In February of 2021, Paul McBeth signed the most lucrative contract in the history of disc golf. It was massive by disc golf standards and lucrative even through the eyes of other major sports. Disc golf is not a sport known for the money. As a result of the size of this contract, the story
created ripples in the greater sports community. Many national and even international media outlets picked up the story. Many other aspects of the game have been influenced from the professional game to the greater disc golf community. Let’s take a look at the impact of McBeth’s contract.
The Details
McBeth signed a deal with Discraft worth $10 million over 10 years. The announcement came via a video posted to Discraft’s YouTube page. This is far and away the biggest deal ever inked in the history of disc golf. It sent ripples through the disc golf world that will be felt for years.
McBeth had this to say, “It’s mind-blowing to me to think about that 17-year-old me – or even before that, 14-year-old me – made the right move back then to put myself in this position and be able to propel the sport to potentially the next level. I feel like this is just the beginning.”
And why not? For years disc golfers have been saying “It’s about to take off” or “We just need to get on ESPN.” Well, disc golf was broadcast on ESPN in the summer of 2020 and it is now taking off. And what better face for disc golf than Paul McBeth. McBeth is disc golf’s highest achieving, most professional, and most recognizable player. McBeth is a five-time world champion and has 131 career tournament wins. He also happens to be cool, calm, and collected in front of the camera. This makes him a perfect ambassador.
How Did This Come About
Let’s take a step back and take a look at McBeth’s previous contract. McBeth and Discraft agreed on a deal before the 2019 season for four years worth $1 million ($250,000 per year). This contract was also announced publicly and was the largest contract in disc golf at the time.
McBeth had incentives written into his contract for McBeth line and signature disc sales. According to Discraft Team Manager Bob Julio, “Blew away my expectations in three months.” Julio went on to say;
“We outgrew the first deal — the four years — we outgrew that in a year, and we started discussing that we need to restructure things and make it long-term, more so than four years,” said Julio.
This early success led to restructuring talks and finally to the new contract. Mike Wagner, Discraft’s Chief Operating Officer, was also a part of the discussion. He threw out a number- 10 years, $10 million. McBeth recalled saying, “You know, I was thinking the same thing.” Serendipitous.
Broader Impacts
National and international media have picked up this story. As a result, disc golf has been put in the spotlight via respected media outlets. These outlets include The Guardian, TMZ, Bleacher Report, Front Office Sports, Barstool Sports, and many others who have never carried a disc golf story. The sheer size of the contract and surprise by the media outside of disc golf has led to the exposure.
There will no doubt be a bigger investment into disc golf in the near future. We have seen this with a better product from the Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) and the Disc Golf Network (DGN). While not always favorable with fans as they have worked out kinks in the first couple of years, they are now creating live content that is taking the sport to new heights. Bushnell recently created a disc golf-specific model of binoculars and advertises thoroughly on DGN. With McBeth’s contract and disc golf media becoming increasingly more professional there will be more companies looking to inject money into disc golf.
The trickle-down effect will certainly mean more and better courses in your local community. Thousands of new disc golfers have taken up the sport during COVID. This has led to courses becoming more populated. With more money on the competitive side of disc golf, there will be more money for companies to support course implementation. This directly benefits ALL OF US.
Inside competitive disc golf, the main benefit of this contract is that it was announced publicly. This will lead to more pay for other professional disc golfers. When it comes time for contract negotiations there is now a hierarchy with which to compare. Before this announcement, nearly all contracts were kept private. There was a lack of understanding of worth and an inability to leverage.
One example of this is Eagle McMahon. He is one of disc golf’s brightest young stars. McMahon, 22 years old, was on SmashBoxxTV’s podcast and spoke on how McBeth’s contract directly affected his own negotiations with Discmania;
“Rising tides lift all boats…The real thing is making contracts public. Because a lot of players are making a lot less than you think and some are making a lot more.”
McMahon is a friend of McBeth’s and knew of the contract before details were released to the public. When asked if McBeth’s contract directly affected his most recent contract negotiations, McMahon replied with a simple and smirky, “Yes.”
Conclusion
Paul McBeth’s contract is changing disc golf. Whether it is for professional disc golfers getting paid, course implementation, or a better product from the DGN we are all benefiting from McBeth’s contract. There is no telling how far-reaching this contract will ripple. It will be felt for years to come. The question now is this; what will disc golf become?
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