I know what they are for your traveling partner......LOL

Only the finest hotels and 4 star restaurants for that guy though.....

Only the finest hotels and 4 star restaurants for that guy though.....

Lol. That RV has had some serious meals cooked in it!

I wished Mark It will be better this year since he put me in charge of accomadtions.

I know what they are for your traveling partner......LOL

You forgot to add in the compensation that the pros get thru sponsors, product development fees, income from use of their image or naming rights, etc....If you're going to look at the expenses then you need to look at all their revenue not just winnings.

The fishing industry is far from the edge of the cliff.

I have a pretty extensive background in rodeo, both on the competition side and on the business side. Bass fishing lines right up with rodeo as far as marketability. We all think it's a major sport, but out there in the real world, people do not recognize it as such. Rodeo and fishing always have been and always will be supported from within their own industry. Yes, each year there's a new sponsor or two that comes in and tries to get a piece of the pie - Jack Links, Kellogg, etc. At the end of the day, we all know that if it comes to buying that new rod/reel or supporting a sponsor, we are gonna buy our toys first. As with rodeo, fishing is expensive. It takes a lot of income to support this "habit". That doesn't leave a lot of extra money to spend as goodwill to the sponsors that are in place. Ya, if Little Junior eats Kellogg Frosted Flakes, then dad is going to continue buying them for him, but dad is going to buy 'em whether Kellogg is a sponsor of the industry or not. Dad isn't going to splurge and buy the Kellogg Raisin Bran just because they are a sponsor.

The other side of the coin is sponsorship exposure. Of course, we all think those logos the pros wear and are on their vehicles reach millions and millions of people. They may reach a lot of people, but it has to be the right people. Yes, it's reaching Little Junior and his dad, but we've already addressed the problem there. They are saving up just to support their own fishing habit. So this means you need to have brand exposure to new, financially stabile households. This type of viewership, generally speaking, doesn't watch fishing on tv nor do they subscribe to Field & Stream. Again, we believe everyone loves fishing or loves rodeo because our whole life centers around that particular industry, but it's just not viewed as a major past time in America.

Lastly, it was said above that hunting and fishing is a $50B industry. While that statement might be true, the subject at hand is about sponsorships of Bass Tournaments. That cuts that $50B down significantly. An equal comparison would be saying by being a sponsor of Minute Maid Park you are partaking in the trillion dollar industry of MLB when in actuality you're only centered in a very small piece of the equation.

I do agree with you about the majority of the PBR sponsors touching the right target audience. The problem lies in the fact you're not actually comparing apples to apples. We all know tv time is the media source that carries the most weight in a sponsorship agreement. The PBR actually has a prime time spot for their broadcasts and about 30% of them are broadcast live. These 2 factors tremendously increase the viewing audience. It also increases the number of "outsiders" that watch the program - either by accident or intention. Either way, it doesn't matter, it's still effective. People like to watch bull riding for a chance to see a 1500 lb bull step on a cowboy or him hang up to him and get knocked out. That's the America we live in today. If you don't believe that violence sells, look at the top 10 movies for the past 5 years and see what they include.

Comparing apples to apples would be the comparison of rodeo to fishing. From a financial standpoint, it can't be broadcast live, so it's basically like watching your favorite NFL team's game that you tevo'd from 2 months ago. Only the industry diehards will watch it. Will those "outsiders" still watch it as they come across it while they are flipping through the channels? Sure they will, if the bull riding is on. They will continue flipping if it's calf roping or barrel racing. Bottom line is rodeo and fishing are boring to the average American.

Comparing fishing and the PBR are about like comparing badmitton and MMA - they are not in the same category of fan entertainment. Also, even with the level of danger and excitement the PBR offers, their financial situation isn't as strong as most perceive it to be. They are struggling as are a lot companies are that are in the entertainment sector. Until America's disposable income increases to the point it was in the early 2000s, money will be spent on necessities rather than luxuries.