AMA (9/16-9/23): Dave Foss, Vice President, PDGA Board of Directors

With all due respect, this is such a weak response from someone actually in a position to make a difference. You said yourself that you “have not and would not include any overtly political or religious statement” in your tournament literature, and I’d bet it’s because you understand why doing so is problematic. So why not be a proponent for codifying restrictions? Why not defend a position that clearly benefits the sport and its growth?

You dance around this issue by asking if there’s really a problem and framing the situation as if it’s the responsibility of any aggrieved player to make it a big deal if they truly are bothered. You’re expecting and counting on the natural inclination of a person to ignore a “minor” inconvenience for the sake of their livelihood. To claim something is not a big deal unless someone makes it a big deal is entirely disingenuous.

To answer the question you posed, “Is there any aggrieved party in this situation?” I’ll list what I can come up with, and you tell me if you think any of these parties are aggrieved:

• Players that are uncomfortable – We can assume (and even know for a fact) that many players are uncomfortable with the inclusion of religious proselytism in the tournament literature. So far, they seem to have ignored the issue for various reasons at least via official channels. I’d guess most reasons have to do with maintaining focus, concern for reputation and anonymity, preserving the opportunity make a living doing what they love, etc. Does it affect their play? Possibly though unlikely. Does it make them feel less welcome or less enthused about the sport and their mission? Probably – this is a problem.
• Advertisers and contributors – Most professional organizations, and all that are taken seriously on a large scale, understand that overtly political and religious presentations are problematic. This means they will avoid partnerships where they can be perceived as espousing particular political and religious sentiments. The PDGA can’t expect big contributions from professional outfits without assurance that they will restrict problematic messaging.
• Spectators and fans – Based on the response online, we know that many fans and members of the disc golf community have a problem with the religious messaging. Alienating fans is obviously a quick path to failure for a sport and industry that at present is entirely still at the grassroots stage. Fans buy discs, disc manufacturers promote product via tournaments and player sponsorships. Fans get excited and buy discs, and the cycle continues. Hopefully somewhere in there advertisers notice there is money to be made and the sport can explode. But the essential ingredient is enthused fans willing to spend money. Alienating fans with distasteful messaging breaks this cycle. Personally, I am boycotting renewing my PDGA membership over this very issue, and I encourage others to do the same until the PDGA becomes proactive in this area.
• Prospective fans and players – I said before that it sucks to know that there are people and especially children who have seen this message from Nate on an official production and now may feel even just a little bit less welcome or just a little bit more like an outsider. Disc golf, like all sports, should be inclusive and tolerant, and if we are being honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that the sport in its current state is uncomfortably homogeneous demographically. This holds true from the player base, to the spectator base, and to the board and staff of the PDGA itself. Let’s make it a priority as an organization to do better in this regard and to “grow the sport” for people rather than just dollars.
• Disc Golf and the PDGA – For all the reasons listed above, the sport and organization is made weaker as a whole if we fail to correct the problem now. In the long run, the sport itself is an aggrieved party if its success and growth is stifled because the dominant governing organization is unresponsive and/or unwilling take necessary corrective action on this issue. I’m discouraged to see officers of the organization (you) dance around this issue, and even more discouraged to see officers of the organization (Nate Heinold) actively engage in problematic messaging.

The question that I would ask is, "Is there an aggrieved party in this situation?" If a religious or political post by a TD leaves its participants feeling unwanted at a tournament, then that creates a problem.

I want to comment that I think the above statement is the most important thing you said. It isn't about the TD's intent. Its about the effect on the participants.

I also think that there's a reasonable "if this is a problem, we'll address it, but we also need to see if this is an actual problem" argument that you've made. Nate is the example I have of this behavior, but if its JUST him, and he stops, then this probably doesn't need to be codified. I respect your desire to get more information from the affected parties before taking further action. Thank you for your response.

The image contained in the reddit post liked to by the word “This”

Yes it does. People feeling alienated and choosing to not start or stop playing disc golf because they feel politically or religiously alienated explicitly hurts "furthering the sport".

Your argument rests on either denying that those people exist or saying that they don't matter. Neither is an attitude that will help grow the sport.