Show Notes 6/29/21

6/29/21

The Ringer Disc Golf Article Mostly about McBeth

https://www.theringer.com/features/2021/6/21/22542839/disc-golf-niche-sports-million-dollar-endorsement-deals

• Starts out talking about Paul McBeth touring at 19 in 2009
• Hard time with meager winnings and crappy cars that barely ran
• Won the Memorial in 2011 used the money to buy new Jeep Patriot
  • $4,000 purse
  • “Under occupation, I put ‘professional athlete,’” McBeth says. “I guess they didn’t believe me because they wouldn’t let me finance it. I ended up having to buy the car with cash.”
• He has deals with
  • Discraft 10 years $10 million
  • Adidas undisclosed
  • Celsius Energy Drinks undisclosed
• As of 2019 only 70 athletes have endorsements over 1 milllion a year
  • Jazz Guard Mike Conley Jr.
  • Astros Pitcher Justin Verlander
  • Da Bears Linebacker Khalil Mack
• This is achieved through growing your own brand even in niche/smaller sports
  • Passion Economy
    • Attract large audience on twitter/instagra/tik tok/ etc
    • Get them to a platform the influencer owns
    • Turn them into paying customers through merch or ads
  • “That is how influencers turn social capital into financial capital.” -Atekier Ventures founder Li Jin
• In 2020 Dynamic Discs paid over six figures to get their tournament on CBS
  • Compared to the NFL who gets 113 billion FROM TV partners
• Average viewership for Pro Sports (MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA) combine to 29.1million viewers
  • Compare that to Dude Perfect at 56 million subscribers
  • TV is not the ultimate status symbol anymore
• Enter Brodie Smith
  • Over 2 million youtube subscribers
  • Over 1 million twitter and Instagram followers
  • He is forcing disc golfers to look at these platforms and build better brands
  • Paul McBeth
    • “Brodie has made everyone in disc golf up their YouTube game. He’s inspired me a lot. We used to try to find the time to post videos when we could. Now we make the time. It’s become a priority.”

USDGC & Throw Pink New Qualifiers after Worlds

• MPO
• https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2021/06/28/leiviska-headlines-usdgc-qualifiers-from-2021-pro-worlds/
  • Cale Leiviska 1030 #24341 Little Canada, MN
    • Hasn’t played USDGC since 2013
    • Qualified every year since then
  • Cameron Colglazier 1025 #47407 Mobile, AL
  • Corey Ellis 1015 #44512 Barboursville, WV
  • Matt Hammersten 1023 #81781 Woodbridge, VA
  • Dallin Blanchard 1037 #72707 Idaho Falls, ID
• FPO
• https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2021/06/28/gannon-tattar-qualify-for-2021-throw-pink-womens-disc-golf-championship/
  • Kristin Tattar 962 #73986 Parnu, Estonia
    • Currently only touring US through beginning of august
  • Missy Gannon 954 #85942 Beacon, NY

James Conrad Wins Worlds

• McBeth 1 stroke lead lays up for tap in
• No downside to going for it
• 3 stroke lead over third place Nate Sexton
• Conrad takes his MVP Envy  (Putter)
  • Throws it 250’ straight in to force playoff
• You could see in the video of McBeth going through a range of emotion
• McBeth played very well
• Conrad made up for hitting an early tree to force the throw in
• McBeth’s playoff shot rolls OB long
  • Giving Conrad an easy win
• Overall an amazing tournament to watch and one for the ages

Catrina Allen Wins Worlds

• At hole 16 Paige Pierce saved par to go up 2 strokes on Allen
• It was a shootout between the two very talented women
  • Including some very impressive C2 putts from both
• 17 Paige hits an early tree end ups in the rough
  • Hits another tree
  • Ends with a bogey
• 17 Allen was pinched off behind a tree after the tee
  • Manages to get to C2 from a kneeling forehand
  • Easy par
• 18 Paige sailed her approach long and OB
  • Missed a C2 bogey save hitting the band
• 18 Allen laid up to take par after Paige’s double bogey

Junior Worlds Phase 3 Event

• July 4-10
• Emporia, KS
• Normal spectators and caddies allowed
• Essentially a normal event

Players Frustrated with Oversights at Pro Worlds

• Brodie paid $1000 to rent the WHOLE driving range at Mulligans
• Big facebook discussion about how the PDGA has dropped the ball over the last few years
  • Some blame TD, organizers, and sponsors
• OB was unclear at Mulligans
• Tee times for round 1 were posted very late
• Zackeraith Johnson hit by golf ball during practice
• This will get your blood boiling:
  • “When the Utah Open was a Pro Tour event [the warm-up] area was the same set-up used then. This was really the first we heard about players wanting to be able to air the disc out down the range,” said Danny Voss, PDGA Director of Marketing.
• It’s like these guys have never played a tournament before
  • “Given the feedback we received from players after Brodie’s post, the PDGA worked with Mulligans to reserve the other half of the range for the remainder of the event. This not only helped us provide an amenity requested by players, but also afforded the same opportunity for other pools to have the same warm-up area for subsequent rounds,” said Voss. “We discussed this adjustment with Brodie after his first round and offered to reimburse him the money he paid to the golf course for the other half of the range. He declined the offer, so instead we’ll add at least that amount back into the payout to be distributed back to the players.”
• Things need to change to say the least