Major League Fishing (MLF) officials have announced the creation of the organization's own World Championship event, pitting 12 of the world's top anglers against one another in televised matches to air on CBS and CBS Sports Network in 2017. The airings will mark the largest and first-ever consecutive 6-week bass fishing series to run on national broadcast television.
The MLF General Tire World Championship, presented by Bass Pro Shops, will feature 6 days of competition and culminate in the crowning of a champion.
"We are truly excited to have our General Tire brand as the title sponsor of this new championship with Major League Fishing," said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for General Tire. "The MLF format is already such an entertaining way to watch bass fishing and now this new championship is only going to increase the level of intensity and excitement of the sport. We can't wait to get this kicked off and see how it plays out. It's going to be somewhat stressful for the anglers, but really fun for everyone else to watch."
The six one-hour MLF championship episodes will begin airing Saturday, June 24, 2017, at 2 p.m. EST on CBS, which among its 200 television stations and affiliates reaches nearly every home in the United States.
"This has been a dream of mine since the beginning when conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris first asked me what we could do to bring the sport of bass fishing to a broader audience," said Jim Wilburn, MLF general manager.
"With this new competition and the partnership with CBS, we're finally achieving that dream and look forward to sharing the sport with an even wider audience than before. Major League Fishing is a trail blazer and this is just one more ground-breaking first."
The 12 anglers to compete in the World Championship will be determined according to MLF anglers' final point standings accumulated from their participation in 2016 and 2017 Cup events. The 12 championship contenders will be announced at the conclusion of the 2017 Challenge Cup in June, the last of the regular MLF events for the year.
