[Deimus85]

Originally Posted by tremis

I was just offering a different perspective to those who are clamoring that without a broadcast quality webcast it's the end of the world and we should all just stop playing.

I agree with this. No webcast or a poorly done one does not mean that people should stop playing.

However, it does provide a comparative quality that can factor into one's decision as to travel to Joliet, IL to compete in a tournament series.

Also, coming from an outside perspective, somebody that has never played paintball before, what would you find more legitimate? A tournament that has a broadcast, or a tournament that doesn't?

I assumed that players priorities went something like this:
Win this gunfight.
Win this game.
Win this match.
Win this tournament.
Win this series.

I completely agree with this as the top priority of all competitive athletes in our sport.

Adding something superficial like getting on tv/webcast seems irrelevant at best, counterproductive at worst.

Again, I do not agree with the idea that a webcast is superficial and comparative to something like "splash anno." I completely disagree with the notion that a webcast is counterproductive, especially when it doesn't get in the way of what is going on on the field. You know what is counterproductive? When I played Huntington Beach 2011, and our Divisional games were delayed an hour because the TV crews on the pro field took their time filming for their presentation!

The entire discussion has been two camps A: no webcast they suck and B: It'll get better, give em time. I was just trying to add something outside of the "Accepted Arguments" with, C: It's no big deal, one way or another.

There will always be apathetic people when it comes to a discussion.

I understand that it doesn't fit in with your plan for how the discussion should go and should be discounted out of hand, but it is a real argument that even has some thought behind it.

I see your thought process now, and I understand it.

However, why did we have a webcast at HB and none at Chicago? What is with the inconsistency? I think that is what is being discussed. The old guard way of thinking "well, back in 2006, we didn't have a webcast and paintball was great then, so why do we need one now?" doesn't fit here due to the fact that it already occurred. In fact, the NPPL was the pioneer of providing a webcast...why the sudden lack of interest in having one at every tournament?

I will agree with the idea that a webcast should not take away from the actual production of the tournament. i.e. The paintball tournament should be run the same exact way with or without a webcast.

[EPluribusUnum]

Im kind of on the same page as tremis in the sense that 10 years ago paintball was at it's peak and there was no webcast. There is a webcast for hb and for vegas. For whatever reason that is what the nppl felt the need to do. What is the sense of arguing over such trivial things?

[tremis]

I'm glad you pointed out an instance where having cameras on the field got in the way of the actual game. It'll probably happen again at some point, even if it isnt really the end of the world if it does.

I have seen players on divisional teams get bent because they weren't playing the side of the field with spectators/cameras. It was sickitating. I've kicked guys off our team back in the day because they were more concerned with style over substance. A lot of players I hear complain about the lack of webcasts are complaining because nobody gets to see them "be a star". They make it a lot easier to discount the importance of having it.

The whole episode of having it/not having it caused me personally to say " hmm, I wonder whats up with that?" And then I simply moved on. Hell, the only reason I even stopped by this particular thread was because I was looking for some quality dialog to get to 500 posts for pursuit. Then I realized that the issue appeared to blown out of proportion and thought, "hell, I'll throw my opinion out there, it's at least a different perspective" I think the change to banning yellow was a much bigger deal as I had to buy new gear. That affected me a lot more than knowing if somebody I never met was watching me on the tv.

[SNAKESNIPER (Banned)]

Originally Posted by tremis

I'm glad you pointed out an instance where having cameras on the field got in the way of the actual game. It'll probably happen again at some point, even if it isnt really the end of the world if it does.

I've seen refs get in the way more than cameras. I guess maybe the sport was better before we had refs?

I have seen players on divisional teams get bent because they weren't playing the side of the field with spectators/cameras. It was sickitating. I've kicked guys off our team back in the day because they were more concerned with style over substance. A lot of players I hear complain about the lack of webcasts are complaining because nobody gets to see them "be a star". They make it a lot easier to discount the importance of having it.

I agree, that kind of attitude is silly and counterproductive. However, I would argue that most of the pros playing these days don't seem to be this type of person.

I think the attitude of 'the webcast doesn't mean sh*t to anyone outside of paintball" is a bit of a self-defeating one. The webcast is promotion plain and simple; a big commercial for our sport, if you like. If that serves to get new blood into the sport, it will help local fields to grow and make more money, which is good for paintball overall. At the very least, it gives everyone already within the paintball community something to be excited about, which helps to alleviate quitting/burnout, which is also a good thing. It's win/win.

In your opinion, paintball was better before webcasts. Well, I hate to break it to you, but paintball is now in a "post-webcast" world. Either you can get with the program and accept it, or you can be the old guy on the sidelines complaining about how "paintball was better before blah blah blah". Which attitude do you think is more inviting to the average person?

[tremis]

I'm sure that pros have a different mindset than the average divisional player. Hell, mindset is the largest reason why they advanced to the pro rank.

You seem intent on telling me that I decided paintball was better before becuase there was no webcast. You would be wrong. **** was better, because **** was better. There are a ton of areas where paintball has declined, and none of it has to do with webcasts...here I'll say it again since repetition is one manner in which people learn....paintball has declined in most every aspect, webcasts didnt cause that.

Now that I may have explained that....I dont see where it has helped either. Maybe it has, I havent seen it. I've brought a lot of people into paintball since 1990. I could never do it with any of the ESPN broadcasts, not even those cool videos, and nobody can even begin to make the argument that any webcast in history is as compelling, interesting or as well produced as a MWAG video, and yet, MWAG videos never worked for me to get somebody interested. Maybe the hickerbillies here in central PA dont respond to promotion like they do in the rest of the country.

Webcasts have NOT degraded the game.Webcasts have NOT degraded the game.Webcasts have NOT degraded the game.Webcasts have NOT degraded the game.Webcasts have NOT degraded the game.Webcasts have NOT degraded the game.Webcasts have NOT degraded the game....just in case anybody missed it the first 97 times.