The Inevitable 2017 Pros Switching Sponsors Thread

[Streets]

Can you blame him? Have you read this thread?

Oh no, not at all lol. I don't particularly have a high opinion of the general part of the forum. VIP is where it's at!

 

[Aim For The Chains]

eh look at MJ. Dude is a pros pro.

 

[GoldeyeGolf]

Not only is the rating difference practically non-existent, when Terry interviewed Paige this week, she told him that her head wasn't in the game in 2016 for whatever reasons. That was visibly evident. If she was having personal issues, her sponsorship was an added stress, or her head just wasn't in the game, obviously she wouldn't be at the top of her game. So, a 6 point difference from Cat is minimal. When Paige is on, she is unquestionably the best woman in the sport. Hell, better that the vast majority of the MPO. Cat was able to stay in the middle of the pack for 1 division DGWT events, I would wager some coin that Paige would be in the top 20.

Unquestionably? More like possibly.

Vast majority? I don't think so.

I'll take that wager with you any day. No way do I think she finishes in the top 20 of a DGWT event.

Paige is a excellent player, but I think you're going a little overboard here.

 

[slowplastic]

That ITB for Jerm looks like it'll be adjusting for a bit, as even over the last week he's had different things. It'll be interesting to keep watching as now I can relate to a lot more of his discs...flicking the Mako3, FD, and Sidewinder really puts his FH control into better context for me. He's a fun guy on camera, Innova definitely was smart to pick him up.

 

[onemilemore]

I'm not sure it's my job on SmashBoxxTV's weekly podcast to "ask tough questions" because frankly, we're not there to put the player's in those positions on a pretty light-hearted show and setting such as that. I'm not saying we never put anyone or any company on blast from time to time but it's certainly not a primary objective or goal.

I know most of the reasons as to why Paige is 'disappointed' as YOU put it. However, that's not something that needs to be public nor is it really any of our business. More so, even if it was our business and I did ask her about it, do you think she should share it? Should she come onto our show and rip into the company that contracted her for the past few years? She could and maybe she will someday but even then what might that accomplish?

Everyone always wants to know more and get the inside scoop and all of the details and I fully understand that. However, just because she had her reasons doesn't mean I need to ask about them or that she needs to share them. It's clearly been a very challenging subject for her for more than a year now and if I knew she wanted to talk about it in depth, I would have asked her just that.

If respecting our players for reasons not everyone understands is bad journalism or perhaps 'soft' then I guess I'm guilty.

- We all know it's tough to respond here without trying to sound defensive and I appreciate the feedback. I just don't believe our weekly podcast is the time or place for 'gotcha' or interrogating questions.

- And finally - no where do I claim to be a journalist.

Then please feel free to funnel any breaking news to me

 

[araytx]

Seriously this just cements my opinion of her.

I would like to know more about the problem and the contract terms.

The whole ordeal or her acting like a baby in this has made me not like/care about her.

You never heard Prodigy had mouthiing her or removing her from their advertising.

The way I see it is she signed a contract and failed on her end of it for the whole year, she signed it and should own up to her obligations of said deal.

I would not touch her with a 10 foot pole for any endorsement/sponsorship deals based on her previous actions of the year. Especially after she had bad mouthed Prodigy while drinking on a live Smashboxx tv episode.

She should have gotten legal help and got out of the contract if it was so bad/horrible at Prodigy and her DD deal could have started earlier since she was not hiding the fact she was throwing some DD already.

So in a nutshell...IMHO...PP is something that goes in the toilet.:thmbdown:.

Also Terry can spill the beans on this now, since he has had privileged info on this for almost a year now. Come on DG internet jouranalism!

IMO PP handled the whole deal like an amateur.

You want to grow the pro side of the sport, then act like a professional and carry out your contract.

If the controversy started after Prodigy chose Cat over her, well then suck it up, perhaps she's just the better player.

She basically showed everyone that if she doesn't get her way, then she's no longer interested in being a good spokesperson.

If this was the real world, and not pro disc golf, then she probably would have been let go from her employment.

Agreed.
How long does she stay happy with DD till she pulls this same thing with them?

Hey I don't know the specifics either and am willing to admit such.

My point was that from all outward appearances, Prodigy was still keeping up their end of the contract.

If not, PP would have been able to cut ties sooner.

So it would follow that PP just wasn't happy and then acted unprofessionally (IMO) while waiting out her contract.

My point is that if you want to be treated as a professional and draw respect from outside of our sport, then it all starts with how you handle your business within the sport.

Also my personal experience with her was getting treated badly while spotting at a tournament. She sawed off a shot and was clearly OB. I understand the heat of competition, but what clearly separates great athletes with class, is how they react when they're playing bad.

Most contracts are performance based.

But DD / lat really upset a lot of people with the Paige situation this past year.

As I posted a month ago, jerm to innova. He's been throwing innova casually and non sanctioned stuff but even a few weeks ago in south florida he threw prodigy. The ace video proves that.

But these companies are really upsetting a lot of people within the sport.

Paige has lost a lot of crediability and with her actions come DD. That's what I was referring to.

^ not to say she was wrong for throwing DD when under contract for Prodigy but behind closed doors who really knows what the bad blood was coming from. I remember seeing something about her not getting sent to Europe when she was clearly the top female player (They sent Cat) on the team and something about possibly not getting the extra dollars for winning worlds? Not sure if it was because of what she said about how she shouldn't have won it or if the company said she shouldn't have won there for we are not paying. Jerm made a point last night saying they needed 90 days notice before end of contract so im guessing she might have missed the date at the end of 2015 and they automatically made her sign for another year.

Do you listen to what falls out of your mouth?

She wanted to leave the company and it wouldn't let her. She then wanted to get "fired" and the company wouldn't let go. Rather stupid on part of Prodigy to not cut ties--the company's best FPO player openly in revolt and it insists on keeping her from signing elsewhere--not going to get any good publicity on that front.

You keep trying to insist that in some "real world" (as opposed to some "fake world" of disc golf?) that she'd suffer consequences of being fired--despite her not being an employee--when she was very much trying to get released. She wanted to "get fired." So that would have been a very good thing, despite your repeated insistence to the contrary.

The company was preventing her from moving on and she responded in a fashion that provided it with real consequences for its bad behavior. It could have cut its losses and moved on, yet didn't.

All of these posts about "what Paige Pierce did" and "how Paige Pierce handles this and that," when in reality NO ONE who commented above KNOWS what really happened. In general, to judge someone else's actions without knowing facts is pretty self-absorbed, indignant, and, frankly, anti-American. And if someone purports that he DOES KNOW details of Paige's situation with Prodigy, and cannot produce evidence of such (the old "I know this blah-blah-blah, but I can't say, just trust me I know), is pure hogwash. If you know then put your facts forth. If you don't then it's my opinion that your judgement is simply without merit. Who knows??? Maybe Paige and Prodigy worked her exit out and agreed to the terms -- we don't know, so you can't accurately comment on that. Maybe "opinion-wise" but not accurately.

So, all that to say, how can you pre-judge PP or anyone else without facts. Maybe she and her company had some understanding. And to call her "unprofessional" in an interview because of what was basically a "no comment" response is really conjuncture. "No comment" is not something YOU get to unabashedly read stuff into. Maybe on DGCR ... but not the real world.

 

[Broken Shoulder]

I have to laugh at the anti-American statement.
All anyone does anymore is jump to conclusions without all the information.

 

[GoldeyeGolf]

"In general, to judge someone else's actions without knowing facts is pretty self-absorbed, indignant, and, frankly, anti-American."

Actually, what you described is about as American as it gets. Try having an intelligent political discussion with an average American and see how it goes.

 

[gsw_03]

All of these posts about "what Paige Pierce did" and "how Paige Pierce handles this and that," when in reality NO ONE who commented above KNOWS what really happened. In general, to judge someone else's actions without knowing facts is pretty self-absorbed, indignant, and, frankly, ***American***. And if someone purports that he DOES KNOW details of Paige's situation with Prodigy, and cannot produce evidence of such (the old "I know this blah-blah-blah, but I can't say, just trust me I know), is pure hogwash. If you know then put your facts forth. If you don't then it's my opinion that your judgement is simply without merit. Who knows??? Maybe Paige and Prodigy worked her exit out and agreed to the terms -- we don't know, so you can't accurately comment on that. Maybe "opinion-wise" but not accurately.

So, all that to say, how can you pre-judge PP or anyone else without facts. Maybe she and her company had some understanding. And to call her "unprofessional" in an interview because of what was basically a "no comment" response is really conjuncture. "No comment" is not something YOU get to unabashedly read stuff into. Maybe on DGCR ... but not the real world.

FTFY. If you've lived in this country for any period of time, you're certainly aware that all of those qualities you mention are very American. We have become a nation that celebrates sensationalism and speculation. The days of objectivism and rationalization are behind us.

 

[lyleoross]

Hang on a minute. While judging someone with no information and seeking out sensationalist bs is the new norm, that doesn't mean we should accept it. Perhaps what Aray should have written is that as Americans we have always worked to be something better, even if some are falling short these days.

Judge not lest ye be judged.

Matthew 7:1-3

The pathway to the gossipy, nosey American wasn't taken by average Americans, nor by any disc golfer I know. It was taken by journalist wanna be gits, more interested in money than integrity. Rather than report real news, or pull out intelligent interviews, they took an easier path. The fact that Smash, CCDG, and Ulti all work hard to have more integrity, is one of the reasons I like them and this sport. Like all people who spend too much time on line I'm very capable of sticking my foot in my mouth. I respect those news sources, and those posters here, who point out I've been a donkey because we should aim to be better.

 

[dehaas]

Did he imply the thunderbird may be his tour series disc? "may be some other thunderbirds shortly, but not right now".As much as I would have liked to see something "different" (champ whippet anyone?) this makes sense for what will sell to the masses.

I thought the same thing when he said that. I'm sure his bag will change a bit, if it were me I wouldn't be in a rush to choose something right now. If he keeps it I could see a big jerm colossus having a sweet stamp.

 

[lyleoross]

Oh yeah, it is anti-American. Like it or not, Americans have always strived to be better than this. Yeah, we fail often enough, but we still expect more of ourselves.

 

[phrumphkin]

So, all that to say, how can you pre-judge PP or anyone else without facts. Maybe she and her company had some understanding. And to call her "unprofessional" in an interview because of what was basically a "no comment" response is really conjuncture. "No comment" is not something YOU get to unabashedly read stuff into. Maybe on DGCR ... but not the real world.

You know, you're right.. But you're also wrong.
You do realize this is a sports-related forum and we're commenting as fans in a thread chatting and conjecturing about pro's, sponsorships, and the like.. Fans gossip and guess and are often wrong; it doesn't matter - this isn't a place where people want to see only double-blind, randomized, scientific studies to back up every statement.. That would be beyond boring and there would be like 3-5 intellectuals rationally discussing the topic - pretty much a death kiss for the forum, if you ask me, LOL.

Oddly enough though, to me it sounded like PP was just about to go into more detail at one point in the interview on S-Boxx, but Johnny V kind of re-directed her to steer her away from it.. Maybe for her own good. I'm fine either way on this, people on this thread have put together some pretty likely reasons for the whole debacle anyway, so it's really up to her whether she wants to talk about it more anyway:thmbup:

 

[phrumphkin]

I thought the same thing when he said that. I'm sure his bag will change a bit, if it were me I wouldn't be in a rush to choose something right now. If he keeps it I could see a big jerm colossus having a sweet stamp.

He's using a star rather than champ thunderbird, right? Maybe the star version is still available as a sig disc since mcbeth has the champ version..

 

[mmblink86]

He's using a star rather than champ thunderbird, right? Maybe the star version is still available as a sig disc since mcbeth has the champ version..

my bet is on a shimmer/luster release. my wish would be a sick high-quality pro blend.

 

[Streets]

wait, so who is a communist?

 

[Toro71]

wait, so who is a communist?

You heard it here first, folks! Putin is starting a disc company, the first disc is a long range driver call the Hack.

I've heard from people in the know that he's in talks to sign several top players.

opcorn:

 

[Cgkdisc]

Company based in Cuba. Those long range Hack drivers capable of reaching Florida.

 

[The Disc Golf Guy]

Thanks for the feedback

I appreciate the feedback and I also realize that I may not ask every question people want answered. Sometimes that might be intentional and sometimes it won't. It will depend on the style of the interview, the setting and the intent. As I said, SmashBoxxTV's Tuesday night podcasts aren't generally known for 'heavy hitting' and I'm not sure that will change.

FWIW I thought I would reach out to Paige for a follow up to this very subject as prompted by this thread. I informed her that people were disappointed about me not digging deeper about her contract or perceived displeasure. Here was her response from a few minutes ago:



"Regarding Terry and SmashBoxx's line of questions from the recent podcast -

I was excited to share my big news on SmashBoxxTV the other night. Terry knows details about my previous situation and I feel he also balances his questions with what I am comfortable sharing. I'm sorry that you want to know more about the past but that's not where my focus is right now and Terry knew that which is probably why he didn't bother asking me about it. #BeDynamic"

- Paige Pierce

I agree with some of your points, however the point being, "If I asked her should she or would she even answer" is irrelevant. If she says "I decline to answer" that is fine. But it could also break tension and allow her to really open up.

 

[hellbound]

Terry thanks for reaching out to Paige on the big Elephant in the room. If it wasn't for the relationships that most of the touring pros have with all the pod cast Im not sure we would see the information we get gathered in one area. Imagine if everyone was hard hitting you would have 20 different pro in the bags scattered across multiple locations, let alone any real news on anything else