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The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity

theringer.com

11–20 of 103 posts

Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity

#11
post #8

he's really going to open the door for what I like to call alternative sports getting big deals. You can make money doing anything if you're good enough and he definitely fits the bill

> You can make money doing anything if you're good enough The thesis of the article seems to be that this isn’t enough. It’s the marketing and social media aspect that makes the money possible. McBeth might not be the disc golf GOAT, but he’s close and he’s in the right place at the right time and is learning to market himself. His lifetime on the course earnings (again, from the article) are less than 5% of one year…

It does make me wonder when that will flip though. "Ball" golf (as disc golfers like to say) seems to be at a point where you can make a serious living without much to do on the social media side. Companies dump so much money into the purse because there are enough eyes on the game, and I think disc golf can get to that point.

But then again, maybe disc golf is coming of age in a different era, where social media will just be ingrained moving forward, and it will continue to be just as important, if not more, than your performance on the course.

Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity

#12
> According to 2019 data from the athlete marketing platform Opendorse, only about 70 athletes in the world make at least a million dollars a year in endorsement deals. McBeth’s endorsement income from Discraft alone puts him on par with Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr., and Astros pitcher Justin Verlander.

This doesn't pass the smell test at all. Opendorse doesn't give any transparency into how they arrived at those numbers; they could be pulled from thin air, and Opendorse are clearly ignoring some sports. For example, there are zero NHL players on the list despite Forbes listing at least 10 players who should be on that list, including several who make well over a million in endorsements.

I'd wager there are an order of magnitude more than 70 athletes with $1 million+ in endorsements.

Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity

#13

Disc Golf is a great sport for all ages. It has effectively no barrier to entry and is good exercise to boot - it's more or less hiking with a game sprinkled in. Here's hoping it continues to amass what seems to be growing popularity.

I started playing during the pandemic and now I'm hooked. It's more fun than playing real golf, and I used to do a lot of that.

Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity

#14
post #12

> According to 2019 data from the athlete marketing platform Opendorse, only about 70 athletes in the world make at least a million dollars a year in endorsement deals. McBeth’s endorsement income from Discraft alone puts him on par with Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr., and Astros pitcher Justin Verlander. This doesn't pass the smell test at all. Opendorse doesn't give any transparency into h…

d

Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity

#15

The Color of Money (1986): Eddie Felson: "If you got an area of excellence... you're the best at something, anything... then rich can be arranged. Rich can come fairly easy." If you're one of the best at something, at that point you just need a lever, a platform of consequence to hitch up to and ride. Whether that's being the best toy reviewer on YouTube, or the best podcaster on a giant streaming service, or the bes…

no.. business patterns generate money.. The vast majority of human activity across thousands of years do not fit those criteria. This short list of possible "best at" things are highly social, use communication media, and have money involved already..

Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity

#16
post #14
post #12

> According to 2019 data from the athlete marketing platform Opendorse, only about 70 athletes in the world make at least a million dollars a year in endorsement deals. McBeth’s endorsement income from Discraft alone puts him on par with Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr., and Astros pitcher Justin Verlander. This doesn't pass the smell test at all. Opendorse doesn't give any transparency into h…

d

Those aren't endorsement deals, though. That's their salary.

Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity

#17
post #14
post #12

> According to 2019 data from the athlete marketing platform Opendorse, only about 70 athletes in the world make at least a million dollars a year in endorsement deals. McBeth’s endorsement income from Discraft alone puts him on par with Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr., and Astros pitcher Justin Verlander. This doesn't pass the smell test at all. Opendorse doesn't give any transparency into h…

d

Endorsement deals are a whole different ballgame than salary

Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity

#19

Disc Golf is a great sport for all ages. It has effectively no barrier to entry and is good exercise to boot - it's more or less hiking with a game sprinkled in. Here's hoping it continues to amass what seems to be growing popularity.

I started playing during the pandemic and now I'm hooked. It's more fun than playing real golf, and I used to do a lot of that.

Lots cheaper, too. :)

Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity

#20
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I started playing during the pandemic and now I'm hooked. It's more fun than playing real golf, and I used to do a lot of that.

Lots cheaper, too. :)

Depends how many discs you lose, including the ones you threw in a tree to knock another one loose XD
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