With all due respect, I think video coverage has little to nothing to do with growing the sport. Sure engaged disc golfers watch and enjoy coverage, but I would have to believe they are doing very little to do with exposing the sport to non disc golfers. Grass root media, local tournaments and new courses impact new player numbers more than videos...IMO.
Exactly. Stuff going viral like the Philo shot and the ESPN stuff helps, but in general when we are talking "reach" it seems people are referring to views on YouTube videos which are essentially made up of existing disc golfers/fans. The average non disc golfer has no interest in watching a major tournament on YouTube.
Lyle said it earlier in this forum. The PDGA's job is about laying groundwork and that to me means expanding reach to those who have not bee exposed to disc golf. The focus on schools and involving local communities is imperative. Local media involvement is essential when possible.
This conversation seems to be cart before the horse in most cases. "The PDGA needs to raise money and get mainstream sponsorship". No, the PDGA and it's members need to keep doing what there doing until disc golf, in the least, breaks the household name barrier, which it hasn't. If sponsorship from a large sports company or any company with a lot of capital is the goal, then the market, in terms of players and fans, has to grow from speaking in terms of "thousands" to "millions". I think the PDGA and it's members are doing a pretty good job of trying to make that happen in the past decade. Sponsorship is about 1 thing - brand recognition. You can only sell that by being able to present, with evidence, that their brand will be viewed by a considerable amount of people.
There is a reason people have been saying "it's about to happen" for 20 years. We are growing considerably without a doubt, but the number of non disc golfers who know what disc golf is and have an interest in (fans) is tiny in every practical sense. Growth in terms of PDGA members, local clubs, etc is very important, but it's not what gets us over the hump. It's fans, the general public. Darts and Bowling went through this phase a long time ago, but both those sports were played by millions recreationally long before a real professional tour with decent paid athletes ever existed. How long do you think there top athletes were waiting to "get paid" for them. Similar cases with snowboarding and skateboarding which are closer to disc golf in terms of age and culture.
What is more likely to happen is a more organic growth from within. As more courses are installed and more players are playing the major disc golf manufacturers will have more customers and therefore more capital. They will be able to afford a larger marketing campaign and will have an actual ROI for doing so. We sill start to see discs in major sporting goods stores more and more, rather than the couple of racks we see today. Disc golf companies will actually start to advertise and slowly but surely everyone will know what disc golf is. We will have more disc golf in schools and more young people will play. At some point, a real fan base will exist, players will be branded, and outside advertisers will take interest. Major tours with paid employees running events rather than volunteers will exist leading to rapid growth in the quality of events and a more centralized pro tour will develop. From there capitalism will just kind of do it's thing. If you think our Athletes will be millionaires in the next 5-10 years I think you are mistaken.
With all that said, I still say a well financed documentary on disc golf culture itself - it's history, it's players, the grind of the touring pro, the crazy comradery that exists, the characterizations of the top athletes from players like Nikko to Paul, all that stuff. If done right, it could be a very interesting film viewed by millions. Thanks to Netflix I have watched a ton of documentaries that were very intriguing about far less interesting subjects. Disc golf is super cool, and it's the culture and it's state of growth that make it so to the outsider, not the actual game. But yea, show them the game for sure and how legit the athletes really are. I just think something like that could jump start it a bit. But I'm a biased disc golfer.
The PDGA needs to keep on keeping on with a focus on exposure, especially to children. They need to partner with TDs and provide resources to help them reach out to their community and get local media involved when possible. They need to utilize social media to the fullest extent. However it can be done, they need to try and make running events, at least at the pro level - profitable. I know that sounds very capitalistic, but when we are taking about growth, it seems to me we are talking about $$$. Steve Dodge and Jussi are using their years of volunteer experience to try and make a living off running a tour. The more guys like this the better.
In summary, it's not a matter of if, but when. Disc golf will not recede into the shadows or remain the little niche sport that is, as much a I love that! But we are a long way from being "mainstream" or having a true professional tour with well compensated players. It will happen. If we build it, they will come.