What makes Simon so popular?

June 7, 2022 by Christopher Wiklund in Analysis, Opinion with comments

Simon Lizotte has won back-to-back elite level events for the first time in his career and has entered the early conversation for MPO Player of the Year. He has made the top 10 in his last four events and made the podium in his last three events. Everyone is saying that disc golf is better when Simon plays, but what does that mean? Why does Lizotte garner this level of enthusiastic support, and why do people perceive his personal performance to be something that is existentially good for the game?

When Eagle McMahon and Ricky Wysocki eventually come back from their injuries, everyone will be happy to see them again, too, but I doubt that there will be the same sort of near universal glee that has marked Lizotte’s return to tour. Why?

As Josh Mansfield and Charlie Eisenhood pointed out on The Upshot podcast recently, disc golf in general, and professional disc golf specifically, is at a cultural turning point. The phrase “grow the sport” had been a grassroots rallying cry, a chant repeated by the high priests and elders of the game that means and has meant different things to different people. To some it could be an entreaty to locals to turn out to a town hearing and support a local course. To others, it could be encouragement to invite friends and family to go play a round with you. To others still, it was a savvy piece of marketing which could help justify efforts to “professionalize” the game and bring it to a wider audience in order to grow the bottom line.

Many have complained about how the DGPT and associated entities have pushed the game in a more…