AS RECORDS GO, the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic on the Tennessee River in Knoxville will be the 53rd edition of bass fishing’s world championship, but in truth, it will be the 106th Classic. That’s because every year two Classics take place simultaneously in the same location and among the same competitors.
The main event is the one the fans, television cameras and media representatives see and record. The second Classic is the one that takes place in the heads of the fishermen. It’s the mental marathon of controlling and managing runaway adrenaline, too little time, fan adoration, sleep deprivation, sponsor demands, weather changes, tackle maintenance and yes, even real, on-the-water fishing decisions, and it’s nonstop for a week or longer. The schedule is so crammed there isn’t time to do anything thoroughly, much less control all of it.
On top of that, the Classic, from the very beginning, has been a career-maker. Financially, the winner takes home the season’s biggest check. He receives more publicity in more media outlets than at any other tournament. Sponsors pay handsome bonuses, and additional
