The Looking Glass.
I have been reading the replies, rebuttals, and accusations being tossed around by both the Federation and BASS. Rucks, Erwin, and Ray all are playing a role in this cleverly crafted media game designed to focus attention on some epic battle between good and evil. I have not seen a more clearly designed campaign put into action with all facets coming together so easily and with very little propaganda. The biggest problem facing BASS is the curveball tossed to the Federation by Erwin Jacobs. I assume by now 90% of the audience has either glassed over there eyes and discarded this as another pro BASS or pro Federation debate of which it is neither. My intent is to educate my fellow anglers and to hopefully open there eyes to what is really happening and to not follow the dog and pony show that is begin spoon fed to you. Bass Fan which should be renamed ESPN fan is playing both sides of the fence but make no mistake; they are part of the machine.
OK, For the argument.
We all know and I would assume agree that ESPN has made no bones about wanting to turn Bass Fishing info NASCAR. Now that we have this fact let’s look at how NASCAR is set up, designed, and implemented. First off the NASCAR is a semi closed loop field. There is no room for the average Joe to compete. What I mean by this is, you would never see a novice racer out there competing for fear of being involved in, or causing an accident because of potential inabilities. Next is that they use a non-endemic (new fancy word) sponsor base as a revenue stream. By this I mean that they are looking for companies like Tide and Home Depot to sponsor both the circuit and the Fishermen. OK, I hope by now you are starting to draw some of your own conclusions. You have an organization of a specified field with sponsors driving the sport trying to jocky marketing dollars to the most prolific and flashy anglers. This mentality is in contrast to our traditions. I know that this statement divides many of us by generation but honestly our roots are that of competition without humiliation or extravagant celebration. We are not the NFL and do not condone these types of displays…..Yet!! For Bass to make the transition to the mainstream they must change perception of the “Average Joe” , they need to create personalities, controversy, villains and heroes. Ike, Reese, and Swindle are among what I consider the players in this new arena. This arena will be set up in the NASCAR model with “us” choosing our favorite anglers, starting fantasy bass leagues and sitting down on Sunday afternoon and watching 8 hours of live coverage during this tournament. From there we will be walking around with IKE jackets, bumper stickers, and even collecting die cast boats with racing numbers on them. We will see verbal assaults when people approach other peoples fishing holes and maybe even an occasional fist fight which will be quickly broken up.
Next, The Federation. With the new entry fees For BASS Tournaments, the current “member fee” does not cover the entry fee price for the federation qualifiers. The easy answer is to increase the fee to cover the new prices. Well, that is what they did….
OK, So now we have the vision of the new BASS series. We have the new price for Federation qualifiers. The only thing missing is for the Federation to come on board, or is this really what Bass wants? Let’s look at it again.
For this to follow the NASCAR format they need to have the ability to have a camera on just about every angler or at least the ability to cover the angler doing the best for any given day. For that one could logically assume they will have to limit the field which goes back to that closed loop system. It also takes the “Super Bowl” out of the equation. Now the big show is just another tournament. The Champion is no longer dictated by one lone tournament that everyone qualifies. It becomes the angler who amasses the most points during the year. I know you are saying the already have the angler of the year and such but this fundamentality does not work with the NASCAR format. They can’t have multiple ways to qualify because you are not competing the best against the best. For this to work we need to see IKE against VanDam and Swindle against Clunn. They need to have the personalities that will drive the sport into the average living room in order to be effective. In this manor there is absolutely no reason for the federation other than to add an additional revenue stream. The Federation guys will either watch and participate as a fans or they will not. They are not banking on the 50k we represent. They are banking on the BILLIONS across the globe. Bass Fishing is as big if not bigger in Japan that it is here. With guys like Takahiro are all ESPN needs to break in to this market. I am sure you are all aware of a global economy. This is where ESPN is going to play and the federation spit needs to be done with as few casualties as possible while still removing the “Classic” spots and competition allotted to us.
The Federation will remain strong as an organization but it will not be part of BASS.
For those who will sit upon there rooftop pronouncing they are “With Bass” my apologies. I too am resistant to change in this realm but if you are able to mentally grasp the concept and follow it through to its logical conclusion the vision will become markedly clear.
Jc
…..what are your plans? Just curiuos.