I'm quickly growing weary of all the back and forth going on in our sport. I've been a dedicated angler and a member of B.A.S.S. and FLW Outdoors for many years, and I think both organizations are class acts. I have many friends within both organizations, and I can tell you that I truly don't believe that either organization is sitting around thinking of ways to mess up.

I think both are doing exactly what they think the sport needs to do to grow. Simply put, both are trying to make a buck or two, and grow the sport so they can make more, and both see the potential -- with numbers of participants in the millions -- to do just that.

A Few Words on FLW

Some time ago FLW instituted a rule where only sponsors' logos could be worn on the final days of an event. They felt that their sponsors -- who, by the way, pay major dollars for that visibility -- were entitled to that exposure and therefore having conflicting sponsors was a breach of the trust the sponsors put in them.

Even though I don't agree with that reasoning, it is their company and they can run it the way they want. They have invested a ton of capital, built a world- class organization and are running it the best way they see fit. And it seems to be working: FLW continues to grow at an astronomical pace, and the FLW sponsors I've spoken with in my travels feel comfortable with FLW's approach.

Note that the number of non-endemic (non-fishing or boating) sponsors now on- board in fishing is greater than in the previous 30-plus years. Our sport wouldn't be where it is today without FLW and these sponsors.

It's clear that Irwin Jacobs' team works very hard at keeping these sponsors happy. The results are evident: FLW sponsors continue to re-up, and FLW keeps adding more and more out-of-the-industry sponsors. Our sport is better off because of it: no question, it has created healthy competition.

A Few Words on B.A.S.S.

B.A.S.S. added a very powerful and responsible organization -- Anheuser-Busch -- to its sponsor fold last year. Few companies have done more for sports and sports marketing than Anheuser-Busch, and it continues to be a leader in all things new and creative in sports.

The "patch" issue, in my opinion, is not a moral one, but is one that was improperly thought-out or not entirely thought-through. I'm not sure anyone, including ESPN, really knew a controversy this deep or longstanding would occur. I do think my buddies at B.A.S.S. would tell you that if they had known, they would have done it differently. But hindsight is always 20/20.

Still, they weren't trying to mess things up. Rather, they were trying to compete and add money to the angler purses -- which the anglers were asking for -- and felt that with a company like Anheuser-Busch and its marketing wherewithal, they could raise the sport to a new level. I think it was a whale of an idea, and I sincerely hope that Anheuser-Busch will hang in there, weather the storm, and do what it and B.A.S.S. intended.

No question, alcohol draws boundaries. That's too bad. You're either for it, against it or walk the fence. It always seems that the squeaky wheels gets all the grease, but a wise man once told me that that wheel can get replaced.

Whether you think beer is the downfall of all mankind or think it's the best thing since sliced bread really is irrelevant. It's an individual choice to consume it, or not. In the same vein, wearing a patch (or not) doesn't tell the story of the man. Rather, the man, his demeanor and how he carries himself is the real story.

Obviously many devout Christian anglers like Jay Yelas and Mark Davis did a ton of soul-searching looking for a middle-ground on this very issue. This was a tough decision for them, and I compliment them and others like them for finding a middle-ground and not putting themselves ahead of the sport. These anglers were able to find ways to say their piece and still support a strong organization.

In retrospect, I think B.A.S.S. could have easily offered a non-alcoholic Anheuser-Busch patch and the controversy might have subsided some. But that again is 20/20 hindsight.

Let's Move On

I'd like to see us move on. Let's try to put all the spiritual, moral and individual opinions aside and give this sport a chance to develop. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. But it takes major money to run organizations like B.A.S.S. and FLW, and they, I believe, are truly trying to do their best. Let's give credit to the organizations for thinking about the future, and at least trying to do something. Lack of any action or change causes organizations to become boring and stagnant. We as anglers and fans don't want that either.

It's time to quit the bellyaching, discussions and conjecture, and let these organizations do their thing. Those who don't want to wear patches or those who don't like being prevented from wearing their own sponsors' logos at weigh-ins do have a choice: My father once told me that if I didn't like something the way it was, I should try to change it.

So work with the powers that control the sport on ways to make it better. Don't just complain about it.

Terry Brown catches a little less heck, but more fish, than anyone else at BassFan.