Kevin VanDam's Classic Reign

As the only repeat winner of the CITGO Bassmaster Classic since ESPN acquired BASS in the spring of 2001, Kevin VanDam is in a rare position to gauge the company’s giant impact on professional bass fishing.

The 38-year-old Michigan pro won his first Classic in 2001 in New Orleans and earned another Classic trophy this summer in Pittsburgh. His second Classic reign — the shortest in Classic history created because of the shift of the world championship event from summer to early spring — may end Feb. 26 at the conclusion of the Classic on Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee, Fla.

“Even though I never experienced it before ESPN’s involvement, when I won my first Classic I knew it was different than it had been in the past,” VanDam said. “The magnitude and the media vehicle ESPN has and the exposure it brought to bass fishing, it was eye-opening. I had won Angler of the Year three times by then and there was no comparison.

“Since I won this Classic, there are exponentially many more people aware of it than when I won in 2001. A lot of it has to do with the way the event unfolded; how tight it was and how riveting the coverage was. ESPN did a phenomenal job covering that tournament.

ESPN also broadcasts a morning block of bass programming on ESPN2 Saturdays, including BassCenter and BassTech.

“A big part of that is the Saturday morning block building up the Classic. So, more people are aware of it. And then you take all of that live coverage during the event that reached a lot of people. The real difference is the number of people who come up to me that are not avid bass fishermen but know someone who is. They saw it and were intrigued by it.”

As expected, VanDam’s second Classic reign has been especially busy.

“I had an extremely busy fall schedule planned before I won the Classic,” he said. “I’ve been filming for Bass Pro Shops and Strike King. I had a lot of things set up like charity events and filming. And then I won the Classic and I have a lot of companies that want to do commercials and photo shoots for print ads. There are different opportunities after winning it and I had to squeeze that all in there.”

Unlike many Classic champions, VanDam’s latest victory has not provided a huge financial windfall, aside from the $200,000 Classic check. As a CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series angler, a lucrative stable of sponsors already surrounded him before his heroics in Pittsburgh.

“It really isn’t (a financial bonus) at all,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of interesting opportunities come up that I wouldn’t have had without winning the Classic. And it really helps solidify positions that I had with companies already.

“But I’m not complaining. It’s a nice position to be in.”
 

From BASS