Isn't that a bit like Yogi Berra's "Nobody goes to that restaurant anymore because it's too crowded"?
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Am Payouts stifle pro growth?
- Thread starter DiscFifty
- Start date
Isn't that a bit like Yogi Berra's "Nobody goes to that restaurant anymore because it's too crowded"?
Basically.
As long as we continually have a crop of new tournament players who see tourney entry fees and just assume "that's what it costs to play", and have no perspective of the cheaper fees that preceded it, I won't be expecting said entry fees to be coming down soon. I also won't be playing too many events until they do.
Cgkdisc
.:Hall of Fame Member:.
Read a few potentially good ideas for improvements. But these ideas may not be strong enough to compel those posters to make the effort to try and run those formats or persuade others, Tom Sawyer style, to try and run them versus continue paying and playing under the default format common in their area or just not participate.
Totally agree. The PDGA should 100% move away from anything pro related and let another entity handle it.
Sometimes things lost in translation.. as an am player myself I am certainly not belittling ams. My focus was on the small percent of players that may or may not, move up or even want to move up due to being brought up on winning merch, players packs, etc. I've seen ams throw away trophies, laugh at them, etc, etc, and only worry about how much merch they're getting. I've seen ams instantly sell their merch vouchers to other players so they can "cash" out at the tournament without going pro. Granted.. VERY small numbers of players, but again.. the discussion was if merch was never available what would their mindset be.
And for the record.. DD has been mentioned several times in this thread. I should point out the DFW area is lucky to have Dynamic Discs Carrollton run so many tournaments. I've played in many of them and will continue to do so. The only area of concern I have with them is their pricing structure and the fact they will not allow players to opt out of player packs in return for lower entry fees. But let's be honest.. they routinely fill their tournaments so I am of course in the minority with this opinion.
We have 360 ams paying $100 in Charlotte. Its all about where you are, supply and demand.
I think the issue is, that you cant have 1 option. Each market is so diverse.
Some areas do well with low entry trophy only, some high entry merch, and combinations of those. Just like some areas do really well with A and B tiers and others are suited more towards C tiers. There is no catchall, so we should leave it up to TD's and let the players feet do the voting. If you can charge $150 for a B-Tier and fill in an hour giving out only merch or only trophies in (example) Texas, well maybe a $35 B-tier trophy only is the only thing that will work in Maine...
Ultimately, forcing people to give up flexibility just to move more money into a cash paying division is short sited and lazy. The growth comes from presenting the sport and acting in a way that brings in outside sponsors. More outside added cash will draw in more pros.
If I had a tournament with 360 flexible spots pro and am and had $200,000 added pro cash paying out to 70% of the field...It think that pro field would be pretty deep.
If I guilt ams to playing pro for $500 in added cash, ultimately many of those will quit playing tournaments all together.
Thats insane.
dorseymatt
Eagle Member
I wish AMs could cash in the Open division in C-tiers and still retain AM status. Or, maybe there could be some of semi-pro designation.
Not really, USADGC is like $125 in your neck of the woods.
Its about the quality of the courses, event, payout, players pack, TD's organization, extras, location, and other things like getting points for worlds. There are big A-Tiers out there that take advantage of players or lapse in course upkeep but get tons of players to bite because they get points for worlds all in 1 event. There are also A-tiers out there like USDGC that really take care of their players and have a professional feel, and they can demand more $. Its all about demand.
Yeah yeah. Its still insane to pay $100 to go throw frisbees in the woods.
Dcinmd
Double Eagle Member
Still cheaper than most ball golf outings.
Around here you can play 18 with a cart for under $50 on the weekend. Thats at a very decent city course. In fact, all of the public courses around here are under $100.
But seriously, I don't care what anyone else wants to spend their money on. To me personally, playing tournaments are not worth an entry fee of $100.
I get it. But, spending our individual entertainment budget is a pretty varied and personal decision. I spend far more on a couple tickets to a Wings game with dinner, pre-bar and a beer or two at the game. (Spoiler......far more).
If a hundred bucks get me camping, two or three rounds on a nice course, a player party with a few beers thrown my way, the chance to toss down a lawn chair and catch up with some friends and a player's pack of stuff I don't really need.....I am in.
But, not all $100 tournaments are all that.
Suspect
Birdie Member
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2018
- Messages
- 364
BS...I'm calling you out on that one.
(And I don't even know you!)
Maybe if it was a big event I would pay up to 70. I'd rather pay less and not get a players pack though.
Also a hooker that cheap eep lol
robdeforge
Double Eagle Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2014
- Messages
- 1,359
As somebody who:
a) is price sensitive
b) believes in playing by the rules
I have no reason to play in PDGA tournaments. People in each and every division cheat willfully and out of ignorance. So for me it's not the am payouts that are stifling prow growth, but the behavior of other pros. Not sure how to address that
a) is price sensitive
b) believes in playing by the rules
I have no reason to play in PDGA tournaments. People in each and every division cheat willfully and out of ignorance. So for me it's not the am payouts that are stifling prow growth, but the behavior of other pros. Not sure how to address that
$100 entry fees for A-tiers aren't why I'm not playing tournaments. As a non-current member, I am not eligible to play in them anyway.
It's the $45-60 B-tiers, plus an add on $10 fee, not to mention all the ancillary expenses associated with tournaments, that is keeping me away, not to mention the fact that even many of our unsanctioned events are now charging the same entries, since the market shows that they can.
It's a discretionary expenditure. Supply and demand. I can assure you I'm not missed. Someone willing to pay the entry fee and then some have easily filled in my absence. Why would any sane TD lower his entry fees with that going on?
It's the $45-60 B-tiers, plus an add on $10 fee, not to mention all the ancillary expenses associated with tournaments, that is keeping me away, not to mention the fact that even many of our unsanctioned events are now charging the same entries, since the market shows that they can.
It's a discretionary expenditure. Supply and demand. I can assure you I'm not missed. Someone willing to pay the entry fee and then some have easily filled in my absence. Why would any sane TD lower his entry fees with that going on?
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