Wow PDGA....Really!!!!

The PDGA has been promoting an episode of the show "Happy Endings" that aired tonight. The episode was to at least feature people playing disc golf with PDGA branded items. For this to occur on Prime Time television is a big lift for our sport. Here is what the PDGA said on their website about the subject:

 

"While increasing interest and popularity of this sport is evident in the worldwide participation and growing membership of Disc golfers, portrayal of this sport in the media is imperative for prosperity and awareness on a global level. Television is a monumental step in securing our place in sports history. "  PDGA- DG on Prime TIme

A monumental step in securing our place in sports history; what the hell where you thinking. You must have a better plan to promote disc golf than to pin it on the hopes that a second rate comedy show would do it justice and not make fun of it. Please tell me you have a better plan than letting them call my sport a "Hobby", which they did. Please tell me you have a better plan than letting them call my sport "Frolf", which they did. Please tell me you have a better plan then letting them show that throwing a disc looks something like ballet in the park, which they did. Please tell me you have a better plan than letting them show a lady get hit in the head, because you know how hard it is to not hit people in the head from 5 feet away when your driving, but they did.

 

You promoted on Facebook, Twitter, and your website to tune in and watch the show take disc golf awareness to a global level. I wonder how disc golf looks on that global level after tonights episode of Happy Endings? Are you just trying to make us feel bad? Is that your way to pompt us to get off our ass and get out and promote the sport ourselves? Is that your better plan? I don't think so, I don't think you have a clue what it takes to break into the mainstream media and maintain any sense of dignity while doing it. I think you where just hoping that they wouldn't make fun of disc golf and that this would be a lucky break. You rolled the dice, played the lotto, and petted your lucky cricket, hoping that this would be the day disc golf got its free publicity. Well, it did, and now you know why it was free.

 

Don't get butt hurt that I'm on here pissing and moaning on how you screwed the pooch either. I'm not done yet, I want you to post admission that you screwed the pooch on all the social media sites that you used to get the word out to watch the show. Then I want you to invite help from those of us down here on the front line playing DG and supporting our local clubs. There may be some of us that are able to help push the needle for the sport. If you don't know how to get those focus groups going at the local levels, you better figure it out quick. I'm done ranting I guess, I've got more to say, but f*ck it, i'm frustrated.

 

AND......If you think I'm not the kind of guy to put my money where my mouth is PDGA, PM me.

 

Ps- DGRUS faithful, if you just want to play and don't give a crap about this stuff, I won't be offended if you just ignore this post.

[David Sauls]

Doesn't bother me.  Other than the 30 minutes of my life I wasted to catch 7-seconds of "frolf" references and a 1-second view of a tee shot.  I doubt anyone in the non-disc-golfing world even noticed.

 

My only complaint is that I wish the PDGA had been able to preview the show so they could have toned down the promotion among disc golfers.  My understanding is that they didn't pay anything and didn't have any control over the script; they provided information on the disc golf which the show used (or didn't).  And, of course, got way overexcited about what the show might do with it.

[Dave Engle]

Just watched it.  F**king brutal.  A huge tactical error on PDGA's part.

[David Sauls]

How tactical was this error?  A TV show wants to include disc golf.  It contacts the PDGA for information.  PDGA provides it.  TV show doesn't use it.   PDGA can't make them.  What should they have done?

 

Other than not carry on like it would be the "Next Big Step" in disc golf?

[Wicked Dyes]

Thanks for letting me know what show i will not be watching.

[David Sauls]

Lucky you.

 

[harold king]

we have live stream,its ok sometimes,the feed is a little bumpy,,but maybe we just need our own cable channel,,ESPN,is aware but  they havent gotten onboard yet,,their loss..could swear ive seen curling though on ESPN,, a rock pushed down the ice,,thanks for showing that ESPN,there is a medium out there for us but i think no one has follwed up on it,,we have a ton of accesories and gear to back this sport and enough players,pro and am,but no outlet to bring it into our own home for viewing...maybe NIKE or REEBOK,PUMA,GATORADE,some company with enough sence to see the $$$$$$ that disc golf generates,would and to come..how many more millions of dollars are they gonna let slip by them..and in the end money is what it always comes down to..its here to stay..wake up big industry you are letting $$$$$ slip away.

[AndroidJonny]

There is an outlet. The only problem is, no-one has honed in on it. But With my parents being Videographers and myself being a disc golfer, I am working on trying to find ways to start on the local frontier in my area and try and create some contacts to branch out.

[Dookville]

While i am dissapointed in the portrayal that ABC allowed to go out in regards to disc golf, my beef lies with the PDGA.

[David Sauls]

Why?  What should the PDGA have done differently?  Other than not tempt me to watch it.

 

Unless I'm missing something, I don't see any reason to bash the PDGA over this.  Especially when there are dozens of better reasons to bash them (if that's what you want).

 

Now, if they PAID for this product placement, I'll recant.

[Dookville]

Don't get me wrong, I'm rooting for the PDGA to be successful. Hell, I'm willing to even lend a hand to help them be successful. My concern is that this is just a symptom of the overall direction that the PDGA thinks its going. If I'm wrong, they could easily prove me wrong by announcing the direction that they are going. And...if they don't know how to get there, or maybe they do and they just lack man power, just speak up.

 

As far as what they should have done differently. Maybe not expecting a sitcom to pay disc golf any due justice, and certainly not promote it using the PDGA's name.

[David Sauls]

I'll agree with you on the promotion.  Although I doubt they had any idea how it would be portrayed, or how little it would be portrayed.  If it was positive or at least extensive time in the show, and the PDGA hadn't mentioned it in advance, they'd probably get gripes about THAT.  But I do think they got rather giddy with just the thought of being on network TV.

 

I would never expect disc golf to be portrayed in a positive light in a TV comedy or drama (though it would be nice).  What DOES TV portray in a positive light?  I'm an insurance agent.  I'm a businessman.  I'm a landlord.   I was a youth sports coach for many, many years.  I assisted with Boy Scouts for a while.  Have you any idea how those activities are most often portrayed on TV?  Rarely well, I assure you.

[Justin]

I offer to help them all of the time. I recently offered to help them copy edit their magazine so that they don't spell Hokom two different ways on the same page. Senor Signor basically scoffed at my email, made a joke, and blew me off. I have also offered to help with marketing. Apparently, they know it all and don't need my help. I mean, we've seen how good JD is with PR.