Our friends at TalkDG had a very interesting post go up yesterday morning from a disc golf pro (the post has since been taken down by the author). This anonymous writer wanted to use TalkDG has a way to talk about the side of disc golf no one wants to talk about. In the article the writer talks about the problems with the PDGA National Tour, conflicts of interest, and overall thoughts on what is wrong with the sport.

Shortly after we read the article we contacted the author to see if the was willing to talk. While we do not know his identity, he was able to talk to us about why he wrote the article and what he has planned.

All Things Disc Golf: First off, why write about “the other side of disc golf”?

Outside the Circle: What I said needed to be said. Each and every part of this wasn’t simply hearsay unless I clarified the comment was alleged or clearly extreme hyperbole that was meant for comedic purposes; it made me laugh reading comments on Facebook today from someone who stated this article had no facts.

There is nothing out there like this and that makes our sport pretty different compared to other sports. Ever listen to the Jim Rome show? He calls people out all the time. How about Bill Simmons? Same thing. Every piece of media in sport is how about great something is or how great someone is. It’s time that we start publicly identifying issues and not accepting them.

My commentary on Disc Golf Planet TV was a perfect example of this. The “it’s the best we have” argument doesn’t fly in the real world and we shouldn’t accept it in our sport.

All Things Disc Golf: Why now? Is this something you’ve been wanting to do for a while, or a spur of the moment idea?

Outside the Circle: It’s something I’ve been thinking about all year. The idea popped in my head last year when all the players were announcing left and right they were leaving their companies for other opportunities and then watching the Prodigy team act like frat guys when Will won the Memorial. The timing just wasn’t right for it then. It would have been interpreted as Prodigy bashing. When I saw the commentary from Disc Golf Planet sitting at home, I knew this was the time to do it.

All Things Disc Golf: How many people know who is really behind the keyboard for these posts?

Outside the Circle: A half dozen maybe. Mike and Jim, who own TalkDG, obviously know who I am. I pitched them the idea of the blog and they loved it. A few close personal friends within the sport know and I had someone message my personal Facebook account pretty much telling me they knew it was me. So yeah, 6.

All Things Disc Golf: Are you afraid of having your identity revealed and have you thought about possible backlash?

Outside the Circle: Afraid isn’t the right word. I think the word is hesitant. A few companies that I am affiliated with inside the sport would not be happy if they found I wrote this. Part of the struggle I had internally about doing this was about risking losing those affiliations and upsetting companies that have supported me and what I do for years. In the end I decided this needed to be done and I was willing to sacrifice those luxuries.

Yes, I have thought about backlash. I might lose a few friends within the sport if it comes out who I am, but it’s a sacrifice. Most of my true friends are outside the sport and a few that are really close within the sport – including one really big name – was told it was me. For the record, he “died laughing” when he read it.

All Things Disc Golf: While you’ve pointed out some negatives, do you have plans to help change things around?

Outside the Circle: There is no hope in saving the things I pointed out. Nothing I pointed out hasn’t been said privately. Trust me.

All Things Disc Golf: Are there things your mind that ARE working for disc golf right now? If so, do you have any examples?

Outside the Circle: EDGE is the best thing in our sport right now. It’s a fantastic program.

All Things Disc Golf: Do you know of other touring pros who feel the same way as you do?

Outside the Circle: Oh yes. One touring pro emailed the account and basically said “great job. This needed to be said.” I know I upset Will. Will emailed me and he basically expressed his opinion about the article and asked me to remove the photo I used of team Prodigy, with Greenwell, at dinner. I did get that from his personal Facebook page. I respected his wishes and removed the photo.

All Things Disc Golf: What’s next for you?

Outside the Circle: I have a plan for another article but I don’t know if I can do it logistically. I am now planning a PDGA Tour Year in Review Column which should be on Talk DG in the next few months. I’m going to let this article marinate for a while and sit back and enjoy the discussion I am watching. And maybe chime in here and there. Or maybe I already have. Who knows.

All Things Disc Golf: Is there anything else you want to specifically cover?

Outside the Circle: This column has five goals.

Provide people with an inside view of what goes on when no galleries or cameras are around. If our sport wants to make it, our top professionals need to be professionals all the time. This column should hopefully put a few of them on notice. I may be sitting next to you at dinner at your next event or we could be battling for the win. Who knows. Provide a few laughs. For every comment I’ve seen talking about this being childish or dumb, I’ve seen three people talking about funny it was. Let people in our sport know that we don’t accept mediocrity. Get lots of good discussions started. While I can’t prove a lot of the things I say (for example, someone criticized me for not providing proof. If Dwayne Wade says “LeBron was mad at practice the other day” do we ask for video proof? No. We accept it because he is in the know. I am in the know. So I need to continue to provide factual statements about what is going on out there to gain creditability. If I said my name, no one would question me like no one would question Dwayne Wade.

Be sure to stay tuned to TalkDG.com for future articles. What are your thoughts on what was said in the article?