Toyota Announces Sponsorship of Major League Fishing
Toyota Motor North America has announced it is formally sponsoring Major League Fishing, a new tournament organization devoted to professional bass fishing.
A few professional anglers are already on Team Toyota, including Jacob Wheeler, Mike Iaconelli, Kevin VanDam, and Terry Scroggins.
“Partnering with Major League Fishing not only allows Toyota to show continued support of our pro angling team but support the entire bass fishing community, from youth programs to the big leagues, in the pursuit of their passions,” said Matt Ozawa, TMNA engagement marketing manager.
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The new partnership also includes Fishing League Worldwide, the largest tournament-fishing organization in the world, as title sponsor of the Toyota Series.
If you’re wondering about the relevance of Toyota to fishing, your possible confusion has already been anticipated. “The partnership solidifies Toyota’s on-going commitment to anglers and their families who depend on Toyota to tow boats safely to their favorite boat ramp,” the automaker said in a press release.
It’s a tenuous connection, but that’s never stopped companies from stamping their brands on popular pastimes and competitions before. And Major League Fishing is increasingly popular. The 2019 Bass Pro Tour earned more than six million live stream views, and in 2019 the Outdoor Sportsman Group announced that MLF was the top program on Outdoor Channel during the second quarter of 2019.
Toyota is also supporting youth fishing and, through the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, rewards Toyota truck and SUV owners for placing high in local fishing competitions.
“10 years ago, we had this crazy idea to expand the sport of competitive bass fishing,” said Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “As the longest national sponsor in competitive bass fishing, it’s an honor to add Toyota to our sponsor roster. Their investment in MLF and FLW validates our goals as a fan-friendly, angler-centric league on a mission to get more people at all levels to go fishing.”
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Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.