Growth of disc golf

[CEValkyrie]

This game is never going to get on TV or be respected as a major sport when it's players do not respect the game itself.

I heard yesterday that there was a player that attended the FVO that got caught smoking mary jane during a round in a previous pdga tournament & was reported.

Next, I am not 100% on this but a pro was drinking beer on the course during the 2nd round. He did not have the container hidden. No one called him on it either.

[Jon Brakel]

Most televised sports have rules against their participants smoking while on camera. I think the PGA has tents available at their events for smoking. Drinking is usually reserved for post event celebrations only.

However, when not on TV many golfers smoke and drink on the course. Golf amateurs even smoke and drink during tournaments (non-televised, of course). Of course, the smoking I'm talking about is legal and the venues that I'm talking about sell beer.

I think we should strive to keep our activities legal while playing disc golf. There have been other sports to attain international televised status while also being a "stoner" sport. The "stoner" status won't slow down disc golf from reaching television. But it does cause local problems that we would best avoid and it has been the reason for some courses being pulled.

Disc golf won't be widely televised until we have spectators. Spectators are casual disc golfers. We need more casual disc golfers to be future spectators.

[Chainmeister]

We have touched on this in a pretty fascinating thread, Mary Jane Kindness, on this message board.  One of the issues that Jon raised is that there are other so-called Stoner Sports that get attention on television.  The one that comes to mind for me is Snowboarding.  I had mentioned in that thread that Snowboarding is exciting to watch and Dan pointed out that I hadn't yet seen the video from last year's disc golf worlds.  Its true, I haven't seen it.  I would find it cool.  I also find bike racing very cool.  It still doesn't have the draw or appeal of snowboarding.  I agree with Jon that its less about players smoking or drinking etc. its about having a game that attracts spectators.  I don't foresee large Galleries.  I hope I am wrong.

Yeah, Brett, it would have been better if these pros didn't act like children.  However, they do no worse than Jon Daly.  He actually brings people to the game of golf.  We like a bad boy who makes lifestyle choices that often reflect our own (too much eating and drinking and sometimes too little practicing.)  If anything, if the top disc golf pros were a little crazy, it might bring some attention.  I think it would be kind of cool if Barry Schultz bet a spectator a sawbuck that he could knock it in bouncing off a tree and let the spectator pick the disc to be used out of the bag.  

[Dan Michler]

just to clarify, i said the footage from the Marshall Street Championships DVD was cool to watch, not the Worlds DVD.  the worlds dvd left alot to be desired.

[D]

When you get involved in disc golf because of that reason, you keep playing because of that reason, and when you become good enough, nothing changes

Unfortunately because such a majority of new comers to disc golf act in a similar manner, you can tell that it won't get any better untill the new comers start playing for the right reason. Or we need to really clean it up

If either of these don't happen, it'll never change, and disc golf will go nowhere

[CEValkyrie]

I heard yesterday that there was a player that attended the FVO that got caught smoking mary jane during a round in a previous pdga tournament & was reported.

I just got an e-mail. This player has a 3 month suspension & a year probation.