There's three kinds of disc golfers...
One wants to throw what the best players in the world or the best players they know throw. These are usually newer players that will purchase a lot of different discs that those players throw to try to "find their game". This is the bread and butter customer for disc golf companies. These are the people that disc golf companies sponsor players for and pay to advertise for them. Marketing means a lot to both the purchaser and the manufacturer. Top player's bags and new discs drive this marketing. What manufacturers look for is whom they are asking about. Are very many in this group asking about Val's bag? I don't know, but I would want to if I manufactured discs. The object of those questions will get the money and support. It's really that simple.
One knows their game and buys what they want for their bag. They've usually bought a lot of discs and used to be one of the people in the example above or below. Now they buy only what they want and don't look to marketing to make those decisions. Because they know what they want and make few purchasing mistakes, they don't really buy that much. The are the "free" marketing the companies depend on the introduce and hook new players to the game because what's in their bags mean something to the new, potential customer that watch them play at the local course. Manufacturers love and respect these players for the marketing they provide and drive the "grow the sport" idea to make it happen. A lot of these players participate in tournaments. Tourneys don't make the manufacturer money directly, but it keeps them interested and improves their games to help in the "free" local marketing. One hand washes the other sort of thing. I don't know this for sure, but I'd think this avenue of marketing is the most effective which is why companies like MVP can grow without pro sponsorship. Just this group and new releases.
The third kind is the guy that plays because it's a cheap way to have fun. He buys used discs or plays with what he finds on the course. A lot of guys from this group have never bought a new disc and don't plan to. Only the guy selling what he found in the pond or the guy selling what he doesn't throw, cares about this player.
In conclusion, manufacturers will reward players (or anyone really) that will reward them with sales to group one. It's business.
If a person want's Innova or any other company to pay their way... learn marketing! It's almost always not enough to just win. An example of this would be Anna Kournikova in tennis. She didn't win, but she was great at marketing. She's rich with zero titles. The real score board is at the cash register.
