BPT anglers to pay entry fees in 2021?

[JYarb]

What a turnabout. http://www.bassfan.com/news_article/...1#.XwWft2hKiUk

[ncbass]

Just a sign of the times, the virus is far reaching....

[Javelin389]

Wait for it...

[Tico]

And do not believe that COVID is the primary reason. These guys can not run the same business plan for more than a few months.

Another pitiful proposed change is the participation trophy mindset that everyone "qualifies" for at least 2 CUP events regardless of their performance. My kids little league isn't that bad.

Maybe I am looking at it wrong. I should look at as if they get to participate in a 2 hour tv commercial and tournament performance is secondary.

[Rumour2u]

What a surprise. So much for the grass being greener.

[Z-91]

I'm in.

[BoatBuggy]

Housewives can be a finicky bunch.

[TritonJT]

After all the hype, they are back to what the BASS Elites are in just 18 months. There has to be some people at BASS enjoying their breakfast this morning.

[kry29]

It's not suprising.

[kry29]

After all the hype, they are back to what the BASS Elites are in just 18 months. There has to be some people at BASS enjoying their breakfast this morning.

The next ike live will be interesting.

[smbass77]

Interesting. Rumors have been running rampant the past few weeks that the BPT would be no more in 2021. Perhaps there is more to the story than BassFan is letting on (owned by the same company)

[TritonJT]

They can trot party line Brent Chapman out to make it seem like all in good in paradise, but the discontent is on now among the anglers.

[west_tn]

That's absolutely hilarious. And hiding behind the Chinese virus as an excuse

[Bassin_7]

Interesting. Rumors have been running rampant the past few weeks that the BPT would be no more in 2021. Perhaps there is more to the story than BassFan is letting on (owned by the same company)

Say it does collapse.

Never want to see livelihoods lost.

What would be interesting is how many of those guys get a "free" invite back to BASS and how many will have to re-qualify.

Some may say BPT had it coming, simply due to the way they went about conducting their business and moving forward. I will tell you one thing, as others have mentioned, household names that we all knew have all but disappeared after they left BASS.

This also drives home the fact that while some are making a very good living doing this, the money just is not nor will it ever be there. Not like some think it is.

Finally, good on Gerald and Brandon for doing what they did. Two guys I like, who obviously saw/knew/felt enough to be the first to jump.

[Crappie Bob]

Each angler would be guaranteed participation in two of the 2021 Cups regardless of their standing on the points list and each would also sit out two – meaning an angler could compete in a maximum of 10 out of the 12 events. All would be ensured of receiving $26,000 back from the entry fee total of $40,000 at the end of the campaign, even if the angler never collects a single tournament paycheck.

How much is the entry fee? Sounds like you will just be buying your own trophy

[trashmanssd]

Letting the contestants make a lot of the decisions by majority vote has made this league like a squirrel in the middle of the road. They have been bouncing all over the place with the rules and that on top of a very confusing format with the 2 now 3 different leagues. When my DVR records a MLF show I have no clue which one it is and if I already watched it live or if its the secret ones and when it is the secret ones I don't know if its new or old or if its the first one in a tournament set or the third one. Does Not make for great drama when you can't tell what shows to watch in what order on your tv. Watching the live show feeds on the internet are pretty good but those are for us hardcore people but the casual fan they need to make advertising money off of is not watching live they want tv/dvr/on demand content that's easy to digest.

[Bill2e]

If that is the case they should bet let out of there contracts with no fees.

BASS would be smart to open the doors for Past Classic Champions and AOY winners.

[RFeyoMN]

I don't really care about most of what's mentioned in the article...but the Cups qualification thing is very gay!! They're grown men, not 1st graders FFS!!

[Mark Perry]

This comment kinda stood out. Not sure if he means the industry is not ready or the fans are not ready.

The fans and sponsors forgot that we don't pay entry fees and we were being compared directly to leagues that paid a little less than we did. It's something that the world might not be ready for.

[okiebass]

I enjoy watching the BPT events ---But i dont think they will survive long term . After next year the 3 year commitment is up ( I think) will be interesting how many jump ship .