How To Make It In America (In A Sport That Gets No Love)

[bradharris]

Saw this on Facebook the other day.

http://mashable.com/2014/03/11/lacrosse-paul-rabil/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfbXhjcjlwMTc2NzU2ZjNsZSJ9

Sure, this particular article is about the success of a lacrosse player. But it's an interesting read from the perspective of Disc Golf.

What's really interesting is that Lacrosse has a lot of the things that many claim disc golf needs (general recognition, strong youth/college programs, money, even ESPN coverage), yet, according to this article, only one professional lacrosse player actually makes a comfortable living on the sport alone.

But the fact that he's good at lacrosse alone isn't the reason he's been successful. That's what got him started, but he was proactive in creating himself as a brand to be sold. In disc golf, our pros seem to always be looking for a new brand to sell rather than creating their own personal brands.

AJ has been somewhat successful in that regard. And although her game is not at the top levels, Holly also has been very good at marketing her personal brand.

Moral of the story: It's up to the pros themselves to find ways to earn a living. There are limits (and it seems we may have hit a plateau) to what the NT can provide.

 

[Halcón]

...a comfortable living....

One man's comfortable is another's wealthy. Or poor.

I am certain that Paul McBeth made more more last year than I did. And he's not married, raising three kids. To me, he's living large.

 

[bradharris]

One man's comfortable is another's wealthy. Or poor.

I am certain that Paul McBeth made more more last year than I did. And he's not married, raising three kids. To me, he's living large.

But how long will he be able to sustain that?

 

[Halcón]

But how long will he be able to sustain that?

The way he's going? A few years, at least. After that the money will dry up pretty quickly.

 

[turbosteve]

But how long will he be able to sustain that?

I actually think McBeth will be fine. I think McBeth is trying to grow youth participation in disc golf. He recently started the junior team with his sponsor Innova and last night said if he was given $5 million he would start the little league version of disc golf.

 

[oddjob]

what's the tax rate on tournament winnings? wonder how much they actually report.

 

[WhiteyBear]

Great point about lacrosse vs disc golf. Lacrosse is infinitely more popularly played than DG, and a far greater reach in the sports world. All that exposure doesn't mean $$$.

In the end, it's a life choice to play a game/sport for a living, and the financial aspects are something you need to walk into deliberately. That's the way it is with any profession/job/business.

 

[WhiteyBear]

what's the tax rate on tournament winnings? wonder how much they actually report.

PDGA reports sanctioned tournament wins. The rest is up to them to declare, just like the rest of the nation.

 

[turbosteve]

I find it interesting that only 1.8 million people played lacrosse in 2012. I would have thought more people played than 1.8 million.

 

[bradharris]

I find it interesting that only 1.8 million people played lacrosse in 2012. I would have thought more people played than 1.8 million.

I don't think it has a wide enough spread. It's wildly popular in certain areas of the country, but virtually non-existent in many others.

 

[ranger]

it's also pretty rough

I wouldn't want to play in my 40s

 

[BirdieMachine]

Disc golf continues to grow at an astonishing 15% rate. As it continues to grow out from the niche market to a widely mainstream sport, tourneys will continue to grow in size and prize as well. Coverage will continue to get more expansive as demand to watch grows. Then comes bigger sponsors and so on. I think we are doing fine.

 

[pigpen]

A professional lacrosse player? Who knew?
Did not even realize the game even existed after college.

 

[WhiteyBear]

A professional disc golf player? Who knew?
Did not even realize the game even existed outside of the parks.

fixed for our current public standing....

 

[Darkness07]

fixed for our current public standing....

Have to admit when I first told my wife that there are professional disc golfers she looked at me like I must be lying.

In the end disc golf is played directly for money, so it's far easier to become a professional at it than many games, including lacrosse. For example - the number of people who play poker for a living is astronomical compared to other games because earning money is straightforward. You don't need to be a star (although it certainly helps).

 

[Loomis]

Professional Dart throwers, how much do they make a year?
How did bowling go from recreational sport to "professional" sport?
If we look at another sport that started around the same time as Disc Golf; how did Skateboarding go from renegade sport to "X games" level?
How did Bass fishing become a multi-million dollar a year sport?

What separates these "sports" from disc golf? Is it the look of the sport? Is it the setting? Is it the appearance of the players?

Just curious if anyone had some thoughts on this.

 

[Nasty Nate]

One man's comfortable is another's wealthy. Or poor.

I am certain that Paul McBeth made more more last year than I did. And he's not married, raising three kids. To me, he's living large.

That's... interesting. Considering the prize for the Memorial was $4000 I highly doubt he's making THAT much money a year. In a game where you MUST win in order to make a small sum of money I would be surprised if top pros made close to or more than $20,000 a year, and they still have traveling expenses and whatnot.

I believe professionals play for the love of the game and not as a means of supporting themselves i.e. they probably have jobs besides disc golf.

Lacrosse is teh ghey.

Haha that made me laugh. I have to agree... Lacrosse is pretty much a preppy douche bag game. Sorry, lacrosse fans! Actually, no I'm not.

 

[Barefooter]

In many ways Disc Golf is already bigger than Lacrosse.
Yearly equipment sales, for example.
Disc golf is played by more people casually, and from a
much wider socioeconomic demographic.

 

[cubeofsoup]

That's... interesting. Considering the prize for the Memorial was $4000 I highly doubt he's making THAT much money a year. In a game where you MUST win in order to make a small sum of money I would be surprised if top pros made close to or more than $20,000 a year, and they still have traveling expenses and whatnot.

I believe professionals play for the love of the game and not as a means of supporting themselves i.e. they probably have jobs besides disc golf.


Haha that made me laugh. I have to agree... Lacrosse is pretty much a preppy douche bag game. Sorry, lacrosse fans! Actually, no I'm not.

McBeth won $42303.90 in prize money in 2013.

 

[bradharris]

McBeth won $42303.90 in prize money in 2013.

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