Why pursue sponsors?

[WBFishing]

I read all this stuff about sponsors because it is really interesting, the different takes on the whole matter. I am just wondering why some people even pursue sponsors if their goal is only to fish local club tournaments and never progress past that level of competition? Wouldn't it be more of a hassle to try to fulfil commitments and promises to sponsors than it would have been to just buy the free stuff you got? I am honestly not trying to be a smartie or anything. I am just interested in knowing why do the leg work if you absolutely know you do not want to take a step towards being a professional.

[cabela10]

Don't local companies have to advertise also?  Usually you won't see a local/club guy with a big time sponsor anyways, they will go after the place they work for, or local stores to cough up some cash.

You still have tournament expenses at the local/club level, why not try to have a company pay for it.

[WBFishing]

I agree with you that local companies are going to advertise.  Every business that is going to be a success is going to have some form of advertisement, be it reputation, word of mouth, or on a jersey or boat.  And I agree with expenses to compete, no matter what the level.  If someone wants to give you money for having fun in exchange for helping them market their products/services, then take it.  Like I say, I was just asking is it more of a hassle than what it is worth, if you are not going to compete at a higher level.

[JT Bagwell]

I read all this stuff about sponsors because it is really interesting, the different takes on the whole matter. I am just wondering why some people even pursue sponsors if their goal is only to fish local club tournaments and never progress past that level of competition? Wouldn't it be more of a hassle to try to fulfil commitments and promises to sponsors than it would have been to just buy the free stuff you got? I am honestly not trying to be a smartie or anything. I am just interested in knowing why do the leg work if you absolutely know you do not want to take a step towards being a professional.

You are absolutely 100% on the money with that statement.

I have some sponsors because I do a lot of promotional work. There have

been times where I have been in position to receive additional agreements from

smaller companies but turned down any kind of deal because it just wasn't worth

it to me. I am not willing to work very hard for a pack of sinkers and a discount

on a shirt with some company logo on it. As a matter of fact, I developed a mindset

several years ago that I would not ever pay for a single piece of clothing (hats included)

that had a company logo on it. I decided that if they wanted me to wear it, they

would give it to me free. That might sound a little cocky, but that is how I handle

business on my end. Just consider this- If you are wearing a Minn Kota hat in a photo

that appears in your local Sunday newspaper that has a circulation of 250,000 households.

If only 10% of those households had just 1 person that looked at your picture, Minn Kota would

have had 25,000 logo impressions. Even if nobody knows who you are, they now have at least

some brand recognition for Minn Kota because they saw that logo. Brand recognition is a very

valuable thing to a company.

Sorry I got a little off tangent, but I often wonder why a lot of people seek sponsors. To be

honest with you, I think a lot of it has to do with ego. The more patches an angler has on

their shirt, the better they are supposed to be I guess. lol

JT Bagwell

[Hillbilly_Hooker]

I can't speak for others but I can tell you why I am seeking sponsors. With four children and three grandchildren, my personal budget is limited as to what I can set aside for tournament fishing or fishing in general. I doubt that my talent will ever enable me to become a pro tournament angler, however, I would like to fish all of the local and regional tournaments that I can. Cash sponsorships allow me to do that. My regular job has me on the road regularly over a two state area, and on occasion, outside of that area. Consequently, I know a lot of people in those two states, aside from the contacts I gain by virtue of fishing in tournaments. If I can use my experience, education, and talents to help a business owner grow their business, and get money in return for more fishing, then I'm more than willing to do that. As to more patches on my shirt, I could care less. I would much prefer to fish like a pro than to look like a pro, but that is, however, one more avenue of advertising that I can offer my sponsors. As to putting a patch on my shirt for a free pack of sinkers or a discount on a shirt... I wouldn't waste my time.

Regards,

Hillbilly

[WBFishing]

I agree with you both on the matter. I want to fish professionally, if I end up being good enough. I would love to get some flashy patches, a sparkling boat, and some cool threads. Realistically, I have 1 local tournament under my belt. I have a degree in International Business and Spanish, 9/10 of my MBA ( 1 class to finish), and a full time job. I am 28 with a wife (who has told me to try), an 11 month old daughter, and our son due in April--so I am having to plan ABA events and pick the Weekend Series divison according to the due date. I could stand to go out a find some sponsor cash and product, but I know that all I could possibly get besides some "no's", is a company that would expect me to spend hours with promo stuff for a bowl of cereal at the ramp each morning. I just don't feel that to be beneficial to any angler, no matter what level you choose to fish. When you take the work you do to prep for a tournament [;us the time you spend on promos with your sponsor, is the reward worth it..or are you left with a bowl of soggy cereal that would have cost you $2 to buy at the hotel. But like they says opinions are like....

[Mattlures]

It just depends on the agreement you have with the sponsers. Smaller companies who NEED the recognition will give more and expect less than larger ones. Also just because you are the most famous fisherman ever doesnt mean you dont work for your sponsors. KVD has to do apearances and seminars, so does Ike and all the others. If I was to seek a sponsor I would look for a company or product that I could promote with little effort. For instance going to the local tackle stores and getting them to buy the sponsors product wouldnt be a lot of extra work if I visited those stores anyways. I have some friends that have to do 2 shows a year in wich they pay all their own expenses just so they get a discount on St Criox rods. The work does not seem worth the discount but they were going to showes anyways so it ends up being worth it.

Mr Bagwell is right again. In many cases it is not worth it for the "free" product. You just have to be creative and figure out how you and your sponsor can both benifit with out you spending countless hours of promoting.

The question , Why to get sponsored? One of the answers besides a little financial help is ego. We want to say that we are sponsored, We want to look cool like the guys on TV with all their patches and boat wraps. We want to be recognized by others as great anglers who should be feared during the tournaments. It is human nature. This is one way that a compny will sucker in a potential "prostaff" member. They get a lot of advertising and foot work just for a discount.

[Hale]

We want to be recognized by others as great anglers who should be feared during the tournaments. It is human nature.

Of all the talks about sponsors and sponsorships on this forum that is probably the smartest thing that has beend said/posted.

[Chris]

We want to be recognized by others as great anglers who should be feared during the tournaments. It is human nature.

There is a lot of truth to that statement. Think about it I know you have seen this. The guy with the new Triton shirt sporting a 10ft John boat. The guy that has patches all over his shirt because it is the products that he uses not sponsors he has. My personal favorite the guy sporting his Zebco patch because the company gave him a free patch and reel at a casting kids contest and felt like he was sponsored. Ever fish an open tournament and a guy pulls up in a new Triton boat with his tournament shirt on with tons of patches, $100 entry and an ego that takes the cake. Some people really do feel that if they look and act the part that they will be on a different level than the guy in the John boat. Look at that thread in the tournament section where you have a list of people trying to define what a pro is. The title "Pro" is a status symbol that among other tournament fishermen puts you at a different level than the average tournament guy. In a lot of cases the weekend or club guy want their own status symbol that sets them apart from the average Joe or other club guys, for them it is being sponsored. The implied reasoning is that if a company sponsors this guy then he must be a good fishermen because companies don't take chances on people that are not any good. The truth of the matter is the guy got a discount or something minor because large companies don't take chances on people that will give a small return. You have people that want to offset the expense of fishing tournaments. "Fish for free" but you need to keep in mind what is your return. You can go to a company and ask for a check but if your not going anywhere fishing wise, not giving the company a good return in exposure your going to reach a dead end and get dropped. What stinks is that you are putting up another hurtle for the next guy and the company will be less inclined to sponsor someone else. "Pro Staff" is a meager entree position that does nothing but make the company money at your expense. You are paying a discount price for the privilege of having your name associated with a product to build your ego among your club peers. What is worse is that you are paying money just to be associated with the product the company couldn't care less about you because they have a sale and cheap advertising. If your trying to seek a sponsor and all your getting is "Pro staff" or a discount then you need to take a hard look at what your return is. If you have a good return then you might want to rethink the company your dealing with. If your busting your butt for peanuts I know I wouldn't do it. I was in a situation last year where I was asked to help a club get sponsors for a few benefit tournaments and a discount to help offset costs for the tournament raffle prizes. The club is nonprofit and I was happy to help out. The club got free stuff to giveaway and a discount to cover anything else. The companies got free advertising and was associated with a good cause. It was a fair shake deal "sponsor trade." If I was needing to go out of my way for those things with large commitments then it wouldn't be a fair shake deal. You need to judge what is good for you because you don't want to be caught in a lopsided deal and get used for a small handout just because you want to feel special

[Hale]

Look at that thread in the tournament section where you have a list of people trying to define what a pro is because they want the title.

If you even looked at that thread you misread entire thing. I dont think one person on that thread was deciphering the title of pro so they could deem it on themselves. That discussion was strictly about the format of our sport and what we feel makes someone have that title. But thanks for trying to make us look like jackasses.

[Chris]

That wasn't what I was trying to do I worded it wrong I apologize. It was 1am and I didn't proofread it.

[Hale]

No apologies needed! I just wanted to make sure that that people were taking that topic to be anything about ourselves.

[Sam]

Remember the Bad News Bears?

Walter Matheau got the bail bonds company to sponsor the team.

Now that would be something special to have on the back of yourfishing shirt...Manny's Bail Bonds, with their phone number.

In my humble opinion, sponsors should only sponsor either professional guides or those who are amatures or professionals on the B.A.S.S. or FLW circuits.

For local fishermen who will never make either of the two circuits, local companies can sponsor them but the question remains...why do it?

To get sponsors you need to have a game plan and be ready to do promotions plus move up in the rankings of your state federation.

My good friend is a retired pro and has now cut back his guiding schedule and he still gets great deals from Abu Garcia and Pure Fishing.  But if he ever decides to go back on the professional fishing trail he will need to get sponsorships from both the fishing and non-fishing industries.

This is a super thread and it looks like an individual will actually have to work hard to get their sponsors which means that they have to do their homework and not just run out and go fishing.

Getting sponsors is a job in itself and the majority of bass fishermen do not want to expend the time and money to get the sponsors.

After all, professioinal bass fishing is a lot of work, both on and off the water.

[WBFishing]

I don't think I will ever fish in my state's federation, just because of a bad experience I had dealing with a local club here. I have no idea if they are federation affiliated or not, I don't really care. I plan on making my way up the ladder, through the weekend series, then the Opens, and then Elite. I have been down with BASS since I was a kid watching "Fishing with Red" on Saturday morning. It all comes down to a personal decisions, if it fits your schedule then do it. My personal choice is just not to solicite sponsors until I feel I have a complete package to offer. I don't want to be known ( once I am fishing for a living) as a "mediocre angler but could sell a popcicle to an eskimo". I also don't want to be known as only a fisherman. My goal is to be a skilled mixture of both, like all the greats.

We are all cocky and we are all egotistical, even without sponsors... you have to be to stand on a boat throwing a bait to cover, and knowing you are good enough to manipulate it just right to make that fish strike that artificial bait. And if he doesn't, we blame the fish, but never ourselves.

In the end we are all going to do what makes us happy. If you choose to fish the local tournaments with local sponsors and you get a deal that makes you happy go for it. If you choose to move up in the ranks and get bigger sponsors with more incentives, go for it. If you see a guy who duct tapes the logos on his clothing, his motor brand, boat, and uses a sharpie to scribble out the labels on his baits, and refuses to say any brands he was using---it's me cause I don't do free advertising.

[JT Bagwell]

I don't think I will ever fish in my state's federation, just because of a bad experience I had dealing with a local club here. I have no idea if they are federation affiliated or not, I don't really care. I plan on making my way up the ladder, through the weekend series, then the Opens, and then Elite. I have been down with BASS since I was a kid watching "Fishing with Red" on Saturday morning. It all comes down to a personal decisions, if it fits your schedule then do it. My personal choice is just not to solicite sponsors until I feel I have a complete package to offer. I don't want to be known ( once I am fishing for a living) as a "mediocre angler but could sell a popcicle to an eskimo". I also don't want to be known as only a fisherman. My goal is to be a skilled mixture of both, like all the greats.

We are all cocky and we are all egotistical, even without sponsors... you have to be to stand on a boat throwing a bait to cover, and knowing you are good enough to manipulate it just right to make that fish strike that artificial bait. And if he doesn't, we blame the fish, but never ourselves.

In the end we are all going to do what makes us happy. If you choose to fish the local tournaments with local sponsors and you get a deal that makes you happy go for it. If you choose to move up in the ranks and get bigger sponsors with more incentives, go for it. If you see a guy who duct tapes the logos on his clothing, his motor brand, boat, and uses a sharpie to scribble out the labels on his baits, and refuses to say any brands he was using---it's me cause I don't do free advertising.

Very Well Said (especially the last sentence).

Good luck with your quest.

JT Bagwell

[WBFishing]

Thanks for the good luck wish.  I am sure I will need all the luck I can get, especially if I have to run into guys from this board fishing.

Hope you seasons go well, but I am sure I will be seeing you around on here.

Willie

[Hale]

I am sure I will need all the luck I can get, especially if I have to run into guys from this board fishing

Dont worry about anyone on here....we all just seem to stay on here and talk about fishing anymore. The fish we catch are bigger when all we have to do is tell stories about it!  ;D ;D ;D

[JT Bagwell]

LOL @ Hale.

It's too dang cold to fish here.

JT Bagwell

[cart7t]

Depending on what the sponsor is wanting in return for whatever monetary value you're recieving would be my guide to whether I'd take it.  Way back when, when I used to fish tourneys I had a couple nibbles from interested local companies.  I never got far because all they wanted was someone to hang around the boat shows and hawk stuff in return for freebies.  When I started thinking about the time involved in attending the local boat show for a week but all the shows in surrounding areas that they would be participating in I started adding up my time in a dollar per hour figure and started realizing they were getting alot more than I would be.

Personally, unless you're a great salesman or extremely successful as a fishermen in tournaments or both, I doubt you'll ever get anyone interested in giving you anything that you'll actually make out on in a positive way.  

[Hale]

I agree cart, but there is a certain value that is added that you cant put into monetary terms at first. Its the aspect of networking, and getting exposure. Depending one someones area and the caliber of shows that come through they could really capitalize on getting to know the whos who in the industry. Which of course could lead to that ever needed 'hook up' in the biz when the time is right.

[cart7t]

I agree with you Hale and if I was wanting to further a career in fishing, as a T angler or a sales rep or some other job within the field that that would probably be a course of action I'd take but the original poster was talking about someone who was only wanting to fish on a very local, club type level.  Personally, I really can't see anyone wanting to sponsor someone at that level.  There's little if any return unless it's a really big club or it's affiliated with a larger sanctioning body AND you actually are good enough to fish the sanctioning body state or national championships.