Pretty sure I already know the answer to this, and it’s no. I’m also not talking about store owners and resellers, just competition players. But just out of curiosity, do any of the pro’s actually make a living solely off competitions and endorsements?
I’d imagine Gentry, Evan, and a few other rare exceptions that are are able to, but for the most part I doubt it’s possible. Not that it matters. I’ll certainly never be able to make money throwing a yoyo. And I don’t care because I love to play and it’s a very satisfying hobby. But I have to ask just to satisfy my own curiosity.
Gentry and Evan do yoyo for a living but that’s because they’re the best players sponsored by the biggest company. Issue is competition wise there’s usually no prize money for contests so only thing you got is sponsorships but you usually only get free yoyos supplies and maybe travel from them.
Even with Gentry and Evan, my guess is that even though they “make a living” yoyoing, it still doesn’t really come from competitions, though the fact they do well at competitions boosts their brand/signatures (Gentry with the Shutter and Replay and Evan with his Edge line). They make a living yoyoing by helping YYF sell more yoyos because of their popularity in the yoyo community and their skill in contests. I imagine Replays went flying off the shelves when Gentry won nationals with it, and probably same thing with Evan and the Edge(Beyond) after nationals and worlds this year.
Do they really accumulate enough yoyo money to pay rent or a mortage? If there are no cash prizes how do they do it for a living? I’m not being sarcastic. Can someone define what “professional yoyo player” means? I’m betting no one on the YYE trading cards really depends on yoyoing for a living. What do these pros do when not in competitions - which are not taking place every other day. I saw an Ann Connolly video and she said was in school but is considered a “professional.” What kinds of jobs do some of these pros have? If I went to a drive through on vacation would Gentry Stein ask me if I wanted to supersize something?
I think the industry in whole is kept breathing by a large number of enthusiasts buying multiples and a good number of new yoyos that come out every year. That seems more than a meager opinion. Trading and selling used used yoyos takes a bite out of yoyo company’s wallets, right? Do the people running Yoyo Factory pay their mortages and support their families through paychecks from Yoyo Factory? Can anyone say “if it were not for yoyos, I’d be broke!”?
It depends on a couple factors and ways you define terms. For this instance a “professional” yoyo player is generally considered as a sponsored player from a well known or relatively known company. Maintaining a standard of living is different. We each have a different standard and some may earn a standard that they are pleased with at this moment or continue to work in the yoyo industry. Like @AndreBoulay, he has as a professional continued to work in thus industry and maintains a standard of living both higher or lower than others, but hopefully one he is comfortable with. His life is dedicated to it.
There are many other industries and sports where this would vary as well. In skateboarding, one is on an am team or an ambassador for the brand. I was on a team out of SC based out of a Hilton Head shop called Fuel Clothing. No money, some free stuff and very discounted stuff. I then was at an ambassador level with Protec Helmets and still with Sector Nine, even though I barely skate. These got me some free stuff and still discounted things. I was a triathlete for several years and was sponsored by Fluid Nutrition, Jelly Belly Sport Beans, That Butt Stuff, Auquaphor, H2O Audio, Uvex, and a local business that actually bought me a bike. I began distributing Fluid Nutrition to make some money. But ultimately I got clothing, helmets, nutrition, entry fees, etc free or at cost. As a photographer, I would have been a professional and not a professional at the same time, depending on who you talked to. It was not my sole source of income and some purists did not consider me professional. I sat on the SC Chapter Board of Directors for the American society of Media Photographers, so they seemed to deem me a professional.
So ultimately with yoyo players, they are professional once a company deems them to be and are generally recognized by the community as such. In reality they are mostly an ambassador to the brand and have entry fees, supplies, and perhaps travel provided in exchange for that ambassador relationship. Once they have a signature yoyo, my opinion, is when they truly become professional and begin to earn money. Perhaps some with a colorway.
The whole time I was doing what I really enjoyed but had to work a “real” career the entire time. Had I dedicated myself to one thing perhaps a career could have been made, but I also have a family feed, clothe, and maintain a roof over there head. I am positive they must do the same.
The one piece that still boggles my mind is when some pros really only use one or two throws. Like Gentry Stein.
Yeah but now my knees, shoulder, and back hurt and I’m overweight. I have played Ice Hockey, Soccer, and Gaelic Sports as well. Those I think have been the worst for my body. I have broken my hand, foot, and seperated my shoulder. The funny part was I had been training and racing tris for a while at the time, I was a month out from a half-ironman event, and I hurt my knee doing a 1.5 mile run for a PFT for the fire department. That is still bothering me, a year after it happened I could barely move. It had messed up my ITBand and my lower back. Took six months of therapy. At the time i was biking over 100 miles on the weekends and running up to 30. It was embarrassing to get hurt on a 1.5 miler. This year I’m going to turn that around and get back into shape. At least thats what I say every year. And I’m only 34, so my day wasn’t too long ago, I just feel alot older.
I’m almost positive Gentry and Evan do get paid. Pretty sure they get a portion of the sales from their signature yoyos and travel expenses are covered. There’s probably more to it too. YYF has a point system, the better you do at contests the more benefits you will have and Gentry and Evan are at the top of the ladder.
I think it’s easy for a lot of people to a s s u m e those guys practice a few hours a day, cash checks and go on vacation where they practice a little before the next competition that is several months away. I want the dirt! Are there full or part-time non-yoyo jobs they go to? I realize that everyone knowing the private business of the stars takes a lot of glimmer (as well as privacy) away but I’m just curious. I bet their lives are pretty similar to most people on this forum.
You can imagine putting that many miles in a saddle on the bike and running will do to you. It’s an anti chaff cream. I wore a jersey will the logo all over it for a while. It always turned heads.
Gentry and Evan do demonstrations for YYF too, pretty sure yoyo is all they do for a living, why do you think they’re always in different countries and places on their IG? Evans(pretty sure Gentry has too) mentioned he yoyos “full time” for a living thanks to YYF on YouTube before too.
I don’t think Evan does quite as much as Gentry so he has more free time and might have something he does on the side but it’s not because he’s not making enough from YYF
