The Inevitable 2022 Pros Switching Sponsors Thread

[_MTL_]

These few years of contracts might be a boom or bust moment in our history.

While I get that these contracts make sense after the Covid boom in disc golf, it will be interesting once the world gets back to normal and people start doing other hobbies or once the growth stops how the numbers and sales of discs are then.

If they are still booming, these contracts will be the baseline for future deals. If we aren't this could lead to quite a few companies folding.

We will see...

 

[Nale72]

I wonder if the bag Kona assists with will be designed with female golfers in mind? That could potentially be a huge seller for Dynamic.

I say that because Salomon makes specific women's fit hydration vests that account for a different torso shape. I think at this point other manufacturers in the trail/ultra community do as well.

In that case maybe Cat could get one that doesn't look so huge on her back?

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Dont know if anyone's mentioned it yet, but KJUSA re-upped with Prodigy for another 4 yrs.

 

[dehaas]

In that case maybe Cat could get one that doesn't look so huge on her back?

Possibly, but those women's hydration vests are designed to be a more accommodating fit up front.

I don't know if it's as big of a deal with backpack straps compared to a vest that wraps all the way around the torso. Just saying a bag designed with input from a top women's pro to be a bit more ergonomic would be a great idea.

 

[Orioles_Lefty]

I wonder if the bag Kona assists with will be designed with female golfers in mind? That could potentially be a huge seller for Dynamic.

I say that because Salomon makes specific women's fit hydration vests that account for a different torso shape. I think at this point other manufacturers in the trail/ultra community do as well.

Even given growth in women playing disc golf in last going on 24 months, there's still enormous growth potential there. I don't know how companies would rank FPO players in terms of helping them move into that underreached market, but looks like DDO placed Kona near the top of available players. Of players currently on tour, you'd have to think she's one of the best positioned to do so (if she wants to) in next 10-15 years. As a nearly 40yo man, I have no idea which FPO players have what it takes to draw women into the game.

DD's "grow the game" shtick has always annoyed me, but my annoyance matters not.

 

[Three Putt]

These few years of contracts might be a boom or bust moment in our history.

While I get that these contracts make sense after the Covid boom in disc golf, it will be interesting once the world gets back to normal and people start doing other hobbies or once the growth stops how the numbers and sales of discs are then.

If they are still booming, these contracts will be the baseline for future deals. If we aren't this could lead to quite a few companies folding.

We will see...

The two real dangers I see is companies over-expanding and ending up with machines not running and wasted warehouse space, and companies betting too big on the DGPT with inflated sponsorship contracts. Both of them will put a significant financial drag on a company when the bust comes.

Of the two, the sponsorships should be written with an out and/or the contracts will expire, so those might be a short-term mistake they can to weather. If you double your warehouse space and increase your production capacity substantially and then the demand dries up, that's a long-term problem that is probably a more dangerous gamble to make.

 

[Orioles_Lefty]

Possibly, but those women's hydration vests are designed to be a more accommodating fit up front.

I don't know if it's as big of a deal with backpack straps compared to a vest that wraps all the way around the torso. Just saying a bag designed with input from a top women's pro to be a bit more ergonomic would be a great idea.

Hiking backpacks come in multiple sizes for a reason. That DG bags tend to be one-sized isn't great for sustained health//fitness though I guess it allows players to have just about anyone caddie for a round.

 

[Jolt]

Wonder how close to a "you get paid alot or not at all" kind of deals we are in discgolf?

All teams just can´t pay +$100000 a year to +10 players

 

[TheOtherBill]

The two real dangers I see is companies over-expanding and ending up with machines not running and wasted warehouse space.....
If you double your warehouse space and increase your production capacity substantially and then the demand dries up, that's a long-term problem that is probably a more dangerous gamble to make.

I thought the same thing when I saw Innova's new Rock Hill warehouse before it opened in like 2008-09. Disc golf would have to grow 10-fold to even come close to needing all that space, I thought at the time.

Short version is it has, if not 20-fold or more over that time.

Does anyone with 15+ years of playing this game expect it contract? It never has before.

 

[dehaas]

I thought the same thing when I saw Innova's new Rock Hill warehouse before it opened in like 2008-09. Disc golf would have to grow 10-fold to even come close to needing all that space, I thought at the time.

Short version is it has, if not 20-fold or more over that time.

Does anyone with 15+ years of playing this game expect it contract? It never has before.

Not necessarily contract, but all of the new Covid players are still within that first year or two where they're buying and trying absolutely everything. Eventually their plastic purchases will slow down as they figure out what works best for them.

 

[ru4por]

Well, I see Nikko was liberated from his deal with Westside, guess they got the money to sign Ricky back now. But this brings up some interesting issues:

1. What is a contract really worth? Ask Westside. I thought it was a 3 year deal but I over looked the "maybe part".

2. Does anyones word really mean anything in disc golf. Ask Ricky. Yeah, I know it was 5 year deal, "SURPRISE!!!!!".....

3. How many wins at the Pro Tour/NT level does it take not to get tossed in the ditch
when a hotter babe comes along? More than Nikko did apparently. The magic number must be 2.......

4. If sales dip should Paul sell the Mclaren? Nope, drive it like you stole it.

Some recommendations:

1. Ricky get all your money on day 1.
2. Nikko, get all your money on day 1.
3. Paul, try that car with racing fuel...........
4. Westside, who's hot enough to dump Ricky?

I must not be, in the know, with social media. I am not sure what any of this means. Maybe someone could explain it? Maybe I just don't need to know?

 

[TheOtherBill]

This really will be an interesting study to see what happens to disc golf after the Covid surge subsides. I'm not sure I've seen any activity explode as this has. Some got the buzz like biking after Lance Armstrong, but not many people could afford to go buy a racing bike.

 

[flatflip]

The two real dangers I see is companies over-expanding and ending up with machines not running and wasted warehouse space, and companies betting too big on the DGPT with inflated sponsorship contracts. Both of them will put a significant financial drag on a company when the bust comes.

Of the two, the sponsorships should be written with an out and/or the contracts will expire, so those might be a short-term mistake they can to weather. If you double your warehouse space and increase your production capacity substantially and then the demand dries up, that's a long-term problem that is probably a more dangerous gamble to make.

If you're an up and coming manufacturer, now is a good time to make a move. Anyone can point to growth charts and, given that there's so much cheap money sloshing around in the economy right now (see: fed bond purchases), this this action is kind of inevitable. Companies are going to ramp up production. There's going to be a bidding war for talent. Someone's (or several are) going to overextend and bust but one way or another, the manufacturing & marketing landscape is going to look a lot different in a decade.

 

[foxdawg10]

Not necessarily contract, but all of the new Covid players are still within that first year or two where they're buying and trying absolutely everything. Eventually their plastic purchases will slow down as they figure out what works best for them.

Theoretically this would happen, but anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise based on players who have been in the game for a while. Once they decide what works for them today, they will likely buy more and more of those molds, and then when they become bored of throwing the same mold, they will but different molds that do the exact same thing so that their game stays fresh.

This is all dependent on players staying in the game of course.

 

[Cgkdisc]

This really will be an interesting study to see what happens to disc golf after the Covid surge subsides. I'm not sure I've seen any activity explode as this has. Some got the buzz like biking after Lance Armstrong, but not many people could afford to go buy a racing bike.

I think the PDGA renewal rate might be one bellwether indicator of fall off IF it actually occurs. Typically, non-renewals have hovered around 22% in pre-Covid times, but the increase in new memberships each year has more than compensated for the non-renewal shortfall. So, year-end to next year-end membership levels had continued to increase at a 10-15% pre-Covid annual rate.

 

[mas30066]

Kona > DD
Kat > DGA
Hailey > no idea lol guessing finishing the year at discraft and then leaving with Missy and PP having big contracts with discraft already. If not... MVP?

Catrina seems like an expensive pickup for DGA unless Discraft is subsidizing to establish/expand the brand. Current world champs shouldn't come cheap.

Parallel thinking on the men's side: I'd love to see Ricky on Westside precisely as a brand lever. He could move them from the Lat64/DD shadow into the sunlight in a way that Nikko or Matt cannot.

 

[Superbford]

Nice for Kona... I really thought it was going to be Katrina signing with DD... of course it turns out the main clue... multiple elite wins wasn't correct in the DD advert....

Might be crazy if Innova actually made a play here.....maybe take most of the money from all the players they are not resigning and pick up the bigger name.... especially after losing Ricky. (I doubt this happens, but fun to speculate)

MVP? Discmania? DGA? Infinite?

Kona was part of Infinite so maybe.... but I don't see Katrina Allen being a mixed bag player.

 

[SaROCaM]

Theoretically this would happen, but anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise based on players who have been in the game for a while. Once they decide what works for them today, they will likely buy more and more of those molds, and then when they become bored of throwing the same mold, they will but different molds that do the exact same thing so that their game stays fresh.

This is all dependent on players staying in the game of course.

This has happened to me. I had a simple bag of Aviars, Rocs, Teebirds, Leopards, Firebirds, Valkyries and that worked just fine for me for a good while. Then out of curiosity over a two year period I started trying lots of new discs. It was fun, but nothing seemed truly game changing. For example, I really liked the Westside Ahti but realized it is just like an average Firebird. (Still excellent) Or I would like a putter and it ended up being some kind of tweaked Aviar or P2. After that two year spree I ended up selling all those discs. Some of them would have been nice to keep (Opto Pure, VIP/Hard Shields, Harps, Stags, Swords, Giants...turns out I liked Westside) but I am back to my old discs and having fun.

 

[jmdaire27]

Looks like DD dropped the ball… oops!

As if it wasn't known… lol. Thanks seasty.

 

[BillFleming]

I must not be, in the know, with social media. I am not sure what any of this means. Maybe someone could explain it? Maybe I just don't need to know?

People are questioning the 'value of contracts'.

Nikko's contract with Westside was extended to 2023. Now he's no longer with Westside. Did the contract really have any meaning to either one?

Ricky had 5 years left with Innova. He's no longer with Innova. Did the contract really have any meaning to either one?

Catrina left Prodigy....I don't know if she still had time on her contract or not...so that could be different.

In disc golf, does a sponsor contract really have any value/meaning to either side? It doesn't appear to since contracts are being 'dropped/ignored' frequently. The contracts seem to be more of an agreement of convenience until something better comes along.