The Inevitable 2022 Pros Switching Sponsors Thread

[robdeforge]

I did not know he had a 5 year deal, well that changes some of my thoughts concerning where his head is at currently.

definitely a weird situation. as far as I know he's not the only one to leave a contract early in recent memory, but I can't remember anybody else leaving Innova early... we also don't know anything about the possibility of opt-out clauses in his contract. so speculating gets tough!

 

[Nick Pacific]

To that point, the two Walmarts closest to me sell a bunch of dx and some pro plastic Innova molds. I know I've seen more leopards, teebirds and aviars out in the wild purchased from there than I have seen tour series anything discs. It's definitely a good point.

I know of some people who run an online sports supplement business and have for years, and they've accumulated a loyal following over the years all through online sales (never had a store).

Eventually they got one item out of their entire 40 or so product line into Walmart. That one product, through brick and mortar sales at Walmart, eclipsed their entire online business of all 40 products for the year combined, and has continued to do so for several years now.

I guess the moral of the story is that we forget just how big the US really is and how many big box stores there really are.

 

[elmexdela]

Grooves kept selling because Dick's had an SKU for them and when inventory got low, they ordered more. Casuals bought them because it was a driver available at a sporting goods store. No marketing necessary.

one quick look at the flight chart and you can make some conclusions that groove has the most glide and most distance

 

[seedlings]

one quick look at the flight chart and you can make some conclusions that groove has the most glide and most distance

Everything glides into the creek on the left. Is tomorrow DD's announcement day?

 

[nothinbuttree]

I played a few years in the late 80s, early 90s, then was out of it for over 25 years. The very first disc I bought when I started playing again 4 years ago was a 14 speed Daedelus (sp?) from Dicks. Bought it because I thought I would throw far with it (ignorant newb), and because I remembered Innova from my Roc, Hammer, and Stingray days.

I think there are MANY more folks of that mindset buying discs today than there folks like us, who actually spend time on a forum debating basket sizes and O/B ropes.

My point is like some have mentioned--perhaps we are missing what the true cash cows are for these companies. When I started playing again, I could have named exactly zero current players. The companies are not out of inventory because of good, experienced players. They are out of inventory because newbs like me throwing 14 speeds into ponds.

 

[Dingus]

A lot of good points in the last dozen posts.

I'm not sure that boutique sponsor discs are a great deal for Innova. If you are a direct to consumer brand you can afford to list discs at a premium and make more money despite the royalty. This is exactly what Innova has tried to do with the factory store. But when the boutique discs are a sliver of your profits, is it actually worth having around? It damages your core business, which is maintaining relationships with brick and mortar retailers. It takes a lot of management; maintaining separate SKUs and tooling new molds for each new pro tour disc. End of the day business is about min/maxing. You want to maximize your most profitable side while minimizing the overhead. I don't know if the pro sponsor discs did this very effectively.

Disc golf is still very much in growth mode, and will be for the foreseeable future. Innova is in a position where even if they lose market share to XYZ competitor, any growth in the market as a whole will more then make up for the loss. For a while it was all on Innova to grow the market because they only had Discraft to help shoulder the load. Now that there are a dozen or so entities capable of throwing money at growth, Innova can shrink back, reduce overhead, and benefit from the market growth it's competitors are spending money like mad to feed. For example, the headline grab from Discraft signing McBeth to a $10mm contract may have swung some market share to Discraft away from Innova, but I would bet it also increased the net market to an extent where Innova made more money by letting him walk.

 

[Tyler V]

Hailey King posted on Instagram saying she is parting ways with Resistance Discs, Ridgeroller Customs, and Ladies First Disc Golf. No mention of leaving Discraft.

 

[Leviathan]

McBeth just posted on Instagram that he is no longer an owner of Foundation Disc golf. Wonder what happened there…

 

[Rol6566]

McBeth just posted on Instagram that he is no longer an owner of Foundation Disc golf. Wonder what happened there…

Well the day has come to announce that Paul will be stepping away from Foundation as an owner. When we started Foundation together years ago, I don't think we ever expected it to turn into what it has today or how big it could possibly grow! These past 3 years have been incredible and when Paul approached Brodie and I and explained how much he has on his plate and how he felt like he couldn't dedicate the time he felt like he needed to as an owner, we were sad but also fully understood! With his foundation, touring at the top level, and many other things that he has in the works behind the scenes, it had just gotten to be too much and something had to give. From a fan perspective, don't worry we still plan on doing videos together and having fun as friends! Thanks for the 3 years Paul and I can't wait to see everything you have in store! -Hunter

Official post from Foundation

 

[TheirTheir]

If Innova is shedding players it's because it's good business. I imagine they gleaned quite a bit from their tour series disc sales.

 

[ktown]

Hailey King, Kona Panis, and Katrina Allen. Where are these top FPO ladies going to land?

We all know Ricky is signing with Dynamic, announcing on Tuesday. Any other MPO players up in the air still?

 

[Tyler V]

Hailey King, Kona Panis, and Katrina Allen. Where are these top FPO ladies going to land?

We all know Ricky is signing with Dynamic, announcing on Tuesday. Any other MPO players up in the air still?

I'm guessing Hailey is staying at Discraft since her post earlier on Instagram isn't include Discraft in the list of sponsors she is leaving in 2022. My guess is that Kat is DD's FPO announcement.

 

[Orioles_Lefty]

I don't care who goes where. I just hope disc golfers continue to change sponsors for the rest of time because the public breakup posts are the absolute best.

 

[Hampstead]

I don't care who goes where. I just hope disc golfers continue to change sponsors for the rest of time because the public breakup posts are the absolute best.

It appears that they didn't get the memo to include BBQ preferences in those posts.

 

[Stable]

Seems like a disc thrown well and endorsed by a 900-950 rated female player might just be a much better fit for the typical male rec or int. player than one thrown by a 1050 rated player who can backhand 550' and forehand 400' plus...

100%

& would be a good idea to see how they build their bags too. Years back when I was playing tournaments I would see a lot of players throwing McBeth Destroyers that shouldn't be using them at all. Paul has world class technique & ability that the rest of us don't have so his distance drivers are going to react a lot different out of his hand than ours.

 

[auzcar]

We all know Ricky is signing with Dynamic, announcing on Tuesday. Any other MPO players up in the air still?

Linus Carlsson is still up in the air, we know he's leaving Innova.

 

[adb83]

The big three sports in the US have conned the public for billions to build mega stadiums and given all the profit to the leagues.

It's gotten so bad that minor league teams are getting into the action. Look up the Pawtucket Red Sox's stadium.

 

[mychaelwasham]

Hailey King, Kona Panis, and Katrina Allen. Where are these top FPO ladies going to land?

We all know Ricky is signing with Dynamic, announcing on Tuesday. Any other MPO players up in the air still?

Kona > DD
Kat > DGA
Hailey > no idea lol guessing finishing the year at discraft and then leaving with Missy and PP having big contracts with discraft already. If not... MVP?

 

[Dingus]

If not... MVP?

MVP adding sponsored players when they can't even manage their production is a terrible way to run a business. How about before you bother with marketing dollars you allow me to pay you money for an Entropy or three?

 

[ru4por]

MVP adding sponsored players when they can't even manage their production is a terrible way to run a business. How about before you bother with marketing dollars you allow me to pay you money for an Entropy or three?

Hmmmm....MVP has been one of the best companies that we have dealt with throughout the pandemic. A couple times, they have been the only manufacturer that could meet our tournament requests and have been good to deal with and delivered what was promised.