esdubya
Double Eagle Member
David, you "get it". Thanks for the knowledge! :thmbup:
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What's Holding Disc Golf Back
- Thread starter martygregwah
- Start date
David, you "get it". Thanks for the knowledge! :thmbup:
On the topic of TV deals and stereotypes:
I used to play competitive paintball, (aka Speedball) If you're not familiar, Google: NPPL paintball or youtube it. It's a huge $ sport compared to disc golf, with multiple 100k + contracts to the top pros. Yet, there's a large percentage of the population that still see paintball players as "GI Joe wannabees", or grown men playing army.
I can't tell you how huge the buzz was when ESPN2 picked up a tournament series a couple years ago. It ran for a full season, and looked great. Yet the stereotypes persist. So television coverage doesn't change perceptions by itself.
My personal feeling is that while it's the companies/promoters responsibility to try to get TV deals and get better coverage, they can only do so much. That's where the players come in.
Our role as players, in my opinion, is two-fold:
1) Get involved with the community. Have your local club open a booth at the local outdoor sports expo. Volunteer to work with kids (especially disadvantaged kids.) Buy disc golf clothing and wear it to the grocery store. Take your writing ability and submit an article to the local newspaper. Ask your local news to send a reporter out to your local tournaments (this works.)
2) Get better. While ball golf has been popular for a long time, the general population never cared before Tiger showed up. Skateboarding never hit it big until Tony Hawk lit up the X-Games. Nothing promotes a sport, big or small, better than pure, unadulterated skill. The current top pros are phenomenal, and there are a lot of young players who are already beating the established pros. But compared to top level ball golfers, top skateboarders, etc. the skill level of our best players is still in its adolescent stage.
The Tiger Woods/Jordan/Lebron of disc golf would drive 600' on frozen ropes, chain 20% of his approach shots, almost never miss from inside the circle and hit 75% of his jump putts. That guy is the one that'll perk up Red Bull's ears. He's the guy who'll get a Powerade logo on his dri-fit.
Again, no disrespect to current pros at all, as they're what make us what we are now. But we need our players to be on the next level before our sport follows them.
I used to play competitive paintball, (aka Speedball) If you're not familiar, Google: NPPL paintball or youtube it. It's a huge $ sport compared to disc golf, with multiple 100k + contracts to the top pros. Yet, there's a large percentage of the population that still see paintball players as "GI Joe wannabees", or grown men playing army.
I can't tell you how huge the buzz was when ESPN2 picked up a tournament series a couple years ago. It ran for a full season, and looked great. Yet the stereotypes persist. So television coverage doesn't change perceptions by itself.
My personal feeling is that while it's the companies/promoters responsibility to try to get TV deals and get better coverage, they can only do so much. That's where the players come in.
Our role as players, in my opinion, is two-fold:
1) Get involved with the community. Have your local club open a booth at the local outdoor sports expo. Volunteer to work with kids (especially disadvantaged kids.) Buy disc golf clothing and wear it to the grocery store. Take your writing ability and submit an article to the local newspaper. Ask your local news to send a reporter out to your local tournaments (this works.)
2) Get better. While ball golf has been popular for a long time, the general population never cared before Tiger showed up. Skateboarding never hit it big until Tony Hawk lit up the X-Games. Nothing promotes a sport, big or small, better than pure, unadulterated skill. The current top pros are phenomenal, and there are a lot of young players who are already beating the established pros. But compared to top level ball golfers, top skateboarders, etc. the skill level of our best players is still in its adolescent stage.
The Tiger Woods/Jordan/Lebron of disc golf would drive 600' on frozen ropes, chain 20% of his approach shots, almost never miss from inside the circle and hit 75% of his jump putts. That guy is the one that'll perk up Red Bull's ears. He's the guy who'll get a Powerade logo on his dri-fit.
Again, no disrespect to current pros at all, as they're what make us what we are now. But we need our players to be on the next level before our sport follows them.
shakatak
Birdie Member
Yeah, everytime I look at 25 discs lying around in my trunk and go to the local disc golf store with 100+ different disc molds I think "I sure wish there were more products available".
I agree with Scarpfish. DG is fun the way it is. If it "goes big time", fine. If it doesn't, that's fine too. Either way it will be the same to me and most of us on here. Plus he didn't tell anyone to set themselves on fire.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2008
- Messages
- 4,783
I haven't followed the thread too closely because I know what's holding DG back.
SMOKING
Isn't that why it's banned from AM Worlds?
SMOKING
Isn't that why it's banned from AM Worlds?
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2008
- Messages
- 4,783
Seriously,
Allow me to throw in my 2 cents.
DG is small time for at least two reasons:
1. It's hard to make money around DG. A lot of us DG'res love the sport BECAUSE it is inexpensive. It won't hit the big time unless someone's gonna make some serious money.
2. It is hard to translate DG skill with a camera. People LOVE to see fantastic skill and it just doesn't translate well. Most noobs that i've met are unimpressed with DG skills UNTIL they try it. Hmmm. Not as easy as it looks. It's hard to make a 600' throw look impressive on camera. Billy Crump can oooohh and ahhh all day, but until you've played the course and tried to hit that line and distance, it just doesn't look all that impressive.
Do we REALLY want DG to hit the big time?
Me, I'm okay with quiet afternoons with good friends and obscurity.
Allow me to throw in my 2 cents.
DG is small time for at least two reasons:
1. It's hard to make money around DG. A lot of us DG'res love the sport BECAUSE it is inexpensive. It won't hit the big time unless someone's gonna make some serious money.
2. It is hard to translate DG skill with a camera. People LOVE to see fantastic skill and it just doesn't translate well. Most noobs that i've met are unimpressed with DG skills UNTIL they try it. Hmmm. Not as easy as it looks. It's hard to make a 600' throw look impressive on camera. Billy Crump can oooohh and ahhh all day, but until you've played the course and tried to hit that line and distance, it just doesn't look all that impressive.
Do we REALLY want DG to hit the big time?
Me, I'm okay with quiet afternoons with good friends and obscurity.
Prerube
over the actual hyperlinking
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2009
- Messages
- 4,063
I wish. I'd have played alot more courses by now if I was!
- Joined
- May 3, 2010
- Messages
- 3,791
Not you, the original poster.
NO. He got banned!
Or Wareagle
The Tiger Woods/Jordan/Lebron of disc golf would drive 600' on frozen ropes, chain 20% of his approach shots, almost never miss from inside the circle and hit 75% of his jump putts. That guy is the one that'll perk up Red Bull's ears. He's the guy who'll get a Powerade logo on his dri-fit.
Again, no disrespect to current pros at all, as they're what make us what we are now. But we need our players to be on the next level before our sport follows them.[/QUOTE]
His name is Nikko Locastro. Look at his stats this year so far, so insane. I can understand the Tiger Woods comparrison, but even Tiger doesn't win every weekend. If Jordan or Lebron have an off night Pippen and Dwade are there to pick up slack. Its hard to understand because its such a personal sport. You aren't playing a team, you're playing yourself and the course.
I think the sport is growing and doing well in the small amount of time I've been involved, but I just dont think its ever going to be main stream.
But then again, I kinda hope I'm wrong.
Again, no disrespect to current pros at all, as they're what make us what we are now. But we need our players to be on the next level before our sport follows them.[/QUOTE]
His name is Nikko Locastro. Look at his stats this year so far, so insane. I can understand the Tiger Woods comparrison, but even Tiger doesn't win every weekend. If Jordan or Lebron have an off night Pippen and Dwade are there to pick up slack. Its hard to understand because its such a personal sport. You aren't playing a team, you're playing yourself and the course.
I think the sport is growing and doing well in the small amount of time I've been involved, but I just dont think its ever going to be main stream.
But then again, I kinda hope I'm wrong.
esdubya
Double Eagle Member
My JOB is holding disc golf back.. I can't wait for 5pm to get here!!!!
Good point. I don't want to have to call ahead to the course to setup a tee time.
One question. Why do people always say "90% of people don't know what disc golf is." Don't just make up numbers. After long thought, I'd say AT LEAST 50% of people I talk to know what it is, might have never played, but know. Just a peeve of mine...
78% of all statistics are made up on the spot...
The Hammer
* Ace Member *
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2008
- Messages
- 4,862
Keep in mind that the sport is much more popular in your neck of the woods. Here is Arizona, it seems like nobody knows what it is.
joesouthfla
Birdie Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2010
- Messages
- 340
So the original poster is trying to make the argument that disc golf is being held back by poor dressing, pot smoking, beer drinking, trash throwers. I believe your assumptions are way off base. Look at skate boarding, motocross or any of the x-games. All of these sports were started my young people who are poorly dressed and like to party. So you can throw your first theory out the window. As far as courses being located in bad parks with trash. Can you imagine how bad these parks would look without the disc golfers? The fact of the matter is disc golfers make parks better for all visitors. The courses are often times located in the most undesirable part of the park. Once these courses go in the incidence of littering, vandalism, and other petty crimes go down. Disc golfing is often times the number one revenue generator for parks that charge a fee. So lets stop throwing our hippie golfers under the bus. Being a sport that is very similar to ball golf it only makes senses that disc golf will rise in popularity a lot slower then other sports. Ball golf has been around for hundreds of years and has only reached its current popularity in the last 50 years. Disc golf is out pacing ball golf in leaps and bounds but probably will need another 10 to 15 to become the corporate sell out you so desire.
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