Hook, Line & Sinker: Bassmaster Classic Begins This Friday
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ESPN Dedicating 12 Hours Of
Coverage To Bassmaster Classic
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ESPN and ESPN2 this weekend will air over 12 hours of taped highlights and live
weigh-in coverage of the 35th annual Bassmaster Classic, which begins this Friday
on the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers and their tributaries, according
to Don Hopey of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. This year’s winner receives $200,000
of the $700,000 total purse. Over 100,000 people are expected to attend the competition
and 17,000 “will pack the Mellon Arena for the weigh-in” each evening. The tournament
will cost Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh $2M to stage but is projected to create
$34M in local economic impact. Over 20 businesses have signed on as tournament
co-sponsors. Pittsburgh was selected to host this year’s event over Hartford,
Nashville and Dallas. Aiding in Pittsburgh’s selection was ESPN’s desire “to expand
the audience and marketing for its signature fishing tournament beyond the South”
(PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 7/25).
LIVE BAIT: Organizers said that the Classic ESPN Outdoors Expo from Thursday-Sunday
at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh is “the largest freshwater
fish show in the country.” In Pittsburgh, Teresa Lindeman noted the free expo
will feature 175-200 exhibits where visitors can “try archery, test their casting
skills, see real bass and ... walk out with a DVD featuring themselves reporting
from an ESPN booth.” Two ESPN fishing shows will originate from the convention
center roof and there will be cameras “roaming the show floor” (POST-GAZETTE,
7/25).
MAN VS. BEAST: To promote ESPN’s coverage, ad agency Fort Franklin, Boston,
has created “offbeat advertising that treats the competitors — people and
fish — as athletes facing off against each other.” Tagged, “The competition
is wild,” the multi-million dollar campaign has online and offline elements including
virtual fish trading cards with names like “Lance Bass,” “Gordon Van de Bass”
and “Larry Bassman.” The fish are listed as playing defense with the anglers on
offense (Stuart Elliott, N.Y. TIMES, 7/25).
FEEDING FRENZY: BASS spokesperson Doug Grassian expected to issue “more
than 200 credentials” for the event to organizations including SI, Time magazine,
the N.Y. Times and “several big northeastern papers,” as well as newspapers that
“more regularly cover BASS events.” Grassian also expected three journalists from
Japan and one from EuroBass magazine (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 7/27)....BASS
Fantasy Fishing has nearly 50,000 registered fans over the last three years, and
ESPNOutdoors.com Exec Editor Ed Scheff said that “at a growth rate of 15[%] a
year, more fishing games are in the works” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 7/25).
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