The Shamefully Small World of Pro Bass Fishing | FishStrong

Why is bass fishing so small?

There are more serious fishermen in this country than there are serious football players, baseball players, or basketball players. ?More fishing rods are sold than football helmets and shoulder pads. ?More lures are sold than baseballs and hockey sticks.

Why is bass fishing so pitifully small when participation in the sport is so broad and wide reaching?

I can point to at least one thing that has contributed to the small world?

Have you ever noticed how criticism, contention, and controversy is not only tolerated in professional sports, but almost cherished?

How many of you followed every development of the Penn State and Sandusky debacle?

How many of you enthusiastically watch the sports pundits verbally spar on ESPN?s Sports Center? ?These guys are paid to discuss controversy! ?Meanwhile, pro bass fishing is doing the opposite? basically paying off people to keep quiet and to perpetuate the more palatable narrative? the one that says ?everything is fine, it?s all good, look how glamorous it is, look how brightly colored our logo-crammed clown jerseys are, just keep fishing and turn in those entry fees?.

Censoring vs. Embracing

The world of bass fishing has not figured out how to deal with reality, truth, and controversy. It needs to embrace it. Instead it only knows how to censor it. ?It doesn?t know what to do with a competing narrative, an independent voice of reason and rational thought? a ?call it like it is? mentality.

The free market of ideas and commentary is the enemy of bass fishing?s status quo. ?They favor the manufacturing their own reality?

Professional bass fishing favors an approach that is eerily similar to the circus show promoter? or even WWE wrestling? it?s a larger than life hype of grandeur, caricatures, half-truths, and nicknamed competitors, paraded about as a spectacle for however many dozens of locals show up with lawn chairs at a weigh-in.

Ish?? Big Papa?? "YO, COME AND GET YOU SOME OF THIS!!"

It?s all designed to look bigger than it really is? a feckless attempt to impress the largely uninterested public that may stumble upon it, whether at a Walmart parking lot, recreation area, or on ESPN2. ?That?s why they carefully zoom into certain parts of the crowd, edit out empty areas, and have an ?APPLAUSE NOW? cheerleader on the side telling everyone when to yell and clap for the camera, etc?

Getting back to the shunning of controversy?

No More Bubble

It?s just about control. ?Those at the top think that by controlling, sterilizing and manufacturing everything, it will benefit the sport. ?They think they are protecting it. ?This is a mistake. Really they are just protecting the status quo.

People like truth and reality. ?People like controversy when it?s there to be seen. ?People don?t want a fake, sterile environment, and agenda-driven stories, re-hashed over and over again in the pages of the magazines.

How many of you intensely listen to the sports radio shows after the big game to hear the livid diatribes of angry fans lambast every possible detail of the game? questioning the players, cursing the coaches, the ownership, the choice of draft picks, etc??

Isn?t it funny how real, genuine, authentic, big league professional sports not only allow this, but even enable it and cater to it? ?The big boy sports embrace nearly ever ounce of media attention and heavily rely on the multiple external sources of media and commentary that are available. ?They?ve learned to be content with it because in the end, it?s healthy and draws interest from the greater masses.

But not in bass fishing.

The only officially recognized media in bass fishing is owned by the organizations. ?Everyone else is pretty much paid off by them, or their corporate associates, in one way or another? they simply re-post whatever is approved of and already printed on the tournament organizations? websites. ?When not publishing that, these sites are pushing out ultra-lame sounding press releases for their sponsors and pimping product for them. ?Of course, it?s the greatest thing in the world too. ?Always is.

What if??

What if other professional sports were run like bass fishing?? ?All media, outside of their own bought and paid for staff, would be feared, marginalized, and shunned. ?Their staff and lackeys would be sicked on anybody daring to present any kind of suggestion or theory that is perceived as a threat to the status quo (this has happened to FishStrong more than once). ?The real stories would be suppressed in favor of yet another wounded warrior spin off (no offense) or ?moving up to the Eh-LEET? propaganda piece that tries to butter up some ?unknown? FLW angler who is doing well in the BASS Opens? all for the purpose of propaganda and recruitment.

By the way, I was unaware that Jason Christie and Clifford Pirch were ?unknown?? as if there is no cross-following of anglers from each organization between the fans.

But I digress?

It?s hard to point out a top tier professional sport that doesn?t endure a collection of harsh criticism amounting to 10x the level ever published by FishStrong. ?All these other sports (which thrive, by the way) are big boy enough to handle legitimate challenges, controversial opinions, and differing viewpoints being hashed out on public airwaves for millions to hear.

But not pro bass fishing.

The Irony

Here?s the really ironic thing? Those who are most uncomfortable with ?negativity? and the printing of ?controversy? are probably the same ones who relish it the most in all their other favorite sports. ?How many of these people gleefully follow every ounce of controversial minutiae pertaining to their favorite college football team? ?How many of these same people literally scream at their TV sets in opposition to a player they don?t like, a coach they disagree with, a draft pick they don?t approve of??

But we?re not allowed to do this stuff in fishing. ?We?re told that ?fishing is different?? it?s a ?family? affair? ?not like those other sports?? why them are pagan. ?If those other sports are so bad, then why are these same people glued to ESPN and driving down the road with little team flags on their car, flapping in the wind as they make the trek to the stadiums, whereby they will redeem their $100 ticket that supports all of these anti-moral, anti-family, pagan sports? the ones that embrace the much feared ?controversy? and ?negative? stories?

Breaking out of obscurity

Hermitic hermit man

In the grand scheme of things, fishing is probably as small as it is in comparison to other sports due to it being so highly self-contained and hermitic, even to the point of trying to own and control its own media? even to the point of sicking their staff on anyone who dares present an alternative viewpoint for consideration. ?They prefer the solitude of the few stakeholders up top running a type of oligopoly? one that rules over the serf anglers who just stick around for that sizzling promise of crumbs that may fall in their direction? in 2014, of course.

The world of pro bass fishing is not small because fishermen are so rare. It?s small because of how protectionist the people are who run it and how unattractive and impossible they?ve made the game look to so many people. ?It?s small due to how comfortable a few people have become with the status quo and how unwilling they are to make any real changes that might benefit the guys who actually constitute the industry.

No wonder discontent is at an all time high. ?No wonder so many guys are thinking of retiring? some prematurely. ? No wonder the murmurs of disenfranchisement have grown into rumbles. ?No wonder most B.A.S.S. pros are rolling their eyes when they hear things like McKinnis? and his talk of ?big plans? and ?sizzle?.

The fans are largely in the dark. ?Those on the inside know the ugly truths. ?Most of the professionals in this professional sport are getting squeezed to the point of imminent extinction if things keep up. ?As I said before, you shouldn?t have to win a Superbowl in order to make a living as a professional. ?It?s just bad math. ?When you have 100-160+ participants and only one winner??? ?Lottery ticket anyone? ?Eventually the anglers will wake up to the lunacy of this outdated system.

Eventually something?s got to give. ?When it does, there?s going to be a few guys who close up shop or sell off, taking the money with them on their way out.

Fish Strong!

Source: http://fishstrong.com/the-shamefully-small-world-of-pro-bass-fishing/

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