fixed score, commonly 301 or 501 to zero, checking out, with the final dart landing in either the bullseye or a double segment to win. Not all three darts need to be thrown on the final turn. A game can be finished on any of the

three darts. When two teams play, the starting score is sometimes increased to 701 or even 1,001. The rules remain the same. A throw that reduces the player's score below zero to exactly one or to zero but not ending with a double or bullseye is known as going bust. The player's score is reset to its value at the start of that turn and any remaining throws in the turn are forfeited. In some variants, a player who busts has their score reset to its value before the individual dart that caused the bust. This rule, referred to as a northern bust in London, is considered by some players to be a purer version of the game. Under the standard rules above, a player left with a difficult finish, e.g. 5 and 1 dart remaining, might deliberately bust in order

to revert to an earlier score that would allow an easier finish. Under Northern bust rules, though, doing so would leave them on five. A darts match is played over a fixed number of games, known as legs. A match may be divided into sets, with each set being contested as over a fixed number of legs. Although playing straight down from 501 as standard in darts, sometimes a double must be hit to begin scoring, known as the same. doubling in, with all darts thrown before hitting a double not being counted. The PDC's World Grand Prix uses this format.

The minimum number of thrown darts required to complete a leg of 501 is 9. The most common nine dart finish consists of two 180 maximums, followed by a 141 checkout, T20, T19, D12. But there are many other possible ways of achieving the feat. 3-167s, T-20-T-19 bowl is considered a pure or perfect 9-dart finish by some players. There are several regional variants on the standard rules and scoring systems. American Darts is a regional U.S. variant of the game

most U.S. DART players play their traditional games described above. American Darts is a regional U.S. variant of the game. This style of dartboard is most often found in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and parts of New York State. Beer Darts is a drinking game that involves throwing darts at opponents' beer cans. The resulting drinking actions depend on how and where the beer can was hit with the dart. Belgian Darts The original name of this sport was called Vogel Pick. Vogel Pick is the early version of the modern game of Belgian darts.

Belgian darts has remained a very popular game in the Belgian community since the 18th century. It is not only relaxing but also helps to develop coordination skills, precision, and self-control. Each player has a set of four darts. Four thrown darts equals a turn. Five turns by each player constitutes a game. The dartboard score starting from the outside ring are 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, bullseye, 50. Cricket is a widely played darts game involving a race to control and score on numbers between 20 and 15 and the bullseye, by hitting each of these targets for three marks to open or own it for scoring.

A hit on the target counts as one mark, while hits in the doubles ring of the target count as two marks in one throw, and on the triples ring as three. Once opened in this manner until the opponent closes that number with three marks on it of their own, each additional hit by the owner-opener scores points equal to the number of the target, which may also be doubled and tripled, e.g. A. Triple-20 is worth 60 points. The outer bullseye count as 25 points and the inner as 50. Dart ball is a darts game based on the sport of baseball.

It is placed on a diamond-shaped board and has similar scoring to baseball. Dart golf is a darts game based on the sport of golf and is regulated by the World Dolf Federation, WDFF. It is played on both special golf dart

boards and traditional darboards. Scoring is similar to golf. Fives. This is a regional variant still played in some parts of the east end of London. The board has fewer, larger segments, all numbered either 5, 10, 15, or 20. Players play down from 505 rather than 501 and stand the farthest 2.7 meters away from the board of any mainstream variation. Alvet is a darts game popular in the United States and parts of North America where competitors try to hit previously agreed targets on a standard dartboard.

Failure to do so within a single throw, three darts, results in the player losing half of their accumulated score. Any number of players can take part, and the game can vary in length depending on the number of targets selected. The game can be tailored to the skill level of the players by selecting easy or difficult targets. Killer is a knockout game for two or more players, at its best at four to six players.

Initially, each player throws a dart at the board with their non-dominant hand to obtain their number. No two players can have the same number. Once everyone has a number, each player takes it in turn to get their number five times with their three darts. Doubles count twice and triples three. times. Once a person has reached five, they become a killer. This means they can aim for other

people's numbers, taking a point off for each time they hit, doubles times two, triples times three. If a person gets to zero, they are out. A killer can aim for anyone's numbers, even another killers. Players cannot get more than five points. The winner is the last man standing. Another version of Killer is a knockout game for three or more players, the more the better. To start, everyone has a predetermined number of lives, usually five, and a randomly chosen player throws a single dart at the board to set a target, i.e. single 18, and does not play until that target is hit. The next player up has three darts to try and hit the target, a single 18. If they fail, they lose a life and the following player tries.

Once a player succeeds at hitting the target, they then become the target setter and throw a dart to set a new target. The initial target setter swaps places with the new target setter. The games carry on until every player's lives have been used. The last man standing is the target setter whose target was not hit. For less experienced players, doubles and troubles as part of the same number can be counted, i.e. a target of treble 20 can still be counted as a success if the double or single 20 is hit and vice versa. Lawn darts, also called yard darts and garden darts, is an outdoor game with gameplay and objective, similar to horseshoes, in that the darts are thrown to land in a circle target on the ground.

The darts are similar to the ancient Roman throne weapon plumbata. For a brand name Jarts, the darts weighed about a quarter pound, were 12 inches long and had a pointed tip, the better to stick in the ground. On December 19, 1988, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission introduced an outright ban on metal-tipped lawn darts in the U.S. after publicity of thousands of injuries and several deaths. Round the clock, also called Around the World, 20 to 1, and jumpers, is a game involving any number of players where the objective is to hit each section sequentially,

from 1 to 20, starting after a starting double. Shanghai is played with at least two players. The standard version is played in seven rounds. In round one, players throw their darts aiming for the one section, round two, the two sections, and so on until round seven. Standard scoring is used, and doubles and triples are counted. Only hits on the wedge for that round are counted. The winner is the person who has the most points at the end of seven rounds, one to seven,

or who scores a Shanghai, which wins instantly. a Shanghai being throws that hit a triple, a double and single in any order of the number that is in play. Shanghai can also be played for 20 rounds to use all numbers. A fairer start to Shanghai to prevent players from becoming two practiced at shooting for the one, the number sequence can begin at the number of the dart that lost the throw for the bullseye to determine the starting thrower. For example, Thrower A shoots for the bullseye and hits the 17.

Thrower B shoots for the bullseye and hits it. Thrower B then begins the game starting on the number 17, then 18, 19, 20, 1, 2, 3, etc. through 16, if no player hit Shanghai. Shanghai is one of the disciplines in the British pentathlon tournament. Rugby. The game is played across a pitch, consisting of the top and bottom three segments.

Players can move only one square at a time, including those diagonally, the central square, ring and bowl, representing midfield, as well as those of the triple area so as to finally attain a square of the opponent's double section. Its central square representing the opponent's goal,

i.e. for points scored between the posts. During the game, players seek to regather possession by hitting the last square occupied by their opponent. Kickoff. The player looks to send the ball deep into the opponent's half, whom then tries to gather it by hitting the very same square. Line out. Is conceded by a player having hit a neighboring square and adjacent to the pitch.

Alternatively, by a player inside his own 22M having hit a square adjacent to the pitch and up to two rows forward, is one by hitting the inner portion of the lateral segment of the board. The player without the throw-in required to attain the treble section, players aim and turn, one dart at a time.

Scrum is conceded after a knock-in, is one by hitting the central zone, the player without the put-in required to attain the bullseye, players aim and turn, one dart at a time. Bomb is achieved by a player located behind any of the two trouble zones,

representing the defensive wall, by aiming for the central square of the board. If they fail, they lose possession. If they manage, they move two squares forward. Penalty is obtained after having grounded the opponent, so as preventing them from releasing the ball, is achieved by either hitting the opposing goal square,

by handplay or to obtain a line out, by aiming for a square adjacent to the pitch and up to two rows forward. Drop goal is achieved whilst located in the opponent's half by saying drop to signal one's intention and aiming for the opponent's goal square. Try is scored by finally attaining a square located inside the opponent's double section. Conversion is achieved by hitting the opponent's goal square.

Any dart landing others in on a neighboring square or one relevant to the above cases is a void dart. Of the two professional steel-tip organizations, the British Darts Organization BDO, founded in 1973, was the older. Its tournaments were often shown on the BBC in the UK. The BDO was a member of the World Darts Federation, WDF, founded 1976, along with organizations in some 60 other countries worldwide. The BDO originally organized a number of the more prestigious British tournaments, with a few notable exceptions, such as the News of the World Championship, and the national events run under the auspices of the National Darts Association of Great Britain,

However, many sponsors were lost and British TV coverage became much reduced by the early 1990s. In 1992, a group of darts players broke off from the BDO and in pursuit of higher prize money formed the Professional Darts Corporation, PDC. The PDC organizes their tournaments as well as their World Championship. In Soft Tip, the World Soft Darts Association served. as a governing body of the sport, with events that feature players that play also steel-tip in PDC events, and other players that compete exclusively in soft-tip events. The amateur darts organization, ADO, promulgates rules and standards for amateur league darts and sanctions tournaments

in the United States. The ADO began operation on January 1, 1976, with 30 charter member clubs and a membership of 7,500 players. In 2014, the ADO had a membership that averaged 250 clubs yearly, representing roughly 50,000 members. Since the end of the news of the World Darts Championship and other past major tournaments, the BDO and PDC both organized a televised world professional championship. However, since the financial collapse of the BDO, Their addition of the World Championship has not been held since 2020. The PDC Championship is held annually over the Christmas New Year period, as was the BDO event, with the PDC version finishing slightly earlier than the BDO tournament did.

The BDO World Championship has been running since 1978, the PDC World Championship started in 1994. The PDC's major tournaments are the World Championship, Premier League, UK Open, World Match Play, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Players Championship Finals, World Cup of Darts, Masters, and the Grand Slam of Darts. All of these are broadcast live on Sky Sports and ITV television in the UK. They also hold PDC's Pro Tour events and smaller category events around the UK. The WDF World Cup for national teams and a singles tournament has been played biannially since 1977.

The WDF also organized the Europe Cup. The PDC has their World Cup competition, the PDC World Cup of Darts. For soft-tip darts, WSDA and Darts Live run the world. an international tour which serves as the Soft Arts World Championship, with the final tournament referred to as the Grand Final, with the circuit first taking place in 2011. Stages take place mostly in East Asia, with some rounds held in the United States and Europe.

Matches during WSDA events are played with both 701 and cricket during a set, usually with the same number of games of each. giving both players throws during both formats and the final round determined by player choice. Two Dutch independently organized major tournaments, the International Darts League, and the World Darts Trophy, introduced a mix of BDO and PDC players in 2006 and 2007. Both organizations allocated rankings to the tournaments, but these two events are now discontinued. Multiple-time world champions 16

Phil Taylor The Power 2BDO 14 PDC 10 Trina Gulliver The Golden Girl 5 Eric Bristow

The Crafty Cockney 5 Raymond van Barnevel Barney 4 BDO 1 PDC 4 Lisa Ashton The Lancashire rose

3. Martin Adams Wolfie 3. Anastasia Dobromozova from Russia with love. 3. Glenn Durand. Dezze. 3. John Lowe. Old Stoneface.

3. John Pard. Darth Maple. 1BDO. 2. PDC. 3. Michael Van Gurun. Mighty Mike. 2. Gary Anderson, the flying Scotsman. 2. Bo Greaves, bow and arrow.

2. Ted Henke, the Count. 2. Adrian Lewis, Jackpot. 2. Dennis Priestley, the Menace. 1 BDO, 1 PDC. 2. Mikuro Suzuki, Miracle. 2. Scott Waits. Gotti Too Hottie. Two, Jockey Wilson, Jockey.

Two, Peter Wright, Snakebite, One-Time World Champions. Bob Anderson, the limestone cowboy. Andy Badens, the Beast from the East. Steve Beaten, the bronze to Donas. Stacey Bromberg, the Wish Granter. Stephen Bunting, the Bullet. Richie Burnett, the Prince of Wales Rob Cross, Voltage

Tony David, the deadly boomerang Keith Deller, the fella Neil Duff, Duffman Andy Fordham, the Viking Francis Hanselar, the Crown, Luke Humphreys, Cool Hand, Christian Kissed, The Lipstick

Joe Closson, the Cobra Scott Mitchell Scotty Dog Gerwin Price The Ice Man Layton Rees Marathon Man Michael Smith

Bully Boy Les Wallace McDanger John Walton John Boy Wayne Warren Yank Mark Webster

the spider. The WDF, BDO, and PDC each maintain their own rankings lists. These lists are commonly used to determine seedings for various tournaments. The WDF rankings are based on the preceding 12 months' performances. The BDO resets all ranking points to zero after the seedings for their world championships have been determined, and the PDC order of merit is based on prize money earned over two years. While some sports and games such as fishing or hiking have been viewed as primarily recreational, most sports are considered competitive. The majority involve competition between two or more persons, sometimes using horses or cars. For example, in a game of basketball,

two teams compete against one another to determine who can score the most points. When there is no set reward for the winning team, many players gain a sense of pride. In addition, extrinsic rewards may also be given. Athletes, besides competing against other humans, also compete against nature in sports, such as whitewater kayaking or mountaineering, where the goal is to reach a destination, with only natural barriers impeding the process. A regularly scheduled, for instance, annual competition meant to determine the best competitor of that cycle is called a championship. Competitive sports are governed by codified rules agreed upon by the participants.

Violating these rules is considered to be unfair competition. Thus, sports provide artificial competition, for example competing for control of a ball, or defending. territory on a playing field is not an innate biological factor in humans. Athletes in sports such as gymnastics and competitive diving compete against each other in order to come closest to a conceptual ideal of a perfect performance, which incorporates measurable criteria and standards, which are translated into numerical ratings and scores by appointed judges. sports competition is generally broken down into three categories. Individual sports such as archery, dual sports such as doubles tennis,

and team sports competition such as cricket or football. While most sports competitions are recreation, there exist several major and minor professional sports leagues throughout the world. The Olympic Games held every four years, is usually regarded as the international pinnacle of sports competition. Competition is also found in trade. For nations, as well as firms, it is important to understand trade dynamics

in order to market their goods and services effectively in international markets. Balance of trade can be considered a crude but widely used proxy for international competitiveness across levels, country, industry, or even firm. Research data hints that exporting firms have a higher survival rate and achieve greater employment growth compared with non-exporters. Using a simple concept to measure heights that firms can climb may help improve execution of strategies.

International competitiveness can be measured on several criteria, but few are as flexible and versatile to be able. applied across levels as trade competitiveness index TCI. The tendency toward extreme unhealthy competition has been termed hyper-competitiveness. This concept originated in Karen Horny's theory on neurosis, specifically the highly aggressive personality type which is characterized as moving against people. In her view, some people have a need to compete and win at all costs as a means of maintaining, their self-worth. These individuals are likely to turn any activity into a competition, and they

will feel threatened if they find themselves losing. Researchers have found that men and women who score high on the trade of hyper-competitiveness are more narcissistic and less psychologically healthy than those who score low on the trade. Hyper-competitive individuals generally believe that winning is the only thing that matters. can have both beneficial and detrimental effects. Many evolutionary biologists view interspecies and introspecies competition as the driving force of adaptation and ultimately of evolution. However, some biologists disagree, citing competition as a driving force only on a small scale,

and citing the larger scale drivers of evolution to be abiotic factors. Richard Dawkins prefers to think of evolution in terms of competition between single genes, which have the welfare of the organism in mind, only insofar as the welfare furthers their own selfish tribes for replication. Some social Darwinists claim that competition also serves as a mechanism for determining the best-suited group, politically, economically, and ecologically. positively, competition may serve as a form of recreation or a challenge provided that is non-hostile. On the negative side, competition can cause injury and loss to the organisms involved and drain valuable resources and energy.

In the human species, competition can be expensive on many levels, not only in lives lost to war, physical injuries, and damaged psychological well-being. but also in the health effects from everyday civilian life, caused by work stress, long work hours, abusive working relationships, and poor working conditions that distract from the enjoyment of life, even as such competition results in financial gain for the owners.