Technically, Olympic sports are niche sports as well - the only difference is they have a giant collaboration every four years. There's nothing to say that disc golf won't be part of the olympics or bowling (addressed in the article as well)
The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity
101–103 of 103 posts
Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm also skeptical. There are no rock climbers on this list. Climbing is still a relatively niche sport (though depending on where you are, it might be one of the most popular), but I'd wager participants collectively spend as much on climbing equipment as many more popular sports. The gear is quite expensive, and for safety reasons, much of it needs to be replaced with relative regularity. You'd be hard-pressed to f…
Might've changed since then, but Honnold is at a school appearance in Free Solo and a kid cheekily asks him if he's rich. He describes his financial situation as something like "a moderately successful orthodontist" which I wouldn't have thought would mean $1m in annual endorsements.
Honnold is one of the most humble dudes in the world (even about climbing, which he's very good at). I saw that clip too. I think he's made over $1mm/year since Free Solo came out, possibly just in endorsements/sponsorship. But he probably gives a lot of it away also, via his Foundation or other charities.
Re: The Rise of the $10M Disc Golf Celebrity
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
Disc golf has a far far bigger reach than you prob realize. The biggest difference between discgolf and ballgolf is its accessibility. Almost every town has a free to play course, and you can be fully equipped to play for 40 bucks. After a couple months of playing or a trip to play-it-again, you can be as well equipped as some professionals. The biggest difference between discgolf and other sports is that the popular…
> Almost every town has a free to play course Possibly in the US - over here in the UK, https://discgolfuk.uk/where-to-play/ reports 64 (some are "coming soon") of which 45 are "pay to play".
I mean, even 15 years ago the majority of US courses were 'guerrilla' courses. Basically, metal poles arranged in a forest or some other piece of marginal land and likely illegal or questionable in regards to its installation. People would just set out some 'tone' poles out in the woods or where ever and make up some other spots as 't-pads'. Eventually some one brings out some carpet and a 't-pad' becomes more legit. Eventually a community group forms around clearing the brush and debris from the course. Maybe they team up with the local parks and rec division and get some help. A few years later the disc golf course is a prime asset to the community and it becomes official.
Redwood Curtain, Peregrine Point, hell even world famous DeLaveaga all started out this way. A close friend of mine used to say "If a course didn't start out as a garbage dump, its probably not worth playing"