Refusing to Be Filmed

[Turnipseed]

Things
.

JT, I have no idea who you are, except for a mouthy twerp. I reckon that means these are just some guys throwing frisbees in the woods. If a 15k to 25k a year frisbee thrower is a "superstar" then the world has become an odd place indeed. "Pro" disc golf is a few guys playing house.

Any relationship, symbiotic or otherwise, can be ended with the vote of one party. Mr. McCray can do absolutely whatever he pleases, and will live with the consequences (which, oddly, seem to matter much more to unaffected fantasy boys like yourself, than to those directly involved).

 

[chevis]

people just like to watch a dumpster fire, and feel left out if all they see is smoke.

come on people more wild speculations on what happened during that round:
JEM misses putt, takes his lords name in vain.

 

[shakatak]

JT, I have no idea who you are, except for a mouthy twerp.....
(which, oddly, seem to matter much more to unaffected fantasy boys like yourself, than to those directly involved).

Yeah JTacoma, you really should put something like " Lead Producer - USA @ SpinTV | Co-Host on The Upshot | DiscGolfPark Sales + Course Design " in your signature so people know that you make a living doing disc golf related stuff.

 

[lyleoross]

Hhahaha, ruined his life. He was paid to play a game, just like the opposing teams players. IMO you are correct about it being the managers poor decision that made that outcome possible. Bill just made a human error at the worst possible time. We really can let things go, but that can be hard to do some times, for most of us. Having said that, I do think that Neil O'donnell should be ashamed.:wall:

I agree, but also admit, if it happened to me I would probably allow it to impact myself in ways that Bill did. I think it is really hard to let such things go. Funny how all that money comes to nothing when something like this happens.

 

[Tjamesd]

When it comes down to it, he's his own person... he can do what he wants to do, and deal with the consequences.

That being said if I were one of his sponsors I would have a few words for him. If he's being supported by me/my company I would expect him to be doing that whenever he has an opportunity, and being filmed during a tournament round is the most basic of opportunities.

 

[Golden Tuna]

But only because it is a topic that has been done hundreds of times...

Same thing here as far as I'm concerned...:hfive:

I'm all for a good debate if we're discussing something relevant, something we can change, or something that truly has an impact on "us".

But at the end of the day, what is done is done and the sky has not fallen. So, let's just move on.

FWIW, I don't particularly care for JME.
But that has absolutely no relevance to anyone at all, regardless of how I package my argument for or against him.

 

[sidewinder22]

This could be a genius publicity troll by JohnE. It's certainly getting his name mentioned more than if he was in the video.

 

[ru4por]

I don't understand your willingness to be obtuse about the growth of the game. The professional tour is not "just a bunch of guys throwing plastic in the woods" - that may be you and I's local social groups or weekly tag matches, but that's not the reality of the pro tour. If it were, you would have no idea who I am other than a random screen name on a forum for a hobby we share. Media and Athletes have a symbiotic relationship, you can't just arbitrarily decide when that relationship is on and off.

JohnE specifically is a lightning rod because he came out of what was essentially retirement to do his "It's About Time" tour. That was financially motivated, as well as for the love of the game I'm sure. If it was "just a bunch of guys throwing plastic in the woods" what sense would it make for him to attempt a comeback, in MPO nonetheless? Climo, Brown, Schultz, Reading, etc. are all playing Masters (either predominantly or exclusively) - but JohnE chooses to play Open.

He's catching flak, plainly, because he's trying to have his cake and eat it too. You can't demand the rewards, respect, and status of a superstar in a sport and yet eschew your obligations. If Marshawn Lynch has to sit through pre- and post- game pressers, JohnE needs to learn to ignore the camera ops and play his game.

I am not trying to be obtuse, just pragmatic. I honestly believe that this sport will never be big. It is not really good for viewing or spectating. It is unheard of by most of the world and will never be more than a niche sport.....behind activities like bike riding, running, badminton, or horseshoes. You can find videos of top professional competitions in all of the above, but they will never ascend to being anything more than low income touring jobs. It might be an unpopular take, but I have always seen it this way.

But, I do believe that the sport will continue to see nice slow steady increases in casual players.

 

[GoobyPls]

This could be a genius publicity troll by JohnE. It's certainly getting his name mentioned more than if he was in the video.

FWIW it's probably not working. His tour disc is one of the only ones not sold out on DD's website right now (Feldy still has a few XXX's left).

 

[BrotherDave]

He should get his own signature disc called the Incognito.

 

[brutalbrutus]

He should get his own signature disc called the Incognito.

LE stamp?...

 

[sidewinder22]

FWIW it's probably not working. His tour disc is one of the only ones not sold out on DD's website right now (Feldy still has a few XXX's left).

It's only been 10 days since this happened. Hard to speculate anything from a single stat, would really need to know sales of the last week compared to previous weeks and see if they went up or down. With JohnE and Feldy being big tour names, they probably had a lot more tour discs made than anyone not named Ricky, so it would not be surprising to have them in stock while others are sold out.

 

[lyleoross]

He should get his own signature disc called the Incognito.

Will it have Star Trek cloaking? If so, sign me up.

 

[brutalbrutus]

I wonder what would be the worst disc name if incognito became a real disc...

Vanish Anchor Incognito

 

[Zanguini]

I've a Vanish... somwhere...

 

[Doofenshmirtz]

Comparing the multi million industry of golf and disc golf is honestly kind of laughable. We are a bunch of guys throwing plastic in the woods. This was kind of my point. I don't really care why he did it, he asked nicely to not be filmed.....I just fail to see the outrage.

The ancillary discussion of PDGA guidelines on media are valid though.

It's no more laughable than comparing someone photographing a sporting event to a person talking loudly on there cell phone in a restaurant.

 

[DinosaurThunder]

When it comes down to it, he's his own person... he can do what he wants to do, and deal with the consequences.

That being said if I were one of his sponsors I would have a few words for him. If he's being supported by me/my company I would expect him to be doing that whenever he has an opportunity, and being filmed during a tournament round is the most basic of opportunities.

"We encourage sponsored players across all three companies to be cognizant of their actions and image at all times including media interactions and public appearances," McCall said, speaking for Dynamics Discs, Latitude 64 and Westside Discs. "At the same time, we don't want to squelch their personalities or force them to be someone they're not."

Seems like they are not too strict given the statement and then contradiction

 

[ru4por]

It's no more laughable than comparing someone photographing a sporting event to a person talking loudly on there cell phone in a restaurant.

Perhaps, but the comparison was for the purpose of emphasizing courtesy, not the events themselves. If JEM's decision, and subsequent deletion from the video is seen as an outrage to you, or anyone, have at it. I simply feel it was a non issue. JEM expressed his wishes and a "videographer" accommodated them. It was the right thing to do. If you thought I was comparing a tournament with dinner, I think you missed my point.

I don't want to be misunderstood.....I think JEM was wrong, I would not have done such in his position. And maybe more importantly, it demonstrates the need for the PDGA to start further discussions on media's involvement in the game.

 

[chevis]

Will it have Star Trek cloaking? If so, sign me up.

you want an even less visible disc?

 

[JTacoma03]

I am not trying to be obtuse, just pragmatic. I honestly believe that this sport will never be big. It is not really good for viewing or spectating. It is unheard of by most of the world and will never be more than a niche sport.....behind activities like bike riding, running, badminton, or horseshoes. You can find videos of top professional competitions in all of the above, but they will never ascend to being anything more than low income touring jobs. It might be an unpopular take, but I have always seen it this way.

But, I do believe that the sport will continue to see nice slow steady increases in casual players.

It's an unpopular take because it ignores many, many facts. Rather than cite them here I'd encourage you just to peruse the PDGA's reports...and keep in mind the PDGA membership is a small subset of the larger player base.

Your platform is based entirely upon conjecture, and while it's fine to have that opinion, you need to understand that it's a specific slant on the state of the game, not even-handed pragmatism

Who cares if disc golfers don't make tens of millions, the top earners on tour are getting closer to the US median income without factoring endorsements (only tourney purses), and a handful of pros are earning six figures in total already. My generation and those younger don't really care as much about that status symbol though. The success of this game is sewn in with the cultural zeitgeist as much as it is the merits of the game itself.

Will it one day fall again? Absolutely. There are plenty of examples - bowling, golf, etc. but to pretend that something isn't happening because you don't want it to...I just don't get that mentality.