💸 Are $1M contracts over?

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The newsletter where the only thing scarier than Michael Myers is a 20ft death putt.

Let’s get into it.

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DISCUSSION
Big Contracts When?

The off-season is in full swing… Pros are selling private lessons, channels are releasing old coverage, and I actually have time to play on the weekend.

Alongside fall golf pictures, contract rumors are flying. But before moves get made, Nate Perkins went on the Fish Golf Brah-dcast to discuss the current state of contracts.

You know Perkins as a co-host on Tournament Central or a live on-site reporter, but he wears many hats. Since 2019, he’s helped Paige Pierce, Luke Humphries, and mainly Ezra Aderhold secure his first contract with Discraft (2021).

Now with Shaffer Sports Management, Perkins is an agent to 8 players and is seeing the sponsorship regression firsthand. The golden Covid era is over, and manufacturers aren’t flush with cash. 

• Major winners are no longer “set for life”

• Off-the-course hustles are necessary for those not at the top most weeks

• >$2k/month used to be guaranteed from sponsors… Now, hitting >$1k/month is rare unless you have social engagement

It’s easy to look at the top players and gawk at their $1M contracts, but the vast majority are out there grinding. The sport continues to grow, but we’re still grassroots at our core.

A bonus plot to follow: Names no longer on tour. Logan Harpool (regional pro turned semi-touring) announced he’ll no longer be following the Tour.

On the Chain Clankers podcast, the full-time teacher discussed his shift from Tour stops to being a weekend warrior at A/B-Tiers. This season he had trouble balancing his life at home and keeping up with the guys on the road.

Tour life isn’t for everyone, and with sponsor budgets tightening, the uncertainty of a paycheck adds to a laundry list of challenges while on the road.

NEWS
Contracts Watch

Step aside glow season, autumn, and the holidays… Contracts season is everyone’s favorite time of the year. And while some think this year won’t top the last, this off-season has A LOT of big names hitting free agency.

If you’re new around here, I’ll keep you updated on the player moves you should know about all off-season. I scroll, so you don’t have to.

EXTENSION BAIT

These names have their contracts up but will likely re-sign with their (current) sponsor:

• Eagle McMahon (Discmania) - Finishing up his 3-year contract, McMahon is having surgery on his labrum tomorrow. The remaining Crush Boy is ready to secure the bag, and hopefully, Discmania will deliver

• Alden Harris (Prodigy) - Is currently in Spain with Seppo Paju & Isaac Robinson for the Euro Pro Tour All-Stars event

• Gavin Babcock (Discmania) - “I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else” (6 days ago)

• Paige Pierce (Discraft) - 12 weeks after her ankle surgery, she’s walking and flicking discs again. Like McBeth, Pierce is a cornerstone of Discraft

• Missy Gannon (Discraft) - Currently Co-Team Captain with Uli

• Holyn Handley (Discraft) - Betting on herself last year, she signed a 1-year deal but all signs point to an extension for the Throw Pink winner

• Sarah Hokom (MVP) - Has been with MVP since 2019

• Catrina Allen (DGA)

NOTABLE FREE AGENTS

It’s impossible to list everyone, so here are some names to watch:

• Gannon Buhr (Prodigy) - From Prodigy star to lawsuits, Buhr will be the biggest name to likely make a move

• Aaron Gossage (Discraft) - “Best player off the tee.” - Brodie Smith

• Niklas Anttila (Discmania) - His 2-year deal is up

• Ben Callaway (Discraft) - 4 days ago, cryptically posted on Instagram that there are “exciting times ahead”

• Matty O (Westside)

• Bradley Williams (Innova)

• Chris Clemons (DD)

• Valerie Mandujano (Discraft) - Can still compete post injury

• Hailey King (Innova)

• Elie Midtlyng - Unsponsored 16-year-old star

🚨 NEW 🚨

• Carter Ahrens (DD → Lone Star, 1yr) - The 16-year-old was the 1st domino to drop. Last week, he posed with LSD’s owner for their iconic signing pic

• James Proctor (TSA, 1yr) - Already re-signed with Thought Space Athletics back in May. Will likely do the same with his other open-bag sponsors

POWERED BY POWERGRIP USA
Fresh Plastic

👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: MVP’s GYROpalooza Box
It’s that time of year again. Widespread discounts and mystery boxes are coming.

Shipping by Nov 24th, the Digital GYROpalooza boxes have a host of special editions paired with 6 mystery discs.

• Eclipse R2 Neutron Envy w/ glow rim (3|3|0|2)

• Eclipse R2 Neutron Hex w/ glow rim (5|5|-1|1)

• Eclipse R2 Neutron Crave w/ glow rim (6|5|-1|1)

• Eclipse Glitch (1|7|0|0)

• James Conrad’s Neutron Detour (5|5|-2|1) 1st release

• 4x Lab Seconds

• 2x mystery special editions

Alone, the guaranteed discs are perfect to complete a glow bag setup. But tack on the 6 mystery discs, then you’ve got yourself a full bag of new molds to try out.

Coming in at $10.91/disc, this box is a hell of a deal. Visit Powergrip USA today, and pre-order your box because you deserve it!

PARTNERSHIPS, RADIOACTIVE GLOW & ROC THE VOTE
Random Triples

1️⃣ If you’re a sports fan, then it’s hard to decide what to dedicate your TV to right now…

And with Prodigy’s recent announcement, hockey fans are looking to try out a new putting putter. The manufacturer has become the 1st disc golf partner of the NHL and will sell a lineup of official team-stamped discs.

Starting with black 300 Plastic PA-3s, Prodigy has surprised everyone with a collab no one saw coming. Maybe, the extra cash flow will help their off-season signings.

2️⃣ The never-ending quest to find the best glow plastic has reached a new head. Thanks to Redditor u/Spicyboi333 the latest King of Glow has been crowned.

To no surprise, MVP still reigns supreme with their Eclipse 2.0 and new colored Total Eclipse. But the biggest surprise: Innova’s latest color glow isn’t completely unusable.

3️⃣ If you haven’t already, this is your reminder to vote for the DGPT end-of-season awards. There aren’t many times in life where your vote actually matters, but this is one of them.

The categories are Most Improved, Rookie Player, Comeback Player, and 2nd & 3rd Card All-Stars. Unfortunately, your opinion doesn’t matter for Players of the Year, but at least you can send your favorites down to sunny FL in February.

I recommend going back and forth between this article and the voting page to understand what each award means. It gets a little confusing, and just because someone is at the top of the “criteria” doesn’t mean you have to pick them.

Vote here by November 5th.

Meme of the Week

Thanks for reading today. Get out and play this week!

- Charlie