Editorial: Let's Learn Something from the Shotgunners
Is it time for the precision shooting community to “raise its sights” and explore ways to attract more shooters and increase major manufacturer and sponsor involvement? Does it make sense to look at ways our sport can be more “media-friendly” and attract big corporate sponsors the way golf and tennis does?
Right now we have three different 1000-yard Benchrest organizations, operating under three different sets of rules. A recent 1000-yard “National Championship” attracted less than 80 shooters, with almost no media coverage, and the prizes totaled less than $8,000 in collective value.
Consider what’s happening in the shotgun world by contrast. This month, From August 6-18, the 108th Grand American World Trapshooting Championships will be held at the new Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois. This year’s “Grand” will consist of 26 events spanning over 12 days. New events that have been added to this year’s Grand American include the Budweiser Handicap, and the Federal Premium shoot-out. In addition, all events from previous years will return. Collectively there will be over $1,000,000 in event monies/trophies and $100,000 in promotional give-aways.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if rifle shooting managed to attract that kind of prize money, and major participation by Fortune 500 companies? Should there be a “Grand American” for rifle shooters? Something that, unlike Camp Perry, could include Benchrest shooting, 3-Gun, Varmint comps, and maybe a combination of position and bench shooting with a true “factory class”?
There are MORE rifle shooters in America than there are trap and skeet shooters. Way more. So why can the Grand American Shotgun event attract seven-figure sponsorship and prime-time television coverage, while most major rifle events generate no such interest. Likewise, we should ask ourselves why is Cowboy Action Shooting growing so rapidly (77,000 registered members of SASS and counting), while participation levels in some of our precision shooting disciplines are declining?
Is there a way we could create a “Super Championship” where top shooters of various disciplines could compete in the same venue? Would it draw media attention to have Tony Boyer, David Tubb, and the 600-yard and 1000-yard Shooters of the Year all in the same place? Perhaps shooting the same type of rifle marketed by a major manufacturer such as Remington, Beretta (SAKO), or Springfield Arms?
Please understand, I am NOT advocating that existing disciplines be erased. However, when you look at what the shotgun world has accomplished, there are lessons to be learned. Trap and Skeet shooting is widely perceived as a high-prestige pastime–a sport associated with successful (read wealthy) men and women who have leadership roles in our society. I think the precision rifle sports could benefit by cultivating the same kind of perception for our activities.
This is important because rifle shooters currently face some very real challenges. Every year politicians pass more restrictive regulations, and more of our rifle ranges are closed. We can start to reverse these trends if we do a better, more creative job in promoting our sports and making rifle shooting more interesting and palatable for the average citizen as well as corporate marketers.
People may say “Who cares what the shotgunners do? We don’t need the likes of Budweiser and GMC at our matches, and the Kelbly Firearms Industry SuperShoot and Camp Perry National Championships are plenty big already.” I understand that sentiment, but I still think it makes sense to study the shotgun sports (and the golf industry). The shotgunners have been very, very successful in cultivating the right image for their sport, an image that attracts new shooters, placates politicians, and makes the big corporate sponsors want to affiliate their companies with trap-shooting.
We could learn some important lessons from that. We need to look at the big picture, explore ways to exhance the general appeal of competitive rifle shooting, and bring the various disciplines together.
From what I understand, the NRA has had offers in the past for sponsorship at the nationals and the NRA has turned them down.
finally. you have a topic where i have expertise. media/advertising/public relations.
1. why choose golf/PGA? NASCAR is king in all three. you already know how they do it.
2. what can rifle sports do Right Now to increase exposure? create personalities.
Poker and Pool have “stars”. does the rifle community have a proven Winner who
is currently competitive and who speaks well under the hot lights while the video
is live because his/her last scoring SUCKS and who can explain it to
the reporter in a manner that a 9 year old could understand? Tall Order.
3. here’s how to approach this uphill climb: think of a professional sport which
you know exists but about which you know almost nothing. soccer? ice hockey?
polo?
anyway, what would work to get you to watch?
that’s what rifle sports will need to reach a potential audience with sponsors.
I’m an advocate of bringing substantial cash purses into BR shooting. It’s time we moved out of the 1950’s mindset.
There is nothing for spectators to see. In shotgun sports target breaking is easily visible to spectators. Even the handgun sports were not popular until falling plates, and moving targets…The chances of benchrest becoming a sponsered sport is very slim. The only way it could happen is someone filmed a match with several camera views, shooter, target, and flags.
The best way is to spend the time to find the right combination of camera views, film an event, then take it to a S.H.O.T. show or some TV network and sell the idea..
Editor: Eddie, you’ve raised good points. But reactive targets could be used at both close and long range. There’s no reason a long rifle shot on a tiny target should be any different than watching a 400-yard drive to the pin in a golf match–IF there was a target cam OR a reactive target that the audience could see.
The technology for making rifle shooting spectator-friendly already exists – http://www.kwe.no/
(Kongsberg Mikroelektronikk AS) — Electronic Targets and displays
In Norway, Our national championship finished last week with a record attendance of 20,000 and primetime on national TV all through the cup. This shooting has about 150,000 shooters in a country of 4.5 million.
Part of the problem is public perception of our sport as being martial in purpose. If the media continues to portray us as knuckle dragging wanna be snipers, then we are never going to turn things around.
I have not seen the Sportmans Challange on network TV lately, but they attempted to creat a nice, visually-appealing event. If we can attract that kind of sponsorship we will be a world ahead. How about something like the Carolina egg shoot? That is visual, could use some more pizzaz, but it has potential.
“So why can the Grand American Shotgun event attract seven-figure sponsorship and prime-time television coverage, while most major rifle events generate no such interest.”
Because there are a lot of knuckle heads that think money will ruin the sport. Just look at the fiasco that Springfield Armory Inc. created by not awarding an overall award and trying to massage the award schedule to make it fair.
There is also a strong socialist leaning among some shooters that feel it is not fair if good shooters win matches as well as prizes. God forbid if a High Master were to win a match and take home a rifle or something better. That wouldn’t be fair to the guy that sux.
Hi Brian and thanks for the editorial.
The big difference is action. Shotgunning has allot of action. For broad media interest, you’ve got to find a way to entertain non shooters and that takes action. I think tactical has a better chance as it has so many aspects that are more similar to other sports than even shotgunning.
They also like photogenic subjects that can become celebrities.
I think it could be neet though to bring in the hotshots from different specialties and make they all shoot each others game. I bet they would enjoy that too. Kind of a shooter-cathalon.
Organizing a pro-curcuit seems real attractive. Would probably be on the cheap for the first few years while promoters, the media, and sponsors figured out how to do it. Kind of a Nascar clone with guys traveling in motorhomes pulling a gunsmithing trailer. They could also appear at county fairs doing exibitions to make more money and spread the word.
best wishes
mark
Another reason trap and skeet venues attract big bucks is the fact that its participants are typically well monied. Look at the gear and the clubs the events are shot at and you’ll see why.
I agree with the above posts re: the reactive targets. Have you guys ever watched the dart championships on ESPN2? The announcer MAKES me want to watch more. Watching a guy throw darts is pretty freaking boring. The camera angles, the announcer, the crowd…that’s what makes it. There would have to be a degree of sensationalism or tension. And of course a FAT purse at the end.
High dollar prizes? Bad idea. The bigger the prize, the greater the incentive to cheat. Yes, big prizes and bets on the side are common at shotgun matches. “Sandbagging” (pretending to be a less skilled shooter than you really are) is more common at shotgun matches, if for no other reason than to “clean up” on prizes and side bets. If you want to encourage such behavior, go ahead and offer big prizes.
Hi Paul,
I’ve read and re-read your post and have given it some thought.
I feel that Shotgunning has become more acceptable due to the fact that it is looked on as a genteel sport. Let’s face it, the rich control the country. The rich play golf, shoot clays, play tennis, and play polo. All of which draw big media attention and purses.
In this neck of the woods to go shoot sporting clays can run you $50 for one round, and that’s just the range fee, it’s not a poor mans pastime.
How can golf, tennis, and shotgunning get such high purses, and media attention? Because the rich who own company’s, who are CEO’s, and are corporate VP’s of the sponsors see to it that their “interest’, or “sport”is taken care of.
Golf in the beginning was solely a pastime of the Country Club set. It was never intended for the working class. Same goes for the equestrian sports. Shooting clays was a gentleman’s pastime, again not for the unwashed masses. Tennis the same it was for the rich and Royalty. Look at Wimbledon. It gets a solid week of major network time. What other sport gets that? Not to mention “the Royal box” for the royal family.
If there ever is gun control you better believe the rich will still have their Holland and Holland’s for their trips to the wild, and will keep their expensive shotguns.
Don’t think so? Look at England.
Rifle shooting will never get the sponsorship, huge purses, and media attention, because every commoner can own one and compete. Go to any country club and sit at the 19th hole, sip a gin and tonic, and bring up the topic of hunting season and see what kind of response you get. Talk about noses in the air. And if you want to get the full impact go to a Polo match or the Derby and bring up anything other than golf, tennis, or Polo. Hell, they’ll have you mucking out the stables!
Another thing that hurts us, which I hate to even mention are the fact that Ar-15’s, 50 BMG’s, and anything tactical reflects poorly on competitive rifle shooters. I own both an AR15 and a Remington PSS set up for tactical competition and I guarantee you a lot of people shake their heads and wonder why I even have such things. My in-laws included. Most semi automatic handguns get the same reception.
I didn’t mean this to be a rant, it’s just some thoughts going through my head.
Danny
“Sandbagging” is no problem with us. All shooters are registered and certified to classes according to their competition record. If you don’t bring your certificate to matches, you’ll automatically shoot in the highest class. Cheating is difficult as all rifles are very efficiently checked. As for performance enhancing drugs, test are done as with any other sport.
With the potential you should have for audience and “consumers” I’m quite surprised that rifle shooting is such a “lowly” event in the US. How much money is spent on ammunition in the US market? Must be tons compared to Norway.
EDITOR: Tom, could you do a short report on your Norwegian Championships for the Bulletin? Maybe with a photo or two? I think our readers would be VERY interested in learning more. I did find some images of the 2005/2006 event, but nothing for 2007.
Sorry, not the right man for that job as I don’t shoot that competition myself. Here are some good sources though:
Link to news and webtv from the event:
http://nrk.sesam.no/search/?c=n&ss_lt=sitesearch&ss_ss=nrk.no&ss_pid=nrk&ss_vpos=top&userSortBy=datetime&q=landsskytterstevnet
Link to the shooting organisation w this years results:
http://www.dfs.no/./?module=Articles;action=Article.publicShow;ID=9834
Link to the “producer”, the target support service with manufacturer in earlier post.
Tom posted wrong link to the producer of the electronic shooting targets used at the Norwegian Championships.
Correct link is http://www.kme.no