[Darthdoug]

Lots of right answers above, I myself think it's a mix of:

- Cost, yes it's a luxury sport. You don't see polo going main stream either...

- Playerbase (this is a mix of advertising by local fields, advertising by tournaments, how new players are treated when they show up, and of course cost)... the more player base the more people who will want to see it.

- It's not well suited for TV coverage. Paintball doesn't have a central camera focus like most mainstream sports (a ball), which makes it easy to follow on camera. Also it's players wear masks that make it harder to see expressions and make out the stars.

- Still the negative connotations of paintball. War games, shootings for vandalism, the rampant swearing in front of the crowds, etc.

[B the V]

Originally Posted by Darthdoug

the rampant swearing in front of the crowds, etc.

...and at the refs.

[koolguysk8r14]

Originally Posted by Reject69

Just my .02 but at cup I found it very hard to believe the lack of advertising for the event. There were no billboards, commercials, no way of knowing that it was going on unless you were there specifically for that reason. If we want to grow the sport we need to get people who are currently not playing or even don't know what tournament paintball is to come to these national events. Keeping the same people we have in the sport now will only cause a money shift that will never change we need new players and sponsors. This doesn't mean putting paintball on tv it just means advertising events more efficiently

i pretty much disagree with that entire train of thought. Advertising hardly brings in any random people. They aren't going to spend money, and i've got to believe the statistics for advertising bringing in new players is almost 0%. NPPL always tries to advertise, and look how that's worked out for them. Plenty of better/more effective areas to spend those precious $$. The player's word of mouth is far more effective than throwing a banner up in a city.

[Andocommando]

When I go out at night to the local bars after a tournament Im usually like "Yo ***** Im a pro paintball player check my welts, and SMD" It hasnt ever really worked haha

[Splat7]

paintball needs to figure out a way to make the individual players movements more interesting. Because the "correct" way to play paintball has a lot to do with holding down lanes... which isn't the most entertaining thing to watch. It doesn't have a central focus point, which has already been brought up. The most exciting thing is the paintball flying and being shot, which can't be seen or really captured on tv. So the object that can be seen (players) need to have some kind of variable that makes them more interesting to people who aren't well versed in paintball. How to do this, I have no idea, I have been thinking of ways for awhile, but haven't come up with anything. Maybe add more crawling? have the field not be flat, if there were hills or ditches it would enable for more hiding and would be interesting to a viewer. Just an idea, not talking about making speedball a woods ball kind of thing, just adding some kind of variable.

Other thing is paintball needs sponsors that ARE NOT connected with paintball. I.E Pepsi, Coca Cola, Monster, Red Bull, Wal Mart, Publix, Home Depot. Big corporations with a lot of cash. The only way to get these people interested is to get paintball on television. The only way those big companies will dish out money is if they know people are watching, the only true way to do that is to see good ratings. Only way paintball will get ratings is if they are on television. It is more important to get paintball on TV because if the paintball community can prove to big companies that there is money to be made and that there is a large amount of interest, then the sport will grow exponentially.

[Elhonkey]

Originally Posted by Reject69

Just my .02 but at cup I found it very hard to believe the lack of advertising for the event. There were no billboards, commercials, no way of knowing that it was going on unless you were there specifically for that reason. If we want to grow the sport we need to get people who are currently not playing or even don't know what tournament paintball is to come to these national events. Keeping the same people we have in the sport now will only cause a money shift that will never change we need new players and sponsors. This doesn't mean putting paintball on tv it just means advertising events more efficiently

There actually was a billboard with the event on it on I-4 heading east before you got to Fantasy Of Flight...im assuming it is FOF's billboard but i thought it was neat it showed the event on it.

[Blusylver]

If paintball is going to grow and get more mainstream, i think the players need to represent the sport we all love in a more mature manor. I dont mean the way they dress or anything along those lines. I'm talking about the scum bags who steal gear at events. The sport will have a hard time growing if the we keep stealing from each other.

[bneally]

I personally believe that the paintball will never truly become a sport until all the ambiguity is removed. There is still way too many rules that are vague, too many different calls on the field by judges, and lastly way too much influence on the game by players that should be out.

I can't think of another sport (other than maybe football where a player on the line may hold a defensive player so the QB has just enough time to throw that TD pass) were a player or participant can influence the outcome of a point/match by continuing to 'play' when they shouldn't. With only 5 guys on the field, when a player wipes a hit or continues to play on they influence that match to a degree that really isn't seen in other sports. It would be like not writing down a stroke or 2 on your golf card or in racing driving below the pass line and getting away with it all the time. The officiating has always seemed random and inconsistent because they are never able to 'catch' all the times this happens in a given day/match/tournament. I really think that since paintball has so much going on that the sport needs more judges above the field or let there be a few judges watching the film going on. Since PBAccess already has the filming set up and runs instant replays, let the judges use it. I'm not saying they use it constantly, but like in football, they would refer to it on major calls or swing points. Lastly, I think we really need to address blatant and intentional cheating. Since every player has such significant influence on the game, then people caught wiping should be ejected from the match. If that same person is caught wiping again during that season they should be ejected from the tournament. If that same person is caught a 3rd time, they should be banned from playing the next 4 tournaments (a whole season) and if it is toward the end, then the ban will carry over to the next year until all 4 tournaments are satisfied. In no other sport does a player get to continue playing if they intentionally cheat to the magnitude we see in paintball. If a player corks a bat, a driver has illegal parts to make their car go faster, etc, those individuals are not slapped on the wrist and get to continue to compete, they are suspended. Period.

I love that PBA is doing statistics. This is a great way to legitamize paintball. But, to be honest, I really think at the end of the day they are tracking stats on a sport that has no clear costruct.

So, I personally don't believe that spending more money or adding advertising will help since the 'sport' of paintball is still yet to find a true identity. How can you market something that even players and judges have trouble understanding. The first air ball field was introduced by Brass Eagle in 1996 (ref. wikipedia) and so the sport of speed ball has really only been around for 16 years. As sports go, paintball is still in it's infancy. Skateboarding is a competitive sport that seems most recent and yet it still has been around almost 3 times as long. The answer is easy but it entails change.....but, change is always the hardest thing to do.

#OffSoapbox

[The Wigglestick]

anyone notice (and want to swipe) the budweiser ad with the speedball player on it inside the gas station off exit 44?

[kyle53pntball]

Originally Posted by The Wigglestick

anyone notice (and want to swipe) the budweiser ad with the speedball player on it inside the gas station off exit 44?

Yes lol. Right before I molested a subway sandwich.

[thecody]

Originally Posted by kyle53pntball

Yes lol. Right before I molested a subway sandwich.

me too haha

[team-titanium]

Originally Posted by swanton23

well it would get bigger in d4 race 2 if they gave good money prizes out other than free entry. it would help more teams want to compete making the sport bigger and better

If you play for prizes you're doomed...play to win stop whining.

[Bunkrking789563]

Forget playing for prizes. It's all about traveling with a group of your best friends playing paintball at that national level. I love the feel of stepping on that field at a psp event. Best feeling in the world and I'd gladly spend countless amounts of money to continue doing this. Can't wait to play all of the events next year.

[KurtPB]

Always kind of funny reading people trying to come up with ideas on how to make paintball like any "mainstream" pro sport. When those pro-sports aren't really about getting new people out to local venues and playing, it's about selling ad-time and licensed apparel/gear. People talk about getting the cost of paintball down. Hell, the goal of football being a mainstream sport isn't getting average joes out spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on protective gear and event costs.\

Also, for TV, not seeing someone's face isn't near as important as making the sport understandable. Sports like football spend so much time before, during and after games disecting decisive plays and whatnot. On top of that, football has been a well known sport for over 100 years.

[Rebekah]

Originally Posted by The Wigglestick

anyone notice (and want to swipe) the budweiser ad with the speedball player on it inside the gas station off exit 44?

[The Wigglestick]

^i think next year that sign might *disappear* haha.

[Brandon Davis]

what if the pro teams played 1 team per weekend like the NFL does? think about it, they play for a 60 minute game, (timeouts, halftime, whatever) and the best teams go into a playoff-style format towards the end of the year. They should start a new league with this format

[Kirko017]

Originally Posted by Brandon Davis

what if the pro teams played 1 team per weekend like the NFL does? think about it, they play for a 60 minute game, (timeouts, halftime, whatever) and the best teams go into a playoff-style format towards the end of the year. They should start a new league with this format

Because as much I was would love to watch Houston Heat go 400-0 against CEP in 60mins, I don't think anyone else would...

[TherealInsomniac]

Originally Posted by Brandon Davis

what if the pro teams played 1 team per weekend like the NFL does? think about it, they play for a 60 minute game, (timeouts, halftime, whatever) and the best teams go into a playoff-style format towards the end of the year. They should start a new league with this format

it exists. Its called the CXBL

[CombatOi84]

I have no read every single post, but of the ones I have read you are all completely off base...

What needs to happen for this sport is one very simple thing which will then create a trickle down effect to grown this game into a real sport.

OUT SIDE MONEY

Not bring your friend to paintball day and have him spend $100 bucks at the local field or buy a $500 gun package.

REAL BIG BOY MONEY

I am talking $100,000's - Millions of dollars from outside corperate sponsors, such as Beer companies, Cigarette companies, Shoe companies, Sports drinks... Your Budwieser, Gatorade, Cocacola, Nike, Addidas, Marborolo, Camel, Red bull, Monster, Mtn Dew...

The reason is this...

Outside money = REAL salaries for pro players and pro staff = People willing to dedicate more time and effort into the sport with the possible payoff of an actual living from it = More people possibly interested in the sport because of... = More parents supporting the idea of their children playing paintball because maybe 1 day they could make 200k a year playing it = Schools colleges/high schools taking a interest in this because the parents and the kids are both interested.

We do NOT need prizes for the d4 divisions... People at that level are fine paying the money to play because it is FUN for them. That is like saying that we should start having serious money prizes for every local flag football league or softball league... No.... Those people play it for fun. What we need to do is be able to reward our real atheletes who have dedicated their LIVES to this sport money to provide for themselves and their families so that way they can CONTINUE to dedicate their lives to the game.

You think people play football from the time they are 6-46 only because it is fun... No.. Its the dream of possibly some day playing in the NFL, and making real money from it.

The long of the short of it is without REAL money this sport cannot grow into something big time because it is impossible for people to dedicate everything they have to grow this sport without being able to eat....

[paintballerdad]

OUT SIDE MONEY

I agree this is a BIG part of what is really needed to both keep this sport going strong, and taking it to the next level!!!