March 28, 2024

Drew Gibson: Multimillionaire

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The Facts

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October 19th 2021 is a day that Drew Gibson will likely never forget. This is the day that he officially became a multimillionaire. So, who could he have signed with? Could it be EV-7? What about DIscraft? He does throw the Buzzz really well. The answer, none other than the pusher of plastic, broker of bags, Infinite Discs. Announced on both Drew’s and his management team’s Instagram, “This is a multi-million-dollar deal and includes a new line of discs designed by Drew!”

What better time to sign a big contract than on the heels of a fourth-place finish at USDGC finish and a second place at the Disc Golf Pro Tour Finale? Drew is definitely living by the phrase ‘strike while the iron is hot.’ Now this deal is at the very least weeks in the making but I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t sweetened a little after these two finishes.

 

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Now, Joe’s Disc Golf does not have any inside information, but we can take a look as some publicly available information surrounding this deal.  First, and most obvious, Drew is getting his own line of discs. As reported on by Bennett Wineka from Ultiworld Disc Golf, “The still unnamed brand will wholly be owned by Gibson’s company…. Details of royalties … which are uncapped, were not shared.” Much like the Paul McBeth deal with Discraft, the guaranteed money could pale in comparison to uncapped revenue of his own line of discs.

Second, this deal does not alter the existing contract through Infinite Discs that allows him to throw a mixed bag. This includes his putter endorsement deal with EV-7. So Discraft shouldn’t worry about a dip in Buzzz sales, yet. Though with the new Drew Gibson line, they should start to worry.

 

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The Opinion

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Ever since starting his pro career, Drew Gibson has thrown a mixed bag. He was and still is at the time of writing one of very few on tour that is throwing a mixed bag. This allowed Gibson to sign the first of its kind disc specific endorsement with EV-7 to throw their Penrose putter. Signing this lifetime contract with Infinite Discs should allow Gibson to make more disc specific deals like the EV-7 endorsement.

On October 15th, four days before the deal was singed and announced, Gibson had a unique interaction on Twitter regarding his use of his midrange formerly known as Buzzz.

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He will only refer to this disc as a “*midrange” and told Hunter Thomas not to “get too influenced.” To a certain extent I thought I understood what he meant. Maybe this is me projection but I like to tell people not to specifically throw what the pros throw. One reason is that they have a very different arm speed than an average disc golfer. Second reason is that those discs have been in their bags for years and don’t necessarily fly like a brand-new version of that disc. The Justice I’ve had for 2 years now flies closer to a brand new EMac Truth than a brand-new Justice.

But then I saw his next quote tweet…

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Replying to The Scottober Country he said again that “It’s called a *Midrange….” Ok so that’s a bit strange to correct a second person and have an asterisk before midrange again.

Then I saw this third tweet he replied to…

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“*midrange the free ad subscription has ended.”

Well, if that isn’t a strange tweet that isn’t broadcasting something big happening in the near future. Obviously with the lifetime contract with Infinite Discs Gibson isn’t going to a specific company. This indicates two different things to me.

The first indication, the first disc coming out in the Drew Gibson line is a midrange that will be comparable the Buzz but made to his exact specifications. Obviously, he would want to start distancing himself from the Buzzz to create buzz for his new midrange. With all the royalties from his personal line it’s a smart business decision.

The second indication, he could be negotiating a contract with Discraft for an EV-7 style endorsement (or less likely with another company for their midrange). To prove a point, he wants to show just how many sales he drives either directly to the Discraft store or indirectly through the Infinite Discs website. Obviously, those numbers are a closely held secrete by each company.

In my opinion, I think the first disc released in the Drew Gibson line will be a midrange. The disc will have similar flight characteristics as the Buzzz and with all the issues that the major companies are having keeping up with the demands, it’ll be interesting to see if they will hit the Q1 2022 target for release.

Drew Gibson works with the new agency DGPM Group (Disc Golf Player Management). This agency also represents Eric Oakley, Connor O’Reilly, and Trevor Harbolt. DGPM provides contract & sponsorship negotiations, branding, management, social media presence, and more.

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