BUSCH Is New B.A.S.S. Sponsor

Looks like the rumors about at least one new B.A.S.S. sponsor were right on. Today at the BASS Masters Classic, ESPN/B.A.S.S. announced that BUSCH beer has signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with B.A.S.S.

Here's what BUSCH gets:

> It can now call itself the "Official Beer of B.A.S.S."

> It is the new "presenting sponsor" of all the B.A.S.S. tournaments, as well as the Bassmaster TV show on ESPN2. That means something on the order of "The CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail, presented by BUSCH." (BUSCH replaces Long John Silvers as the presenting sponsor of the TV show, but Long John Silvers has never been a presenting sponsor of the tournaments.)

New AOY Program

There's another component to the deal too, and it has to do with the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) race.

For some time ESPN has been telling the pros that it planned to elevate the profile of the AOY race. Included would be a new payout, the details of which the pros have been waiting on for a few months now.

Today B.A.S.S. stated that in 2003, BUSCH will sponsor a new AOY program that will award bonus money to the Top 10 anglers in the points standings at the end of the season. The total payout will increase from $20,000 to $200,000, with $100,000 going to the newly-named "BUSCH B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year." Here's the rest of the payout breakdown:
> 2nd -- $20,000
> 3rd -- $15,000
> 4th -- $11,000
> 5th -- $10,000
> 6th -- $9,000
> 7th -- $8,000
> 8th -- $7,000
> 9th -- $6,000
> 10th -- $5,000

In addition, after each of the first nine BASSMASTER Tour events, the points leader will receive a $1,000 bonus and be presented with a lifejacket signifying his position atop the AOY standings.

If all of that was in place this year, Davy Hite would have made a cool $106,000.

Official Words

> BUSCH -- "BUSCH beer's sponsorship of B.A.S.S. is an exciting opportunity for the brand to reach many of our core consumers," said Keith Levy, director of tactical brands for Anheuser-Busch. "Anheuser-Busch and the BUSCH brand have a long history of supporting conservation and the outdoors. By partnering with B.A.S.S. we'll be able to take that support to a new level."

> B.A.S.S. -- Dean Kessel, general manager of B.A.S.S.: "Partnerships with great brands like BUSCH Beer make it possible for B.A.S.S. to continue to encourage conservation of the outdoors while supporting the sport of fishing. We're looking forward to working closely with the brand in the years to come."

BUSCH Background

Anheuser-Busch's first foray into pro-level bass fishing was when it sponsored Denny Brauer (Brauer runs a BUSCH Ranger). But over the years the company has supported other outdoor activities, including hunting and conservation. It also is one of the largest spenders of sports-marketing dollars in the world, and reportedly was one of ESPN's first sponsors.

For those interested in beer history: BUSCH was introduced in 1955 as a regional brand in the Midwest. The brand grew to become the largest-selling beer in the "sub-premium" category, and is the sixth best-selling beer brand in the country. Anheuser-Busch is the world's largest brewer and the largest recycler of aluminum beverage cans.