Rumors, Spectulation Still Rampant About Future of FLW Outdoors

Rumors, speculation still rampant about future of FLW OutdoorsHaving grown up watching the gnarly world of college football in the Southeast, and being a fan of college athletics in general, never is the grind so bad as when there is a coaching change or upheaval in a university’s athletic program.

Alabama and Auburn are the two main schools in my home state. We also have eight or 10 others that might be considered well-known, from perennial D-II power North Alabama to rising “mid-major” Troy University and HBCU stalwarts Alabama A&M, Alabama State and Tuskegee.

One thing you can count on is an incredibly churning rumor mill whenever there’s even the slightest hint of a coaching change. It shows up on chat boards, where because this coach is leaving then these “star” recruits have reconsidered their thoughts about Old State U.

When Florida coach Urban Meyer had his recent flippy-floppy episode before the Sugar Bowl, some fans didn’t wonder who the next coach would be. They worried about how it would affect recruiting. At least one top recruit did change his mind and agreed to play for a rival.

We rarely see much of this in the fishing world. But we’re getting a glimpse of it now with the FLW Outdoors situation in relation to the Genmar bankruptcy auction last week. The two-day hearing ended Friday with a subsidiary of Platinum Equity of Beverly Hills gaining 11 Genmar brands for $70 million, including Ranger Boats.

Because FLW Outdoors tournaments and Ranger boats have been owned, in whole or part, by Irwin Jacobs, they were linked to help each other. The tournament circuits helped drive sales of Ranger, and Ranger’s legendary brand name was a platinum seal on the tournaments and anglers driving the rigs. There was no mistaking that one of FLW Outdoors’ missions, if not the mission, was to sell boats.

Now, Jacobs doesn’t own Ranger anymore and the rumblings are beginning like with coaches and football teams. Will Ranger and FLW still get along? Will they part ways? Will anglers who had Ranger deals get their boats?

If Ranger did leave FLW, and after losing Walmart and Pure Fishing among other sponsors, would the tour fall apart and shut down? That may be the big kahuna, because for a long time people have wondered if the tour was a house of cards built on Walmart’s name and whether it would fall apart should the two part ways.

ESPN Outdoors reported over the weekend that Ranger president Randy Hopper said the company is staying with FLW Outdoors for the 2010 season.

“We just signed a new contract with the FLW a couple of weeks ago,” Hopper said. “Obviously, it’s been a very trying economic environment for everybody in the boating business, but we look forward to another season with the FLW and better times ahead for all of us.”

There were no official statements from FLW Outdoors last weekend, or recently, about the Ranger association. Neither Platinum Equity nor Genmar released statements about the auction.

But Hopper’s statement is good news in a time when some stability is needed among the masses, especially with the boat show season ramping up and tournaments starting to take place in Florida, Texas and California.