Disc Golf Media - Are We Moving The Sport In The Right Direction?

Shortly before 2019's USDGC the event made an announcement detailing media plans the event. We couldn’t help but take a moment to think about how much the sport is changing. Ten years ago, watching disc golf on YouTube was a coveted benefit that players obsessed over, and even farther back in time, it wasn’t uncommon to purchase a DVD that highlighted a huge event during that year.

Now that technology has changed so much, it’s only natural to have much higher expectations when it comes to tournament coverage. However, it seems that with each change or new partnership, there’s a growing number of players who are becoming dissatisfied. Is this a case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease, or are media efforts actually driving a wedge in the sport?

Is Pay-per-view the answer?

You may not know what we’re referencing with regard to the USDGC news, so let’s touch on that first. This year, the tournament crew decided to develop a pay-per-view situation with Fulcrum Media. For $9.99, or $7.99 if you’re a current PDGA member, you could watch lead coverage of rounds 2, 3, and 4. Commentary was provided by Jamie Thomas of SpinTV, Hannah McBeth, and the famous Ken Climo.

For those who aren’t willing to dish out any cash, post-produced coverage of all four rounds was available online, with SpinTV tackling the lead card and Jomez Pro on the chase card. They were shorter Front 9 and Back 9 videos and featured Thomas on commentary for the lead rounds and “BigSexy” once again partnering with Jomez.

Is This Progress?

A quick review of the feedback online after the news was released of this year’s media plan caused many to scratch their heads, wondering if the pay-per-view idea is a step in the right direction or if it’s actually turning people off from watching. Other well-known sports utilize this method in order for fans to watch, however, free versions of shorter coverage aren’t typically an option in these cases. After all, it is a fair question - will that many people want to pay for instant gratification when something very similar will be available for free the next day?

Some would rather put their hard-earned money toward disc purchases to bolster those companies who are helping to grow the sport, while other players are pointing to the previous quality of coverage in years past and are wondering why they would pay for something that they’re expecting to be sub-par. Sure, any change that involves money often brings out the naysayers who think that the fee is simply to line people’s pockets, but putting on a first-class live event requires more time and money than many realize.

The Future Of The Sport

Ultimately, we have to wonder if this step toward pay-per-view coverage is simply irritating to die-hard fans who are used to getting everything for free but could pay off by attracting new viewers to the game. Or, is it a matter of simply trying something new just to see how it goes and players should be a bit more understanding? Did you pay to watch the live USDGC coverage? Was it worth it? Did you opt to not pay to watch live coverage and just waited for the free post-produced coverage? Let us know why you did or did not pay for live coverage?