Sponsorships?

[JKSNIPER]

Sort of related to sponsorship....Consider the young shooters also have the opportunity to obtain scholarships to certain colleges/universities that have shooting teams.

A good friend of mine coaches a junior team that has a couple of young girls on it both of whom have offers from colleges to shoot small bore rifle for them.

Larry is a great guy....both his sons shot for teams in the military...one for the USMC other for the Army and he says to me one day "hell the best shooter in my family is my wife." and I thought he was joking but he wasn't.

Mrs XXX was quite the small bore rifle shooter in her day.

Support those young people when you can and encourage them to get into the shooting sports....it can pay for their education. And if they go to Annapolis or West Point they get the education, the butter bar when they graduate, and then basically get paid to shoot for the Army or Marines or Air Force....not a bad deal.

Back to my small bore buddies....I love visiting Keene, NH 'cos it seems like when I'm there every guy/gal I get introduced to is either an olympic contender, member of the Presidents 100 or a world class rifle/pistol competitor. More distinguished riflemen that you can shake a stick at.

I'm shocked by this 'cos their state motto should be "Live Freeze and Die" not "Live Free or Die" ...its freaking COLD there.

2 guys I know who won a prestigious LE sniper competition had to shovel snow from the range gate to the firing line to get there and practice. Snow shoes to get to the target line to hang targets. Now THATS dedication.

AND NONE of them were/are sponsored by anyone. Other than the college scholarships I don't think any of them will ever see a nickel for their time spent shooting.

I agree with the statement that if you're going into a sport to make $ then go practice ....golf....(as much as it pains me to say that)

How the heck did golf get so much $ and popularity in the USA anyway? In a country with the second amendment and freedom won by our skills at rifle shooting you'd think our # 1 sport would be some type of shooting but Nooooo...its freaking Nascar...watching cars suck gas and drive around in circles all freaking day...and baseball?

Thats our national pastime? Baseball?

The second most boring sport in the world other than bowling.

Real men and women go to the range!

Ok I'm breathing again.....off my soapbox .....sorry for the rant....BP is down and I feel better now.

[Chills1994]

Just throwing my perspective on this. If you wear someones Jersey you really take on a requirement of exhibiting yourself as a sportsman. You also need to provide your sponsor with a return of some kind, I mean they are asking you to advertise for them. I'm such a quiet person naturally that I'll probably never put on someones Jersey, I don't think I can provide that advertising for them.

I would add that if you are giving recommendations on a specific product, you should inform the person that you are being compensated to do so. At matches, its easy to recognize, big bright colorful shirts. On forums, it not as easy to recognized if advices, even if honest, has been paid for.

I don't know about internet forums, but about a year or two back the Federal Trade Commission came out with a ruling with regards to bloggers that if they plug a product they have to reveal their connections or whether they are being paid by that particular company to shill for them.

[Chills1994]

JKSNIPER wrote:

...And if they go to Annapolis or West Point they get the education, the butter bar when they graduate, and then basically get paid to shoot for the Army or Marines or Air Force....not a bad deal....

At least while I was serving my sentence at Mama Blue's Aluminum womb for wayward socially awkward boys and girls in the early 1990's, the indoor range was removed or demolished and replaced by a new weight room for the intercollegiate football players/team. Guess we know which sport rakes in the dough, don't we?

(18 years removed, looking back now, wishing I had taken the Army ROTC or AF ROTC scholarships to Embry-Riddle instead )

[Chills1994]

JKSNIPER also wrote:

...How the heck did golf get so much $ and popularity in the USA anyway? In a country with the second amendment and freedom won by our skills at rifle shooting you'd think our # 1 sport would be some type of shooting but Nooooo...its freaking Nascar...watching cars suck gas and drive around in circles all freaking day...and baseball? ...

Hey, there JK, hope you don't think I am picking on you. I'm not. It's just that I think you and are on the same wavelength.

To answer your question about the popularity of golf, well, I think you need to look at golf in two different periods. Pre-Tiger Woods, and during or Intra-Tiger Woods.

Get an industry or company to throw a bunch of prize money at a contest or competition and the drama alone of making a 2 foot putt for a million dollars is enough to get people to watch.

From what I have gathered when I have watched golf and tennis, it appears that the companies that can throw that kind of money at a competition are the large financial houses... T. Rowe Price, Charles Schwabb, AIG (???).

About the closest equivalent I have seen in the shooting sports is the Chevy Sportsman's Team Challenge down in Texas, where we have some other company outside of the gun industry as the main sponsor of the match.

The other thing about golf or baseball is that they are both heavily used mediums for advertising. Again, that's where a lot of the money is coming from, selling 30 second commercials.

The other advantage to golf, I think, is that selling golf is like selling a lifestyle. I remember being a kid back in the 80's and having to go to the doctor. My mom would try to schedule appointments, and I always hear her say something like "Oh, yeah, that's right Wednesday is Dr. So and So's golf day. Well, how about Thursday then?" Now, it's not just doctors who play golf, it's everybody.

Again, the guy to talk to would be zhunter (aka Jay Townsend).

Edited January 28, 2012 by Chills1994

[KentG]

OK, Im gonna throw in one opinion from a club shooter who aspires to just be average. Tiger Woods would be winning with or without a sponsor as an example. Eli Manning would be winning wearing Nike or Reebok's. So would the top names in this sport or any sport. Im more interested and influenced by the experiances of a broad range of shooters of various skill levels with the "acme" rifle, shotgun, pistol, or any product used in the shooting sports.

If I hear or read on forums like this that a particular dot or firearm really is liked by 50 shooters compared to one sponsored shooter Im more interested in the opinion of the 50. The sponsored shooter could likely win with a police turn in pistol, out of the box shotgun and rifle in a basic configuration. My point is as always ITS THE INDIAN NOT THE ARROW.

Sponsored shooters make good TV, Magazine ink ect but I take it with a grain of salt.

I wish I was good enough to get a paid ride but if I were that good it wouldnt matter what I used IMO. Hats off to those who are and you do put a spotlight on products that are top tier but the products dont make the win. They CAN help but Id rather hear a bunch of folks who like a product than see a few hired guns swear it makes them winners.

Sponsors DO fund the sports at big matches and kudos to ALL them for that.

I guess thats all and hope I didnt make anyone mad. Its just my opinion and thats worth less than handfull of range brass.

[whitedog]

At the only big match I have shot ( '11 Ohio sectional ) and worked, I helped fill the shooter bags. We had a lot of stuff. I remember thinking how cool it was all these companies gave stuff. That they SPONSORED the shoot. They did not have to do that. And I know that it is marketing and they want people to buy stuff. I also know many shooters were very happy they got something. So, I believe sponsorship at any level in some way helps the sport. Some ways more than others. If a guy is watching 3 gun nation, which is a form of sponsorship, and decides to get involved, that's a good thing. And as a side note, if you do get something at a shoot, please send the company some form of thanks. It really is appretiated by them. Just what I think.

[JKSNIPER]

Kent,

Agree 100% with Indian not the arrow.

Gibson is now selling guitars at obscene prices just 'cos they have so and so's name on them. WHen that guy was becoming the star he is now what did he play?

A regular old guitar from wherever.

An Eddie Van Halen model Frankenstein guitar (Eddie made his own using an inexpensive guitar and adding his own pickups etc, that guitar copy of EVh's sells for around 20 grand. Ridiculous.

What did Rob and Brian shoot before they became the gun gurus they are today?

Bet you hand them off the shelf stuff they'd still kick ass.

JK

[SERVED_USMC]

Well put Ben.

Myself and about 6 others locally have our own "sponsored" team. We gots matchin shirts and everything

The few companies we are sponsored by a owned by the guys on the team. Weve got a guy who runs a shooting supply business out of his shop and one of the guys' Dads does our gunsmith work in a pinch if we need him. No one gets paid to shoot, but we get good deals on boolets!

We like it that way. Just a group of friends that like to shoot.

[Airic]

I wear a jersey, and it has a bunch of logos on it. I don't use products from all of the companies on my shirt. I am a part of a shooting community (boomershooter.com). Those companies help out the community by sponsoring the forum and other activities. We as members buy a jersey and wear it to local and major matches. The leaders of the community put on contests and contingency programs where we have a chance to win stuff from the sponsors for wearing our jerseys. Last year I won a contest for wearing my jersey to the most local/major matches. My prize was a steel target set (2 plates, 1 US popper) from Range Master Rowdy in OKC.

I dont consider myself sponsored because I wear a jersey. I am just part of a community of shooters. I think its awesome and I have fun shooting with the guys from boomershooter.com and talking to them on the forums.

[Mr Player]

I wear a jersey, and it has a bunch of logos on it. I don't use products from all of the companies on my shirt. I am a part of a shooting community (boomershooter.com). Those companies help out the community by sponsoring the forum and other activities. We as members buy a jersey and wear it to local and major matches. The leaders of the community put on contests and contingency programs where we have a chance to win stuff from the sponsors for wearing our jerseys. Last year I won a contest for wearing my jersey to the most local/major matches. My prize was a steel target set (2 plates, 1 US popper) from Range Master Rowdy in OKC.

I dont consider myself sponsored because I wear a jersey. I am just part of a community of shooters. I think its awesome and I have fun shooting with the guys from boomershooter.com and talking to them on the forums.

That s an interesting approach. I like it a lot. Where do I sign up? :-D

[mike cyrwus]

I wear a jersey, and it has a bunch of logos on it. I don't use products from all of the companies on my shirt. I am a part of a shooting community (boomershooter.com). Those companies help out the community by sponsoring the forum and other activities. We as members buy a jersey and wear it to local and major matches. The leaders of the community put on contests and contingency programs where we have a chance to win stuff from the sponsors for wearing our jerseys. Last year I won a contest for wearing my jersey to the most local/major matches. My prize was a steel target set (2 plates, 1 US popper) from Range Master Rowdy in OKC.

I dont consider myself sponsored because I wear a jersey. I am just part of a community of shooters. I think its awesome and I have fun shooting with the guys from boomershooter.com and talking to them on the forums.

By the way. I see my logo on your shirt. I appreciate you.

We need to squad up more, you were a blast at TX limited.

[OpenDot]

I wear a Ricky Bobby Shirt...and I suck!!!! Open B...

Considering the last 5 months of my life has totally sucked (Divorce Nov 2011, Strep Throat/Upper resp infection Jan 2012 and the last was I got hit by a car on my Harley 2 weeks ago) but i'm still dryfiring until my ribs can't take it....why? I love the sport!!!

The only products that are my jersey that I don't use, Matt Burkett does (Carbon Arms, Warne and MGM Targets), but all the others give me discounts on products that I do believe in and use all the time. I even put Brian Enos on it because of this forum alone (with his blessing of course)...I live alone, don't make truckloads of money and Open costs money to play in...so I seeked out help from the companies I use their products...almost all granted help...except Montana Gold (the one I really wanted the most ) Brass..I can get anywhere. Powder was a good score for sure Hodgdon has a great sponsorship program. But when I got that the shirt was already on order. SC gives me a good discount, ESS just rules period!!!!!!! I need to find somebody that has quality bullets now as those are starting to go through the roof price wise... they help me, so I promote them..with a smile on my face. I don't think i'm sponsored...as I don't get Paid, I get discounts...which is all I really need. Every little bit helps in my case!

[djeffers]

I wanted to create a thread about sponsorships. This past week i learned alot about sponsorships. What do you guys think about sponsorships?

So Matt, what did you learn?

+1

[Rob Boudrie]

.almost all granted help...except .......... (the one I really wanted the most )

One basic rule of sponsorship recruiting (individual of as a match prize table scrounger) is to not criticize or single out a vendor for saying no. There is a fine line between expressing disappointment that a vendor would not sponsor something, and coming across as someone who offers "sponsor me or I will criticize you in public.".

And yes, I know that was not your intent in mentioning a vendor name.