Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2024/01/03/sponsorship-updates-buhr-harris-leaving-prodigy-emerson-keith-to-innova/
With 2024 upon us, a flurry of additional player endorsement deals with disc manufacturers has started to fall.
Although major free agents like Eagle McMahon, Gannon Buhr, and Niklas Anttila have not announced their destinations yet, there is plenty of news already.
Gannon Buhr, Alden Harris Announce Departures from Prodigy
In a tongue-in-cheek Instagram post, Gannon Buhr announced his departure from Prodigy following a tumultuous final year of his contract that included a legal dispute after he tried to get out of the contract early:
Buhr, already a Major champion and multi-time Tour winner, is one of the most highly coveted free agents this offseason; multiple companies have bid to sponsor him in 2024 and beyond. Expect an announcement within the month. Prodigy released a ‘thank you’ video to Buhr today.
Buhr compatriot Alden Harris also announced that he would be leaving Prodigy.
Innova Signs Emerson Keith, Announces 2024 Team
Innova, per usual, made a blanket announcement of its 2024 Star, Champion, and other sponsorship tiers right after the New Year. The biggest announcement is the signing of Emerson Keith, now a winner on tour, after he departed Lone Star following just a year with the team. He will be on Innova’s Champion Team, the second highest tier of support.
Jessica Weese and Bradley Williams both re-signed and were promoted to the Star Team, the highest Innova sponsorship level. Hailey King also re-signed for 2024; most of the other top Innova names were already signed to multi-year contracts.
Some up-and-coming names, including Ida Emilie Nesse and Anneli Tõugjas-Männiste, joined the third tier Crew Team.
Other News & Notes
- A big loss for Discmania as Niklas Anttila announced his departure last week.
- Catrina Allen announced that she would continue in her DGA sponsorship for another year.
- Lykke Lorentzen announced a four-year deal with Thought Space Athletics as well as a sponsorship from Infinite Discs, an open-bag combination that’s become popular.
- Another departure from Prodigy from Parker Welck, the surprise Dynamic Discs Open winner in 2023.
- Lauri Lehtinen is re-signing with Latitude 64.
- Macie Velediaz, who recently announced that she is pregnant, is leaving Dynamic Discs. She hasn’t announced a new sponsor.
Stay up to date with all the latest sponsorship moves with our Active Contracts Tracker. Past sponsorships are tracked here.