Fan survey at the European Darts Open in Leverkusen: This is the Mount Rushmore of darts
PDCTuesday, 03 June 2025 at 18:00
What defines a darting legend? Is it world titles, match-winning brilliance, or the ability to capture the hearts of fans? These were the questions put to fans at the 2025 European Darts Open in Leverkusen as Dartsnews.de took to the crowd to discover who belongs on the sport’s very own Mount Rushmore.
Borrowed from the iconic American monument that immortalizes four historic presidents, darts’ “Mount Rushmore” is about honouring the game’s most influential figures—past and present. And the responses we gathered outside the Ostermann Arena reflected not only fans’ personal favourites but also the incredible diversity and emotional connection within the darts community.
“Phil Taylor has to be there—no question”
Ethan from Cheltenham and Oscar from the South of England were unanimous:
“Eric Bristow, definitely. Phil Taylor also has to be on it—16 World Championships, 16 Matchplays. Then Michael van Gerwen—without a doubt. And... probably Barney. Yeah, Barney deserves a spot.”
"You can travel from England for beer and darts" was Oscar and Ethan's motto
“Van Gerwen changed the game”
A fan from Luxembourg backed up the sentiment:
“Phil Taylor is first, no debate. I started watching darts because of him. Van Gerwen? He shaped an entire era and made darts much bigger in Europe. Then you have to mention Luke Littler—he's revolutionised things for the younger generation. The fourth is tough… Price, Humphries, there are so many options.”
Spoilt for choice: This fan from Luxembourg couldn't decide on four names
“Flying the flag for Germany”
Romano from Monheim am Rhein added a personal touch:
“Phil Taylor is number one. But I like to focus on the current crop—I play darts with my son. Peter Wright, Michael Smith—my mate, I love you! And to represent Germany, I’ve got to include Martin Schindler.”
A shout for Schindler and Springer
Markus from Langenfeld included both Wright and Schindler, while Felix from Tönisvorst went off the cuff:
“You can’t ignore MvG. And if you’re thinking German, Schindler deserves it. But I also love Stephen Bunting and the Mainzaaa chants—Niko Springer has to be on my list too!”
Felix, Markus and Romano brought Mount Rushmore to Germany
“Wright brings the party”
Luna from Bonn and Cornelia from Leverkusen were all about personality:
“Peter Wright belongs on there—he’s fun and just so likeable,” said Luna. “Luke Littler has the ambition I admire,” added Cornelia. “MvG is great, super competitive. I would’ve gone with Smith instead of Aspinall,” Luna concluded.
Missing their favorite players Luke Littler and Peter Wright in the final session: Cornelia and Luna
“Russ Bray gets our vote too”
Jan and Sascha from Kleinenbroich, along with Ian from Kaarst, even looked beyond the oche:
“Phil Taylor is a must. Luke Humphries? Not my favourite, but undeniably good,” said Ian. “We also want to include Russ Bray. His voice is part of darts history.” They rounded it off with MvG, citing his impact on the sport’s global profile.
Jan, Ian and Sascha thought outside the box and nominated caller legend Russ Bray for their Mount Rushmore
“I don’t know his name—but the mohawk guy is a legend!”
André, Mario, and Marcel from Velbert brought humour and heart:
“I don’t know his name, but the guy with the mohawk—he’s just the best!” said André of Peter Wright. “Phil Taylor was mega,” added Mario. “MvG too—and Littler’s the future,” the group agreed.
Already one of the all-time greats after one and a half years as a professional? For André, Mario and Marcel, Luke Littler has already achieved legend status
“Phil Taylor? It would be a sin not to name him”
Dirk, from near Wolfsburg, took a balanced view:
“My favourites are Peter Wright and Gary Anderson. Phil Taylor? Has to be there. And right now, I’d say Luke Humphries is the best in the world.”
As a PDC Europe steward, Dirk knows most of the players personally - and would never do without Peter Wright and Gary Anderson in his Mount Rushmore
“Bunting is the GOAT!”
Christopher and Fritz from Mülheim made their case loud and clear:
“Stephen Bunting first—he’s the GOAT,” said Christopher. “Shame Littler isn’t here, he’s our real favourite,” added Fritz. “Then Nathan Aspinall, and finally MvG—because of that beautiful bald head,” Christopher joked.
Everyone loves The Bullet: For Christopher and Fritz, Stephen Bunting is even the "Greatest of All Time"
The Final Verdict: Darts’ Fan-Voted Mount Rushmore (Leverkusen Edition)
After tallying the votes, four names rose above the rest—legends of the game who have left an indelible mark on fans and the sport alike:
- Michael van Gerwen – 8 votes
- Phil Taylor – 6 votes
- Peter Wright – 5 votes
- Luke Littler – 4 votes
From icons of the past to the rising stars of the present, the fans in Leverkusen have spoken. Their Mount Rushmore celebrates not just trophies and titles, but energy, character, and the spirit of darts.
This is what the "Mount Rushmore of darts" would look like according to ChatGPT: The AI seems to agree with the fans we asked - while Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor and Peter Wright have already secured their legend monuments, Luke Littler's statue still needs a few years of fine-tuning
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- Most of the players are already whinging about playing to much, unless something else is going to be axed where will another couple of competitions be squeezed in?Mysstree16-06-2025
- Indeed. The kid should grow up. Part of the game.SheGotLegs16-06-2025
- i also didn't see littler kicking off about this issue when it was his fans whistling and putting off opponents, which was happening on the regular during his first year on tour. humphries had to deal with it basically every time they played each other.colt16-06-2025
- Brilliant, Eric knew the risks and like most who die his age, bollox to being old and all that. Fair play to him and the rest of those who die young doing the same thing.Plaza15-06-2025
- So all of a sudden Littler is just a kid and it’s unfair as the Media’s darling golden boy gets the grief, never a problem though was it while it was Gerwyn Price. Been saying this for ages that something needs doing about crowd behaviour but the PDC don’t really care as long as the pissed up punters flock to Premier League night. The worry for the PDC is that as Littler has gone beyond the darts fan base and is the most high profile player in the world there is the risk that he is bigger than the PDC and then others with more clout (government for example) may start telling them to clean up their act. Bazza, Eddie and Porter will hate that.Mysstree15-06-2025
- As much as it's disappointing that England lost,Peter Wright's speculation didn't help himself and Gary either. It is, however, another pointless tournament. So,like the football club world cup,it means absolutely nothingrick6714-06-2025
- That poor trophy being next to that ! Oh my good god, what a hideous image !!richieburnettrocks10-06-2025
- Inspiration from walk on music Losing weight and trying to improve fitness from the dull as dishwater Dobey. The only inspiration Phil Taylor needed was to win and win and win. Players of today are pathetic, so vain and more obsessed with being popular or their walk on music than actually being dedicated to putting in the effort and winning something.richieburnettrocks08-06-2025
- Agree with much of this though as stated on the Rob cross thread and assuming he has a manager, he has not done a very good job. Wherever there is money there will always be those trying to get a cut, skim the cream from the top, more money in the game, more hangers on, fitness trainers, phycologists, accountants, social media analyst.Mysstree07-06-2025
- Thought Price managed the pace brilliantly — clinical early on, then just controlled the middle legs to stop Dekker building any rhythm. Was that game management though or just natural dominance?dartsmad06-06-2025