If Discgolf was in the Olympics.

[Jolt]

Looking at ball Golf in the olympics, and the rules makes me think of what it would be like if DiscGolf was in the Olympics with the same rules.

Each country can have two players, four if all of them are top 15 in the world...60 players total

This would mean that we would have 4 US players and 2 player from 28! other countries.

I guess the scoring spread would be HUGE in a tournament like that. .

 

[swhite]

This would be great for the "growing the sport" people. Professional disc golf would become local to billions of new players, rather than something played by folks in a relatively few countries that don't speak their language.


If disc golf ever did grow to have a big market, the landscape that currently exists in manufacturing and retailing would change significantly. Most production would be moved outside of the USA and EU to reduce costs. Major retailers would drive lots of local shops out of business. No current disc golf manufacturer or retailer would be safe.

 

[Jolt]

Wierd that the Olympics golf tournament don´t have a bigger status among the players..very few of the top players are in Tokyo at the moment.. . .bad for Discgolf? . . in most sports a Olympic gold is the highest honor you can get. . not so in Golf or Soccer

Lot´s of "small" sports in the Olympics..so why not DiscGolf?

 

[sisyphus]

The 'back door' way in might be to promote niche and specialty groups. Disc Golf was adopted as a demonstration sport for the National Senior Games (the Olympics won't let them use the title "Senior Olympics", despite turning out 10,000 competitors) in Cleveland in 2013, as well as in Minneapolis in 2015. Trivia: The very first "Olympic" medal handed out went to our buddy Bob Cundiff!

There were only 33 participants (from 9 states) in the former, and only 30 (from 14 states) in the latter. The impression we were given is that growth is needed to really pop up on the state games level before they'll be looking at disc golf again. I think it's an awesome experience, and provides exactly what is the purpose for senior games: thriving, healthy activity, rather than stagnation. But being a little more expensive than a typical tournament, and obviously being 'medal only', the senior pros won't have much interest until it has much, much more respect.

 

[jupiterboy]

Used to hear buzz about Skateboarding. Time will probably bring it about if civilization lasts another 50 years.

 

[BillFleming]

Wierd that the Olympics golf tournament don´t have a bigger status among the players..very few of the top players are in Tokyo at the moment.. . .bad for Discgolf? . . in most sports a Olympic gold is the highest honor you can get. . not so in Golf or Soccer

Lot´s of "small" sports in the Olympics..so why not DiscGolf?

I think the reasons ball golf Olympics isn't important to the top players is two fold.

1. The summer Olympics happens during the ball golf season.
2. Where's the money?

 

[chevis]

https://wfdf.sport/

 

[zontar]

can I just say Olympics ruin cool sports? skateboarding? we don't need a fricking podium, thank you very much. my 56 yo azs would rather skate off a podium, and my skills suck and have bills to pay....

 

[mndiscg]

Disc golf is fringe popular in like 10 countries. Paul McBeth (or anyone else) is far from a household name. If it gets a better foothold in at least 1 continent, it would maybe be considered. It's probably a long way off if I were to guess.

 

[glassila]

The Olympic Charter indicates that in order to be accepted, a sport must be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents and by women in no fewer than 40 countries and on three continents.

I'm a little surprised that: sport climbing, skateboarding, sailing, trampoline, and surfing meet this standard, but disc golf does not.

 

[Streets]

Our own pros can't consistently call footfaults and we are talking Olympics? LOL!

 

[Countchunkula]

This would be great for the "growing the sport" people. Professional disc golf would become local to billions of new players, rather than something played by folks in a relatively few countries that don't speak their language.


If disc golf ever did grow to have a big market, the landscape that currently exists in manufacturing and retailing would change significantly. Most production would be moved outside of the USA and EU to reduce costs. Major retailers would drive lots of local shops out of business. No current disc golf manufacturer or retailer would be safe.

I agree with most of what you're saying here. Not so sure about the bolded bit though. Molding is a fairly automated process. The benefit of moving production to low labor cost countries is reduced when there is relatively little labor required.

With discs, as long as most of the sales are still in the US and Europe, you'd have to consider increased freight costs and possibly duty/tariff if you were to move production to China.

 

[BillFleming]

Our own pros can't consistently call footfaults and we are talking Olympics? LOL!

Or call penalties on taking too much time.

 

[Moose33]

Better question; which athletes would represent each country?

You would have to think high level players from Europe and Asia would be all in.

 

[BrotherDave]

Even better question; which athletes would represent the US and also be able to pass drug screening that includes weed? :|

 

[ru4por]

Our own pros can't consistently call footfaults and we are talking Olympics? LOL!

Or call penalties on taking too much time.

Even better question; which athletes would represent the US and also be able to pass drug screening that includes weed? :|

Oh Christ, we're screwed. Now the game will NEVER make the big time. :\

 

[jeffmonty]

Oh Christ, we're screwed. Now the game will NEVER make the big time. :\

It might, right after Cornhole?

 

[Hampstead]

Used to hear buzz about Skateboarding. Time will probably bring it about if civilization lasts another 50 years.

Nice to see street skating this year. An old school friend of mine designed the street course.

 

[Moose33]

Even better question; which athletes would represent the US and also be able to pass drug screening that includes weed? :|

McBeth is safe he doesn't even drink. Probably Ricky after the lime scare too, I can't see him smoking if he won't even eat a carb.

 

[trifocal]

can I just say Olympics ruin cool sports? skateboarding? we don't need a fricking podium, thank you very much. my 56 yo azs would rather skate off a podium, and my skills suck and have bills to pay....

I was talking with my daughter about this recently. She does stuff on a lyra and hopes to be part of a Cirque de Solei troupe. She's 23 and learned a bunch on her own initiative. Finding a place to hang a steel ring on a cord from the ceiling and then practice moves that if missed might break ones neck... it's sketchy finding that kind of space. But she did and has moved on to more professional studios/ gyms. It's pretty cool.

Anyway, I was talking with her about the Olympics and medals and ... maybe many sports might be better represented by simple exhibitions. Like skateboarding. She kinda respects my opinions on stuff and the notion of Olympic sports having separate non-medal categories for sports like skateboarding, gymnastics, figure skating... activities where there's an artistic element involved, in contrast to running fastest or throwing farthest... that got her attention.