Top Pros M/F: Total Compensation?

[PBokor]

Besides actual tournament earnings, what other compensations do the top Pros, male and female, receive? Aside from discs and clothing, which also serve the sponsor, what other perks do the the select few at the top get?

I'm assuming travel expenses and a (fill in the blank, please) per diem, which amounts to what annually?

The reason I'm asking is because I'm kind of a numbers geek and I just looked up McBeth's PGDA official earnings from 2016 and $44,000 seems really paltry for a professional athlete of his caliber. I expect the top females make less than the half of that, so the touring pro math just doesn't seem to make sense. Nearly poverty wages for most. :thmbdown:

What am I missing?

 

[ToddL]

Bonuses for winning tournaments. $1,000 for an A-tier win, $500 for a B-tier win. $5,000 for Worlds/Major.
Cash from signature discs. $2 per disc for your tour series disc. $1 per disc for your signature series disc (world champions, distance titles, etc)

(no, I don't know specific amounts)

 

[PBokor]

Bonuses for winning tournaments. $1,000 for an A-tier win, $500 for a B-tier win. $5,000 for Worlds/Major...

Aren't those figured in to the PDGA earnings?

Cash from signature discs. $2 per disc for your tour series disc. $1 per disc for your signature series disc (world champions, distance titles, etc)

Didn't realize that was part of the deal. Thank you.

 

[Cgkdisc]

No one knows the true aggregate figures. Only the PDGA winnings are public and perhaps a few other non-PDGA big events. And those are gross values, not net of entry fees and expenses.

 

[PBokor]

No one knows the true aggregate figures. Only the PDGA winnings are public and perhaps a few other non-PDGA big events. And those are gross values, not net of entry fees and expenses.

That is exactly what prompted my curiosity. Has to be an iceberg payout, 10% visible / 90% invisible. Otherwise, the earning numbers make touring impossible, unless you have inherited wealth.

 

[wims]

Disc golf pros are not living a wealthy lifestyle, there's next to no money in disc golf. Only the absolute top can play disc golf professionally without having a real job on the side

 

[DavidSauls]

.....seems really paltry for a professional athlete of his caliber. I expect the top females make less than the half of that, so the touring pro math just doesn't seem to make sense. Nearly poverty wages for most. :thmbdown:

What am I missing?

Athletes are entertainers. They don't make money because of how good they are, but because of how many people will watch them---and how many will watch the sponsors' advertisements, and be more inclined to buy the sponsors' products.

There's not a direct relation between "a professional athlete of his caliber" and his income, because he's a top-caliber athlete in a largely unwatched sport.

McBeth seems to be doing well and a few others OK and after that, there's not much money in it.

I'm not sure if PDGA winnings are the tip of iceberg, but they're certainly an incomplete picture of players' compensation. I haven't seen any solid numbers about sponsorships, anywhere. Nor, for that matter, what expenses the players themselves bear.

 

[DanJon]

McBeth alluded to an interesting point (and Cat mentioned something similar), that most of the top female pros and male pros have the same contract, for their respective companies.

Their ability to make more money is through performance based bonuses.

I take that as they get the same baseline support and the same basic bonus structure.

McBeth said it in the context of Val vs. Sexton and their potential earnings.

He basically said that she could potentially make more money through bonuses, because she was more likely to make top 5 at Big events than he was.

 

[tbird888]

Didn't McBeth sign with Innova for something like 3 years/$500k? No idea on specifics (none of my business), but if Innova's picking up his travel expenses as well, that's quite lucrative. He also likely has/is working on other sponsors. I'm guessing most everyone else on tour is hustling for themselves, too.

No different than any other sport, really.

 

[loki the trickster]

If i remember and this is not all pros but some sponsors will chip in tournament fees although most outside sponsors probably give product.

Disc sponsors also gift a allotment of discs.

And when it comes to it i bet the touring pros will deduct plane fairs, rental cars and fuel costs when and where they can.

 

[loki the trickster]

Didn't McBeth sign with Innova for something like 3 years/$500k? No idea on specifics (none of my business), but if Innova's picking up his travel expenses as well, that's quite lucrative. He also likely has/is working on other sponsors. I'm guessing most everyone else on tour is hustling for themselves, too.

No different than any other sport, really.

I thought the was adidas.

 

[DanJon]

I'm pretty sure Tbird is correct about it being Innova providing the big contract.

Adidas was just product sponsorship.

 

[tbird888]

He had a product sponsorship with Adidas Outdoor and was looking to turn it into a monetary deal. Not sure how it's gone/going, but I hope it's working out in his favor.

 

[bnbanbury]

McBeth announced at the beginning of the season that he was dropping all other sponsors outside of Innova. This question has been brought up a bunch and no one has ever really divulged what is in their contract in terms of compensation (afaik). Lots of people are curious but its all just speculation. It is safe to say that there are very few people on the planet that are in the black after a season of touring. Several guys have posted about going into debt to tour.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

I call for the release of all top touring pro tax returns!!

 

[TimSyl]

I call for the release of all top touring pro tax returns!!

AND their birth certificates!!!!!!!

 

[Pwingles]

McBeth alluded to an interesting point (and Cat mentioned something similar), that most of the top female pros and male pros have the same contract, for their respective companies.

Their ability to make more money is through performance based bonuses.

I take that as they get the same baseline support and the same basic bonus structure.

McBeth said it in the context of Val vs. Sexton and their potential earnings.

He basically said that she could potentially make more money through bonuses, because she was more likely to make top 5 at Big events than he was.

I remember seeing Cat say that Prodigy specifically had this setup, if this was the case with Innova why would Val leave and state basically the opposite?

 

[armiller]

McBeth announced at the beginning of the season that he was dropping all other sponsors outside of Innova. This question has been brought up a bunch and no one has ever really divulged what is in their contract in terms of compensation (afaik). Lots of people are curious but its all just speculation. It is safe to say that there are very few people on the planet that are in the black after a season of touring. Several guys have posted about going into debt to tour.

Yeah it would be interesting to know how much he gets from Innova. Surely he should make at least as much as Innova's highest paid sales guy? In a real sense, I imagine even the top pros are basically just sales/marketing specialists for these companies.

 

[dbaledge]

I come from the paintball world and the way it works is as a pro player you are paid a "salary" that would be like the tournament earnings in dg, then the sponsor company pays for travel, entry fees... ect then you receive money either by being "employed" by the company and doing marketing/ clinics/ signings that sort of stuff. They are often given merch to sell for example the top pro might get 20 guns valued at $1500 a piece. Or they have a side deal where they do clinics for profit. in DG they have their own private label discs that they no doubt receive royalties on. I would say in DG if they can not work they are making at least $70,000 a year. Mcbeth, wysocki, and other notable/top players are probably doing more. The tournament winnings in paintball are much less than in disc golf with the top pro team of 10 or so players winning $10,000 as a team. This is my guess based on my experiences in paintball another non mainstream sport.

 

[DanJon]

I remember seeing Cat say that Prodigy specifically had this setup, if this was the case with Innova why would Val leave and state basically the opposite?

Seems to me her issue was with the Signature Disc(s) and promotion of female pros in general.

I don't recall her saying anything about unfair basic payment practices.