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Sunday Smiles
Stephen Bunting was visibly emotional as he recounted the extend of the social media abuse he had received in the wake of referring to himself as ‘the people’s champion’ after his World Darts Championship victory against Sebastian Bialecki in his first-round clash last week.
The world No 4 had bullishly stated: ‘I’m Stephen Bunting. I’m the People’s Champion. I believe I’ve got the best fan base in that. I’ve got the best social media in darts.’
But social media commenters were quick to pounce on his statement and a torrent of backlash ensued, with Bunting opening up on the toll it had taken on his wellbeing after his second-round defeat of Nitin Kumar.
‘I never ever shy away from my fans. I’ll stand by it, I still think I’ve got the biggest fanbase in darts,’ Bunting said.
‘I’m lucky, you saw it tonight, how loud was that crowd… the walk-on was exceptional, they got behind me every single leg. Even at times when I’d salvage 45 or 59, they were always there behind me and that’s so important for a person.
‘When you’re stood up on that stage it’s a lonely place, and if things don’t go right you can look at your family, look at your manager or sponsors, but it’s down to you.’
Stephen Bunting was driven to the brink of tears as he gave an emotional interview on Saturday
The world No 4 was reflecting on comments made in the wake of his first-round victory
Bunting then had to pause to collect himself, as he appeared to tear up before discussing the limits of the online hate he found himself the focus of.
‘I’ve had some stick over social media. I made a comment in the media saying I was the people’s champion,’ he continued. ‘That was literally a comment from what Sky have said, what PDC have said. It wasn’t me saying I’m the People’s Champion.
‘I was just talking about what was said. I’ve had a lot of stick about that. Listen, I’m not the people’s champion. I turn up. I’ll try my best to win any game. I’ll give 110 per cent.
‘The fans have been unbelievable. Support on TikTok or Instagram, I’ve hit over 100,000 (subscribers) on YouTube,’ Bunting continued.
“So, I feel the presence. I feel the support online. Sometimes you can look too much at social media. Yeah, there’s been quite a few negatives.
‘I’ve had quite a few emails as well. But I need to rise above that. People online are fickle. Listen, you see the crowd in there tonight, they’re proper darts fans. They know what I’m about.
‘I like to give back to the fans through YouTube, TikTok, through everything I do. If they see me in a pub or wherever, Tesco or a shopping centre, I’ll always give time to the fans.’
Bunting, who will play England’s James Hurrell in his third-round tie, is one of the most popular players on the circuit for his calls for fans to go ‘Bunting mental’ – and his viral walk-out routine to David Guetta hit ‘Titanium’.
The 40-year-old is a popular figure on the circuit and will continue his World Darts Championship journey this year
But Bunting has previously found himself the subject of hateful online abuse, shedding light on instances that followed his defeat in this October’s World Grand Prix.
The 40-year-old was sent a barrage of negative direct messages and comments in the wake of the loss, publishing them on his Facebook page with his response to the abuse.
One wrote: ‘Just die motherf****’, while another troll called Bunting a ‘f***ng fat clown’.
‘Losing doesn’t deserve this much abuse very sad to see,’ Bunting shared.
