Future in this "Sport"....?

I just wanted to start a discussion about the future of this game. Or lack there of as some would like to look at it.

More and more I see the best players in the world playing less tournaments each year. Opting out instead for the security of a $10/hour job. I believe this to be a huge waste of talent. It is up to each of us to look in the mirrors and say "What have I done for Discgolf lately?" What can we do to get over that "Hump" ? I have been hearing for almost 10 years now how close we are to major sponsors etc etc. I just don't see the major steps being taken that are needed to become truly a legitimate sport.

I'm as "guilty" as anyone I've been relying on someone else to shoulder the load. Well no more, if we want to see something tangible we need to go out and work full time for the sport. It doesn't pay that well to start but the retirement package could be sweet.

I could go on and rant but give me some of your feedback. Am I totally crazy and should just continue to play the game for what it is, fun? Or is there something more out there for those of us that truly LIVE this game. Thanks for your time.

Andrew Rich
Team Innova Member
Roots Roc Reggae
www.purediscgolf.com

[Derek Tonn]

I don't know...I'm still not personally convinced. That $1,000,000 could build over 100 solid courses out there (assuming no land acquisition costs)...and those 100 courses would probably have as much (or MORE) of a chance at helping to grow our sport as having one tournament where a few elite get their fat pay day...be it on ESPN The Ocho or not. None of those courses would be places the elite players would likely be caught "slumming" on...but for the 95+ percent of the rest of us, they would do just fine. Give a great course designer like Chuck Kennedy his fat pay day to design those 100 courses rather than lining a few players pockets. :-) I have zero doubt that the positive impact on the sport would be higher/greater in the end than any one tournament might have...

[Boom Boom Dino]

The thing is to make it big enough that people want to watch ........... Ali - George Foreman ........ Jordan .... Magic ....... playing for big money ............ once people saw it they'd be slathering for more ........... it's the drama ..... and duking it out for the win ......... like any other sport ........ somebody's got to be able to make this happen ..... and perhaps the top 20 would finally see the benefit of the DF lifestyle.

[Disc Player Sports]

Wow?
$10 an hour!
Sign me up!

It is very difficult to take on the 'task' of playing, and trying to have a 'life.'
There are a few who know what to do, and many that do not.
Know many players who can't play full-time (this includes myself).

Worked hard for years to get 'sponsors.'
But, in return me personally rec'd (NOT A WHOLE LOT).
Until the tournaments, private courses, can "make it" (financially support a payroll)
you get what you get.

If the 'pro' sports didn't make money, there would not be any 'pro athletes.'
Believe it or not, the players are 2nd on the list in those other sports.

How many 'disc golf' stadiums employ people?
How many 'disc golf' TV spots are there.

It comes down to support, by amateurs... new players.
There is a lot for a 'kid' to choose from out there.
How many high schools in America have 'disc golf?"
How many athletic scholarships are for "disc golf?"

My son is working hard 'running' in school, he can get a 'scholarship.'

It takes an extreme amount of planning, logistics, teamwork to pull off a 'big' event.
Where is the return to the people who pull it off?

[Jared Person]

Scooter..AKA Matt Hall has had for a long time what i always thought was a great idea, take every B-tier or better sanctioned tournament and add one too two dollars to the price and that money goes staright to the Worlds fund. I did some quick investigating and based off of last years tourney schedule their were roughlt 50 or so b teir or better tournaments per month with a low ball averager of around 60 players who participated. So if last year if we collected 2 dollars from everyone who participated in those events we would have 72,000 in added cash to this years world championships. add that too the 80,000 or so anticipated in the purse this year and you have a tounament with a a $152,000 prize pusre. Avery Jenkins has always said all this sport needs is one more zero to the payout, Well this adds that zero.
I have always wondered why Matts idea was never taken seriously or if it was considered what stopped it?
Am I missing something, i dont think 2 bucks is a big deal, and with money like that at one of the most premier events in the game, sponsors might take the idea of disc golf more seriously.

[Disc Player Sports]

Great idea.
Like it.
But as an experienced TD, you pay some to the PDGA and usually if lucky, get a box of pencils.

[Chuck Kennedy]

It's just another way to tax the players who participate in the sport to support the elite players versus getting the funds from sponsorship and spectators. If we don't get the big money that way, taxing the players to prop up the payout for one big event is a "paper tiger" that has no sustainability. Plus, it's not just $2 per person, it's $2 per event and PDGA players average 6-7 events per year. So it's more like a $12-$14 tax on average.

[Jared Person]

ok, im willing to wager that the average tournament player, who has a vested interest in seeing the game grow, whether iit be he or she is a pro looking for higher payouts, or an am who would like to see the sport on national tv before he dies, isnt going to throw a fit over $14.
Your right that it boils down to basically a tax, but it has to start with the players willing to sacrifice a little, if the last 15 years has taught us anything, it has taught us that while we are all very passionate about the game and extremely motivated to see it suceed on all levels, when it comes to garning interst in the outside world and away from our disc golf family, not many are willing to take a risk on a sport with a grass roots movement. Now if that movement can generate a tournament with a big payout, that in itself in going to garner an interst in spectators. I have always used poker as an example, the only reason i watch poker on tv is becuase of the amount of money that is on the line, i wouldnt care at all how well some one bluffed if their wasnt the drama of knowing hes putting it on all the line in the hopes of winning alot of money. That is the only reason poker has been such a success and has garned the kind of advertising dollars for the networks.
Im willing to pay 14 dollars if it means that our premier event has a purse that may generate and stimulate future interst in our sport.

[Chuck Kennedy]

You would be wrong if you think that PDGA members as a whole would be willing to do this. There is little support and frankly little benefit to the whole idea. For that amount of contribution by members, it would be much better spent building courses and education programs to eventually produce larger purses from avid fans and spectators in the future. Matt's idea is the cart before the horse, but that's not surprising with the "get celebrity and big bucks NOW society" we live in.

Using your poker example, we could emulate that easily if the pros were willing to pay the kind of entry fees involved in the poker world.

[Jared Person]

Ok lets put the Horse before the cart, lets Utilize the same concept but use it as a tool to Grow the Sport. Lets take just one dollar tax, raise 36000 in extra cash and lets have a yearly Scholorship Fund. Any School Disrict that has disc golf as one of its yearly team sports is eligible for the scholorship. We can use that money to get School Disctricts interested in the sprot becuase it has potential to benefit their students.
This would help grow the sport on all kinds of levels...
1. Gets People involved at a younger age in a lifetime sport
2. Could help generate female interest in the sport,(offer an $18,000 scholarship, one male one female)
3. Great PR for the PDGA, a press release or white paper on the winners of the scholarship would go a long way in bringing the sport to the forefront.
4. Helping Courses get into the ground. If Schools were also helping with this process to have better courses to compete on, parks departments would be alot more open then just to a club.

Chuck, im not looking to line the pockets of the Pro's, or screw over AM, hell i am an AM, but i want their to be a Professional Division with professional athletes who by definition have disc golf as their profession!
I agree with everything you said, but it was the concept of the dollar to 2 dollar tax that seems to make sense to me...its not a ton of mooney and how ever the eventual funds were allocated i think i could go along way to helping the promotion and inmage of the game.

[ROBEY the one.]

i could get behind that. as long as my money is going to a good cause, not to make the touring pros richer as they are allready richer than they know (they get to play discgolf as a job). and they make more than me, who works 40hrs every week all year long at what i consider a good job. i dont care about the money, your right its not a lot, its all about where its going.

[Chuck Kennedy]

This sport would do fine and in fact even better without a single professional that makes his/her living based on purses at events versus teaching or being course pros at pay-for-play facilities. The sport has been slowed in its growth because we had professionals before the base was built with amateurs at the grass roots level in the schools and park systems with little to no payout involved in events.

Whether right or wrong, the sport evolved backwards and we're challenged by ingrained attitudes among our competitive players who essentially are gamblers, who play either for money or merch prizes, and are neither true pros nor true ams. Let's use a better term than gamblers and call ourselves simply players.

Our sport could grow to be as large a participant sport as softball where few can make a living playing but many can make a living coaching, selling and promoting. Why do there have to be pros who make their living based on purses? Even Tiger doesn't make as much from purses as he does sponsorships. The best players in any sport will still be recognized as champions and want to be emulated whether you call them pros or ams who excel playing the sport and some get sponsorship deals.

[Disc Player Sports]

Chuck,
Agree with you 100%. (No the planets haven't aligned).
The entry fees for tournaments are too high in my opinion.
Would like to see any pro entry maxxed out at $75, and adv. at $50.
Now greens fees and everything else can be added to that.
"Our sport is one big paper tiger."
Play for your buddies, money most of the time.

The key is: Give sponsors something tangible in return.
All the money spent on Tiger Woods for example by: Nike, Gatorade, etc makes them money.