Cast your vote to help promote pro bass-fishing to the world!

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Aug. 12, 2024) – The 2024 Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops event that took place in May on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Kissimmee, Florida, is one of six event finalists nominated for the 2024 SportsTravel Award in the category of Best Professional Sports Event.

The SportsTravel Awards honor the best events, venues and hosts in the sports-event industry. Winners of the awards will be announced at TEAMS ’24, September 23–26, in Anaheim.

MLF is asking for fan votes to help earn this honor. This is an opportunity to demonstrate the passion of the fishing and outdoors audiences for the sports world to see. The General Tire Heavy Hitters event is competing against other major professional events including the NFL Draft in Detroit, Michigan, the International Surfing Association World Games, and the X Games.

The star-studded General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops was hosted by Experience Kissimmee and featured 30 anglers who qualified from MLF’s Bass Pro Tour. This one of kind tournament format set a new MLF record of more than 21 million minutes viewed on MLF platforms, passing the previous record set in 2023. The event, held on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, yielded more than 840,000 video views and 9.8 million social media impressions – a 42% increase over the prior year.

Fans are encouraged to cast their vote through Monday, August 19 by clicking here.

MLF also asks you to share this with your family and friends to help celebrate this exciting event in bass fishing and professional sports.

Nominees for Best Professional Sports Event
2023 MLS/Liga MX Leagues Cup, Various Sites
The tournament was staged by both Major League Soccer and Liga MX, the professional soccer league in Mexico. Led by Lionel Messi, Inter Miami won the tournament by defeating Nashville SC at Geodis Park in Nashville. The event featured 77 matches across the U.S. and Canada, attended by more than 1.3 million.

2024 International Surfing Association World Games, San Juan, Puerto Rico
The event held in Puerto Rico created an exceptional impact on the global surfing community and the local economy. The event attracted top surfers from over 40 countries, showcasing a high level of athletic performance and sportsmanship.

2024 Major League Fishing General Tire Heavy Hitters, Kissimmee, FL
The event set a new MLF record of more than 21 million minutes viewed on MLF platforms, passing the previous record set in 2023. The event yielded more than 840,000 video views and 9.8 million social media impressions, a 42 percent increase over the prior year.

2024 NFL Draft, Detroit, MI
The NFL Draft held in downtown Detroit drew an estimated record 775,000 people and generated an estimated $213 million economic impact, including $161 million from visitors coming to Michigan. Hotel occupancy hit a high of 92 percent on the Friday night of the draft with 30 percent traveling more than 100 miles to attend.

2024 Serie del Caribe, Miami, FL
The Serie del Caribe baseball tournament was a celebration of Latin American culture, sportsmanship and community spirit. Throughout the 25 games played at loanDepot Park, over 220,000 people enjoyed the best of professional baseball from top Caribbean teams. It also served as a catalyst for promoting cross-cultural understanding and collaboration, highlighting the positive impact of sports in bridging communities.

2024 X Games Ventura, Ventura, CA
The X Games Ventura returned to the California coastline featuring the world’s leading skateboard, BMX and moto X athletes and an appearance by Tony Hawk. The city of Ventura partnered on the event that included a variety of community events that served to engage fans and spectators at the event including concerts by Wiz Khalifa and Kaskade.

Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2024 Presented by Bass Pro Shops premiered on Discovery on Saturday, Aug. 10, with new two-hour episodes from the event premiering each Saturday at 7 a.m. ET through Sept. 14.

Proud sponsors of General Tire Heavy Hitters 2024 Presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Barbasol, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Star brite, Toyota, U.S. Air Force and YETI.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X,  Instagram and  YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.