Risk Perspectives · Report · October 2026

Competition Integrity in Professional Bass Fishing

A Risk Perspective and Governance Framework Review. Professional bass fishing does not need evidence of widespread corruption for the question to merit board-level attention. The report examines the nature of the risk, the credibility of the existing control environment, and the residual exposure an organization may be carrying, using public records and a COSO-informed enterprise-risk lens.

Download the report (PDF, 41 pages, 1.0 MB)

This report is independent work by Jim Brown. It was not prepared on behalf of, sponsored by, endorsed by, or reviewed by any third party, and the views expressed are his own. It uses no confidential information, client information, proprietary methods or nonpublic information. All references rely solely on publicly available information obtained through public sources.

Jim Brown, Managing Principal · jim@sportenterpriserisk.com · LinkedIn

What the report argues

Two paths to consequenceA competition can be manipulated. Or the constituents of a sport can find that they cannot reasonably rely on the system used to determine whether it was. The report treats these as separate risks with separate evidence, and shows examples of each.

Growth changes the stakesLarger audiences, purses and sponsor exposure raise the consequence of a failure. They do not, on the evidence, show that manipulation has become more likely. The report keeps the two apart.

Governance follows assessmentThe report does not begin with a structure to recommend. It asks what the evidence shows about the risk, the controls and the residual exposure, and only then sets out the options a board could weigh, including leaving the current structure in place.

What it does not doIt does not adjudicate any individual case, estimate industry-wide manipulation, or offer legal advice. Every reference rests on public sources, cited in the notes.

‹ Risk Perspectives