National Guard sponsorship could go away

[fishim]

Advertising is a recruiting tool and as someone else said there will always be an advertising budget that needs to be spent somewhere. There is a common bond between us and so many Guardsmen and women and that is the love of the outdoors. Keep in mind the money spent by the Guard goes much deeper than just the Walleye Tour. NG is advertised in 6 FLW Tour Majors, 4 FLW Tour opens, The Forrest Wood Cup, 12 Everstart Series events, 121 BFL events and also The Bass Federation. NG is the Title Sponsor of the FLW College Fishing Circiut with thier 5 divisions and a National Championship, they are also the Title sponsor of FLW High School Fishing and thier 5 divisions, and of course they are the title sponsor of the FLW Walleye Tour. Lets not forget also the exposure in FLW Bass magazine, FLW Walleye magazine, Fantasy Fishing, and a Nationally Televised show every week or how about all the Tournament Trailers and the Gaurd fishing team boats and trucks that are all over the country. They are spending money they have to spend on advertising and they are getting a ton of it in an industry that hits home with so many. Now on top of that you throw in all the Soldier Appreciation Tournaments which are held at all the Walleye events for the past 3 years, they have them at all the FLW Tour Bass events including the Forrest Wood Cup, and they also do SAT's at many of the college events as well. There are also many Wounded Warrior events held and other events like the Trolling for the Troops that was held at Camp Ripley last week. I don't know what all goes on in Nascar or other sponsored venues but I know that this partnership has done major amounts of advertising along with getting thousands of past and present guardsmen and women involved with experiences they will never forget.

Recruitment advertising is totally different than what goes on in the FLW sponsorship. Everything you mention regarding the "experience" of Guardsmen can be accomplished outside of a pro-tournament circuit...and cheaper. Be realistic about it, this was nothing more than a fantastic funding source to help subsidize prize winnings. If it was about the Guardsmen the FLW and every participating angler would have included the NG and their ranks without any sponsorships by the NG.

If this was an Army sponsorship then this would be about the Army soldiers, if it was the Navy sponsoring it would be about the sailors. This was not about the Guardsmen, it was about the NG money and the Guardsmen are secondary to the money. If not then all is fine because the FLW and its anglers will keep the Guardsmen on the front burner without Uncle Sam's money.

[GiddyGills]

If the National Guard was not circulating money to the FLW there is not a single participating angler that would pay any attention to the soldiers as a whole, nor would anybody take the time to carry a torch for their cause. Noble posturing is not appropriate for a deed that is charitable, and what is going on is a cause with conditions. If the act is indeed a genuine form of generosity then this forum topic should not even exist. The concern is the evaporating funds, not humanity and if it were, the cause would have manifested itself in every other walleye tournament circuit.

[Papascott]

Giddy, EVERY single Mwc tournament, that I have fished has taken a moment of silence for the troops. Of any sport out there I'd say more fisherman have served than probably any other. so I would have to disagree that " not a single participating angler would pay ant detention to the soldiers.

As for Nascar, its watched and followed by many. If it get the exposure they want to the demographic their looking for why not.

With Walmart being the real drive behind the FLW maybe they could step up to the plate and promote the National Guard for free. Since they're so into supporting China, it'd sure be nice to have them support something here in the US too.

[GiddyGills]

I'm not referring to a moment of prayer for our troops, I am referencing the activities mentioned in previous posts. If the National Guard money was not injected into the FLW all the mentions about tangible actions with the National Guard this or National Guard that would not exist. Time will tell if the National Guard forward attention will remain an important part of the FLW and participants without the money, or if they will fade from the frontline as any sponsor does who chooses not to spend their money on the circuit.