YIKES!! This is bad news for some FLW Pro's!!

[Bill McElroy]

From the BASSFAN site today:





FLW Tour sponsor dropout? 10/3/2007

FLW Tour pros recently began to receive their FLW Tour packets in the mail, and the sponsor page includes some noticeable absences. There were persistent rumors since late summer that several FLW Outdoors sponsors would not re-up for 2008, and for the most part, the rumors seem spot-on.



Brands missing from this year's FLW Tour sponsor list include: Act II, Banana Boat, BFGoodrich, Bounty, Crunch 'N Munch, David Seeds, Duracell, EverStart, Folgers, Fujifilm, Gain, Hamburger Helper, Ozark Trail, Pedigree, Pemmican, Sirius Satellite Radio, Slim Jim, and Wet Ones.



Note that several of the brands are owned by single conglomerates. ConAgra Foods owns Slim Jim, Act II, Crunch 'N Munch, David Seeds, and Pemmican. Proctor & Gamble owns Bounty, Folgers, Gain, and Duracell. Playtex owns Wet Ones and Banana Boat. So at least on the surface, it appears those corporations did not renew.



Pedigree is owned by Masterfoods, but Masterfoods is still represented as a sponsor via its M&Ms and Snickers brands.



The missing brands may still be involved with FLW Outdoors through trails other than the FLW Tour. Or they may be in negotiations, with announcements to follow. But if past years are any indication, deals are typically finalized before the Tour information is mailed. BassFan currently has a request into FLW Outdoors for clarification.



If in fact the above brands have pulled out, the ramifications for FLW Tour pros would be immense, since many pros have significant sponsor deals with those brands. At least one FLW Tour pro confirmed that he's not heard from his respective brand, and is "sure" he won't have the same team deal next year.



Casualties could include Craig Powers, Jacob Powroznik, and Ken Wick, who fish for Bounty. Then there's past Angler of the Year Anthony Gagliardi and reigning Forrest Wood Cup champion Scott Suggs, who fish for Folgers. Michael Bennett, Andy Morgan, and Keith Pace fish for Duracell. Kevin Vida fishes for Banana Boat. The list goes on.



Notable too is that Gain sponsors the FLW Tour Rookie of the Year award.



More details on this story will be published as they become available.





Kevin Vida is a good friend of mine,...and he's a stand up guy,...someone will pick him up in a heartbeat!!

 

[Mini]

BF Goodrich is Scott Martin, Kevin Long and Chad Grigsby.......



Hope they all get picked up and I am sure FLW will get something going for them.



Mini

 

[Marty Klein]

That could speak volumes about the sport; nothing necessarily negative, just volumes. Sponsors don't see a return on their investment. Folks don't watch the tourney, then go buy a Folgers or use Banana Boat products, etc. Sponsors may not like the large amounts of their money going to a payout of $1 million; they make not have liked all the talk during the FLW about expectations that the money would be even greater in the next years.

 

[Texas Transplant]

Having Everstart on the list, may mean more bad news coming down the line.



Tex

 

[William Schram]

Just my 2 pennies worth:





I can understand why these sponsors may not be seeing a return on there investment. If you look at how and when these shows are broadcast on TV it is not hitting there target audience, and you only see a limited amount of spectators at the events. I think they air their shows at the wrong time to reach their target. Both FLW and BASS air their weakly shows on Saturday morning when most people who do bass fish is out on the water. Yes I do understand that with the tech age that we live in with tevo and all that is out there that it is possible to catch the show but I would venture to say that a vast majority does not have this equipment (at least I don

 

[Bruce Freeman]

William, Greg G and I had that same type of conversation the last time he was here. They need to move these shows (both brands) to a different time slot. They need to find a spot (I think Tues evening) where they do not compete with on the water time or the Sunday night recap. I also think they need to get the local stations more involed. NY is the only state (that I was in) that had any coverage in the local news. If the weather at home is bad and you want real time updates there is alway the web. Like you said just my .02



BF

 

[Glenn Covington]

The recent decline in the number of anglers and hunters isn't helping. I'm sure sponsors are aware of this decline. I know too many anglers and hunters who won't take the time to get their kids interested in fishing, hunting, or the outdoors. The more urbanized we become, the more you have to work to get the kids outdoors fishing and hunting. Boy Scouts are a good way to get the kids interested but it's not popular anymore with the kids or parents. Despite the odds being against them, too many parents think their kid is going to be the next professional football, baseball, or soccer player. They play those sports three days a week year round instead of going fishing or hunting, which anybody can enjoy their whole life. We need to make sure everybody can enjoy fishing, hunting, and the outdoors and not just the "rich" like in Europe. This means supporting public lakes and public land programs. We need to leave our fishing rod and shotgun home and take a kid, grandkid, or friend out fishing or hunting. We also need to vote for politicians who support public fishing, public hunting, and the outdoor sports. Check how you politicians vote and write or call them when they don't support these activities. Fishing, hunting, and enjoying the outdoors aren't sports, they are a way of life.

 

[Steve Hutson]

Everstart and Ozark Trail are both Walmart brands. Isn't Walmart flw's main sugar daddy?





That make you wonder what around the corner? I read for a couple of years that Walmart is looking at pulling out of flw.



Steve

 

[Greg Meyer]

Thre is a little more info... The companies may not be dropping out, but, rather rotating out and then in other brands in the corporate stable...



http://www.bassfan.com/docktalk.asp?id=4371#4371



FLW sponsor clarification 10/4/2007

Regarding the Dock Talk published last night about potential FLW Tour sponsor departures, BassFan received the following clarification from FLW Outdoors VP of communications Dave Washburn:



"As you know, we are fortunate to have several leading consumer-product companies as sponsors. In fact, we have the strongest sponsor lineup in the sport and one of the strongest lineups in all of sports. Our sponsors market literally hundreds of brands and product lines within their brands. It is not uncommon for them to rotate the brands and products they promote through FLW Outdoors. Many will simply be promoting new brands within their corporate portfolios beginning in 2008."



Washburn added: "Additionally, we have major new sponsors that will be announced soon. (BassFan's) statement that "deals are typically finalized before the Tour information is mailed" is simply not true. In fact, we have announced major new sponsors midseason in years past. It's unfortunate that rather than wait for solid information, BassFan continues to publish stories based on rumor and innuendo. It's a shame and a disservice to your readers and our sport. In the rush to be first, BassFan is often blatantly wrong. As is the case here."



The above statement could thus be good news for FLW Tour pros, many of whom remain uncertain about the status of their team deals for 2008 and beyond. More details will be published as they become available










http://www.bassfan.com/docktalk.asp?id=4371#4371