BELIEVE IT OR NOT: In
a startling turn of events, Operation Bass officials recently informed reigning
Red Man All-American champion Jeff Coble
that he is no longer welcome to compete in its events — an apparent punishment
for his vocal opposition to the organization’s policy regarding the wearing of
logos.
The
North Carolina pro won the $100,000 top prize in the All-American this spring,
but was critical of OB officials who threatened him with disqualification if he
did not remove a Duke University cap. OB rules state that tournament
participants may not wear any logos other than those of OB sponsors during the
final two rounds of their tournaments. In addition to his public comments,
Coble wrote to the current OB sponsors to voice his displeasure with the
policy.
A day
before Christmas. Coble received a better from OB CEO Charlie Hoover that stated: “Since its beginning, Operation
Bass has done everything in its power to protect and promote the sport of
competitive bass fishing. We also understand that for our sport to reach its
full potential, we must involve corporate America, not just industry sponsors,
but sponsors outside of our industry. We believe that the sport is better today
because of our efforts. In particular, the addition of Wal-Mart, the world’s
largest retailer, has had and will continue to have a tremendous impact on our
sport.
“Jeff,
you have chosen to go in completely the opposite direction. Having read your
comments on the Internet and your letter to our sponsors, it is clear that you
do not agree with the policies and procedures of Operation Bass. Therefore,
effective immediately, we will no longer accept your application for Operation
Bass events. Enclosed you will find a refund of your membership.
“Operation
Bass will not make this decision public, nor will it make any public negative
statements about you or your positions.”
Interestingly,
Coble has already qualified for the 2001 All-American in May. Also, by winning
the 2000 All-American, he automatically qualified for entry into all of the
2001 Wal-Mart Tour events. Coble has written to Hoover in an attempt to clarify
whether or not he is ineligible for the next All-American and FLW tournaments.
It is
believed to be the first time in the history of the sport that a reigning
circuit champion has been banned from future participation.
“I
kind of expected something like this might happen,” said Coble, who is
considering taking legal action. “It will be interesting to see where this
takes the sport. This could be a turning point in the sport.
“I’ve
fished Operation Bass tournaments since 1984, which was before (controversial
owner) Irwin Jacobs took over
Operation Bass. It’s disappointing to see that it’s gotten to where it is now.
I guess I did expect Irwin to push it to this point, but I thought he would
have met some resistance along the way (from some longtime OB officials). I
assume that his attorney thought this (action) was bulletproof or they wouldn’t
have done it.”
OB
officials refused further comment on the matter, but offered this
clarification: Coble is eligible to fish the 2001 All-American, but missed the
entry deadline for this year’s FLW events.
Meanwhile,
the North Carolina pro is consulting with an attorney to see if he has any
legal recourse against the unusual banishment.
Fishing
fans, tournament anglers and prospective sponsors should be appalled by this
action on the part of Operation Bass officials.
NEW PRO CIRCUIT ON HOLD: Just when it
appeared that the new Professional Bass Fisherman’s Association was about to
announce the establishment of its new pro-owned tournament circuit, the entire
project is apparently on hold — and its inaugural 2001 summer season is in
serious jeopardy.
The
PBFA, which is spearheaded by a group of big-name veteran bass pros that
reportedly includes Paul Elias, Rick
Clunn, Denny Brauer, Tommy Martin
and Gary Klein, could not solve some
control issues with an East Coast-management group it had been negotiating with
to run its day-to-day operation. They are now searching for a different
management firm.
At
least two of the pros involved say it is appears that the PBFA has run out of
time for staging its first season this summer.
The
PBFA pros have an expressed goal of no longer having to compete for their own
money (through entry fees), a la the PGA Tour. Toward that goal, they have
established by-laws, elected a Board of Directors and located a benefactor who
is providing them with $1 million in seed money (which must be paid back within
10 years).
The
group plans to hire the services of an existing tournament organization to run
its events, as well as establish ties with an existing bass magazine and launch
a television show. Mercury Marine has reportedly agreed to be a title sponsor.
Initial
plans called for three or four tournaments this summer, but that now appears
doubtful.
CLASSIC DESTINATION. Although BASS
officials haven’t made an official announcement, look for the 2001 BASS Masters
Classic to return to New Orleans. Indications are that the deal has not been
completely consummated, but the newly published B.A.S.S. Daily Planner lists
New Orleans as the site of the next Classic (which will be held during the
first week of August).
New
Orleans was the site of the 1999 Classic, which was won by South Carolina’s Davy Hite.
NEW FLW SPONSORS. The Wal-Mart FLW Tour
recently signed up two new sponsors — Alpo pet food products and Golden Valley
Microwave Foods’ ACT II popcorn. ACT II will be an associate sponsor of the FLW
Tour, while Alpo will also sponsor the EverStart Series and Wal-Mart Fishing
League (formerly the Red Man Tournament Trail) — all owned by Operation Bass.
PREDICTION. With OMC (Johnson and
Evinrude) struggling just to survive, Operation Bass finds itself in need of a
new outboard sponsor. Here’s a prediction: OB officials will soon announce that
its motor sponsorship will be split between Mercury and Yamaha. That would be a
first for the sport.
BASSMASTER TV RETURNS: The
award-winning The
BASSMASTERS tournament fishing series will
be joining the ESPN2 lineup
beginning with the airing of the
Maryland BASSMASTER Top 150 from the
Potomac River on Jan. 12 at 6 p.m.
eastern.
“We
are thrilled to add the longest-running competitive bass fishing series to our
extensive lineup of ESPN and ESPN2 outdoor programming,” said Gary Morgenstern, director of brand
management for ESPN.
ESPN2
will feature an outdoors programming block on Sunday mornings as part of a
weekly schedule of 14 hours. In
addition, event programming in outdoor sports like The BASSMASTERS series is aired in afternoon time slots.
-end-
copyright © 2001