Don't Sell Out

[JT Bagwell]

This was on UFC Fighter Chris Camozzi's blog and I think Bass fishermen need to read it too.
I have been thinking about writing an article that addresses something similar that I see with fishermen.

 

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Won't Lower The Bar - Never Selling Out

Posted by Chris Camozzi on March 15, 2013 at 2:28pmView Blog
I Won’t Lower The Bar

 

“Never Selling Out But Always For Sale”

 

 

The fighters do not seem to care about how little they make and it seems like managers don’t either when it comes to sponsorship. This used to be such a big part of the sport. Maybe it is because they did not work as hard as me to get here or maybe it is because they do not work as hard as me for the sponsors outside of the Octagon.

 

Read the entire blog here http://chriscamozzimma.com/profiles/blogs/won-t-lower-the-bar-never-selling-out?xg_source=shorten_twitter

[Fishing Rhino]

I've been around a while.  I seem to recall when I was a kid, and boxing was reaching the masses through the wonders of a new electric gizmo called television, that it was the promoters and organizers who pocketed most of the money.  Eventually, most notably during the era when Cassius Clay became Mohammed Ali that boxers had the opportunity to make millions.

 

Sadly, many of the greats of that era frittered away the millions they made.  It may have been agents, their own naivety or who knows what else that drained their once fat coffers.  I recall the legendary Joe Lewis earning a living by being a greeter at a Las Vegas Casino, and posing for photos with casino guests.

 

Others toiled away for purses in second or lower tier matches.  That toiling left them "punch drunk", an old term to describe someone whose brains were scrambled by taking too many shots to the head.

 

I suppose there are many forms of "entertainment" which were supported by "sell outs" during the early years of their growth.

 

It can be said of almost all sports.  Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, you name it, the pioneers of most, if not all sports labored in the limelight for peanuts.  You can include the Olympics.  Today, they are "amateurs" in name only.  Heck, I don't think they even try to foist them off on the public as amateurs.   Be that as it may, it was the amateurs who provided the entertainment and excitement that made the Olympics such a desirable commodity.

 

It seems to me that what Cammozi, has written may in fact be the natural order of things. 

[JT Bagwell]

It is like all of these Bass fishermen wearing jerseys (that they pay for) with a boat company's name on it and they don't even get a discount on the boat.

 

Why would a company pay to sponsor an angler when 10,000 anglers promote their brands for free?

[Fishing Rhino]

It is like all of these Bass fishermen wearing jerseys (that they pay for) with a boat company's name on it and they don't even get a discount on the boat.

 

Why would a company pay to sponsor an angler when 10,000 anglers promote their brands for free?

 

I figure I'm doing the advertisers a favor by not wearing clothing with their brand prominently displayed.  I mean, who's going to buy their product based on my (a nobody, except to my circle of friends and family) promotion of their product?

 

Take golf.  Nike pays Tiger plenty, because many golfers want to use or wear the products identified with Tiger.  The "Tiger Brand" not only generates sales for Nike, but it also generates the sponsorship to which you refer.  Hats, shirts, footwear, umbrellas, rain gear, you name it, all emblazoned with either the Nike "swoosh" or the NIKE name.

 

Would you purchase something because this guy recommends it?  Or would you say, "That product is for the birds."?

 

[JT Bagwell]

lol Nice Picture.

[Fishing Rhino]

I learned this a long time ago. 

 

I finally accepted the fact that I did not have the athletic prowess to get paid for endorsements.  After thinking about it some time, I realized all was not lost.  I began contacting companies telling them how much I liked their product and was going to begin promoting their products at no charge.

 

It worked like a charm.  You'd be surprised at how much I now rake in from those companies, and per our contract, I promise never to mention their name in public.  I can however wear their apparel, provided I wear it inside out.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Its all about money..been watching many fisherman on TV the same ones 20+ yrs.selling out to the highest bidder.its a shame

[K_Mac]

I think that someone endorsing a product that they do not really use lacks integrity, and many do it. I don't blame a pro who is trying to make a living for selling his name to something he uses, even if he is not its biggest fan. Without credibility a pro has little to sell though, and that is something that is hard to come by.  

 

I have no problem with someone wearing a shirt or jersey with the name of a product they like, whether they own it or not. I have several National Guard caps that I wear much of the time when I'm fishing. I have not served in the Guard. I have many t-shirts and sweatshirts with logos of all sorts of organizations I don't belong to, and products I don't own. I have an assortment of Cabela's and Bass Pro branded articles of clothing, that I have purchased. I have a Tackle Warehouse t-shirt that I received free with an order. I wear them all, though not one of them has offered me a dime for my endorsement. I'm OK with that.

[iabass8]

I figure I'm doing the advertisers a favor by not wearing clothing with their brand prominently displayed.  I mean, who's going to buy their product based on my (a nobody, except to my circle of friends and family) promotion of their product?

 

Take golf.  Nike pays Tiger plenty, because many golfers want to use or wear the products identified with Tiger.  The "Tiger Brand" not only generates sales for Nike, but it also generates the sponsorship to which you refer.  Hats, shirts, footwear, umbrellas, rain gear, you name it, all emblazoned with either the Nike "swoosh" or the NIKE name.

 

Would you purchase something because this guy recommends it?  Or would you say, "That product is for the birds."?

 

I would buy your shaving kit if you told me to.

[Sam]

I have always wanted to create a fictious bass fishing shirt with funny names and photos.

 

Starting with a bail bonds company; a fake tobacco chewing product that is guaranteed to give you cancer; condoms; sex toys; ladies undies; Slob Beer - Guaranteed to Give You Gas; Yugo to pull your boat; and other funny ones.

 

What holds me back is the Holy Grail of bass fishing and I do not want to poke fun at anyone in the sport that loves it as much as I do.

 

I bet we could come up with some funny names and products on a fictious bass fishing shirt. But that is for another thread.

 

And as JT says, why advertise for free for a compayn? We do it all the time with or G. Loomis sweatshirts; our Bass Pro and Cabela's tees; our caps; and the pros fishing shirts that scream at us what porducts the pros are supposed to be fishing.

[wakeeater]

you can never or should never blame a man for bettering himself.  i applaud anyone that can get paid to wear/drink/drive/or use any product.  he has to have some type of credibility to do that.  he is also not a burden on the taxpayers.  i'll take any sponsorship i can get.  i can see it now..."there goes Wakeeater in his Tampon bass boat (so absorbent---it's impossble to sink), being pulled by his Summers Eve pickup."  

[JT Bagwell]

I just think people look at things differently.

The blog was basically about getting your fair share out of these companies.

Would you work at your job for a discount and a shirt you have to pay full price for?

[kevfishin]

This is a good blog on self worth. 

I have been looking into writing about self worth and the connection it has with sponsorship too. 

Keep me posted and I will keep you posted

[jhoffman]

I think about this every time I see a bait or company offering a tournament jersey that you have to buy. Sure, let me pay $80 for a jersey to advertize for you for free. Yeah ok yeah!

 

Ill tell ya, these reel and rod companies have the perfect marketing idea. Here is how it typically goes

 

Buy item A

Send in proof you bought item a and the money to ship it and we will send you a shirt

 

So... you bought the reel, you paid for the shipping on a shirt that cost them $5 to make if that and now you are going to wear that shirt around with pride, you became a walking billboard.

 

I have a good chuckle everytime I see some knucklehead with a Mathews sticker covering their entire back window of their truck. They paid $100 to advertize for a company that did nothing but take their money for an overpriced bow.

[slonezp]

I'm a sucker for free t-shirts

[upnorthbassin]

I think a lot of people want to immitate the pros they see on TV. They dress like them, use their sayings, etc. I think the name/logo put on almost everything I can think of is the Bone Collector series. I swear you could probably find Bone Collector toilet paper if you looked hard enough.

[WRB]

Today it's the more about the me culture of what can I get for nothing without earning it and this tells you a lot of a person.

Integrity is all about having good ethics. There is an saying "we are all whores", just need to determine the price we sellout for. Don't sell out.

Why people choose to wear labels to advertise for free may have more to do with recognition that they belong to a certain group, then free advertisement. However at the end of the day you are a free sign board keeping the product out in front of the public.

Tom

[upnorthbassin]

Why people choose to wear labels to advertise for free may have more to do with recognition that they belong to a certain group

 

I have to say.....I've struck up conversations with people (and vice versa) wearing clothes that advertise a product I like....not really about the specific product but maybe about the sport/game/etc in general. That might be more of a reason to wear something like that than the advertising end of it.

[CKFishin]

So do all of you guys take the logo's off your clothes, shoes, vehicles, boats, phones, and ect... You are all ridiculous...

 

Lets see we have hate for the rebates jerseys, shirts, and hoodies.. We have hate for the vehicle stickers. Hate on Mathews Solocam. Hate for people who wear jerseys for free because now people actually need to prove worth to get a sponsor deal..

[JT Bagwell]

WRB and UpNorthBassin, you two have some very good points.

 

JHoffman, I am on the same page with you.

 

 

CkFishin, I do not take the labels off of my shoes, jeans etc. But I also doubt if

someone saw me fishing in jeans and tennis shoes they would assume that I

was sponsored by Nike and Silver jeans.

 

However, if they saw me wearing a jersey and hat with a Silver jeans logo and

a sticker on my truck window, that might be a different story.

[Fishing Rhino]

So do all of you guys take the logo's off your clothes, shoes, vehicles, boats, phones, and ect... You are all ridiculous...

 

Lets see we have hate for the rebates jerseys, shirts, and hoodies.. We have hate for the vehicle stickers. Hate on Mathews Solocam. Hate for people who wear jerseys for free because now people actually need to prove worth to get a sponsor deal..

 

Strange.  I didn't see any hate in any of the prior posts.  Maybe you could quote from the posts that express hatred. 

 

Really, I find it humorous coming from someone who with one broad brush labels everyone else as ridiculous. 

[WRB]

I know some folks who are absolutely against labels of any kind and take them off everything; cars, clothing etc. What we are talking about having your boat wrapped with sponsor labels and you are not a sponsored angler is an extreme. Having decals on your tow vehicle and boat like Loomis, Ranger boats, Lowrance etc and you are not sponsored by these companies and only associate with the products because you are a bass angler, very common with anglers. I went thorough this phase with clothing having patches on nearly every square inch until I realized how foolish it was. Today I wear plain sunscreen cloths with no big logos except the small tags inside the collars, the smaller the better!

Here is where the rubber meets the road; I have every ball of the products I use in the rod locker for 2 reasons; spare cap if I need it while fishing and for photos should I catch a world record bass to have a picture taken I with each hat for no other reason to promote the products for $$$ if the opportunity ever happens.....we all have our price!

Tom

[JT Bagwell]

Tom you are 100% correct.

 

That was exactly the reason I posted Chris' blog.

[K_Mac]

If I like the logo and have no ethical reason not to do so, whether it is GLoomis, Megabass, Nitro, Cabela's,  Ruger, or Burger King I may wear it on something or put it in the window of my truck. You may have St. Croix, Shimano, Ranger, Bass Pro, S&W, and Hardee's on your stuff-or nothing at all. Life is too short to stress about such things in my opinion.

[JellyMan]

Too much talking and not enough fishing here.

 

I do agree though. A jersey is over the top unless you are actually sponsored. or part of a team.

 

This topic is beating a dead horse as far as golfing go's. We call them "Tour Posers"

 

I think we should all just shut up and fish.