It seems likely that at least a fish or two of the five brought to the scale were caught on the Livingston lure. Howell has been up-front about the fish caught on the DTs. For him to promote his sponsor is not in any way offensive to me. Sponsors are the engine that makes everything else possible.
I am also not surprised or offended when people buy the 'magic' bait used to win on the tour. Very few of us are immune to this, in spite of the protests here. We may not run out and immediately buy that particular bait, but most of us pay attention to trends and innovation used by the pros whether we admit or not. Chatterbaits, swimbaits, and the A-rig are just a few of the baits that come to mind that were brought into the mainstream because of their success in the spotlight. There are some here that still consider these gimmick or niche baits, yet most of us have some of in our bag. IF flashing lights and electronic sound really make a difference in the effectiveness of crankbaits, you can bet that most of us will eventually own some. I think the jury is still out though.