The FLW Tour recently lost one of its original sponsors after Land O'Lakes decided not to renew. Land O'Lakes had been heavily involved with the league since the inception of the FLW Tour. It sponsored its Angler of the Year title for several years, and fielded a pro team that most recently included Ott DeFoe, Jeremiah Kindy, Aaron McManaway and Keith Williams.
A Land O'Lakes company spokesperson told BassFan: "After 13 years of sponsoring the FLW Tour, Land O'Lakes has opted to conclude its sponsorship. The decision was made in order to facilitate a refocusing of our long-term marketing strategy. We appreciate our long relationship with the FLW Tour, and the many benefits it provided both FLW and Land O'Lakes over the years."
The news comes amid growing speculation that the FLW Tour, and FLW Outdoors as a whole, will see a significant drop in sponsor support next year. Walmart is expected to downgrade its involvement on the competitive side and shift its focus to FLW Fantasy Fishing. Chevy is expected to depart given its financial troubles and government bailout. Pure Fishing is rumored to be re-evaluating its level of involvement and title sponsorship of the Stren Series. Evinrude will not return as a sponsor – it's currently in litigation with FLW Outdoors over an alleged failure to pay sponsor fees. Also, Ranger Boats, long a keystone sponsor, is currently part of the Genmar bankruptcy and needs court permission to continue its aggressive level of sponsorship.
Such speculation is fueled, at least in part, by the lack of solid news from FLW Outdoors about schedules, formats and payouts for the 2010 tournament season. Fields at last week's FLW Walleye Tour Championship and Ozarks Central Stren were told the announcement would land within days, although it has yet to materialize. Additionally, several pros who fish for FLW sponsor teams told BassFan they simply don't know if they'll have a deal next year, and their sponsors, in some cases, were awaiting news from FLW as well.
Interestingly, while onstage at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship, Al Lindner asked FLW Outdoors president and CEO Charlie Evans about FLW's plans for next year in the world of walleye. Evans wouldn't give up specifics, but seemed to hint that significant changes were coming – at least in entry fees. That seems to correspond with news recently given to the Western FLW Series field that entry fees would drop substantially for that circuit next year.
"This is a trying time for our country," Evans told Lindner. "The economy is not at its peak. I don't think that's a secret to anybody out here. It's also a very challenging time for our sport and our industry. There's no doubt about that. It's unprecedented in the challenges we're having to face as an industry and FLW Outdoors as a company."
> To view the video of Lindner and Evans at WalleyesFirst.com, click here.
