What's happening to paintball?

ballin v6 · 10-11-2010, 09:42 PM

hey everyone, what is happening to paintball? i mean the decline in numbers at PSP, USPL and just local areas.

I was thinking the price was too much for paint, but back in 2007-05 paint was even more expenseive. So i dont think the price of paint has a huge factor.

what do you guys think it is?

paintball doesnt seem like what it use to be.

up in canada paintball is doing just fine. Not massivly growing, but growing.

the_lane · 10-12-2010, 12:30 AM

People don't have the extra cash, simple as that.

bloodreaper · 10-12-2010, 02:41 AM

Paint may have been less expensive back in 05-07, but everyone had more cash then too. There arn't too many people, at least around here, that have jobs let alone jobs that pay well enough to pay for a sport as expensive as paintball.

Shawn_Savage · 10-12-2010, 06:25 AM

Canadian prices are extremely high. People buy less paint and shoot less paint so more new players are probably having fun and sticking around.

ballin v6 · 10-12-2010, 06:57 AM

i wouldnt really say that. We pay 50$ a case at our rec feild, and our speedball feild paint is 25$ a case.

Shawn_Savage · 10-12-2010, 07:09 AM

Wow. Definitely outside of what I hear as the norm. You, sir, are in a good area for cheap paint.

eruffini · 10-12-2010, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ballin v6

hey everyone, what is happening to paintball? i mean the decline in numbers at PSP, USPL and just local areas.

I was thinking the price was too much for paint, but back in 2007-05 paint was even more expenseive. So i dont think the price of paint has a huge factor.

what do you guys think it is?

paintball doesnt seem like what it use to be.

up in canada paintball is doing just fine. Not massivly growing, but growing.

I haven't seen a decline at local fields anywhere I have played.

Paintball is a lot more than just the PSP, USPL, NPPL, etc. "Recball" is what made paintball, and it continues to thrive all over.

steve_81 · 10-12-2010, 02:17 PM

There has been a large decline at Hell Survivors Paintball Playfield in Michigan for their big games. I've been going to several of their big games every year and this year had a pretty low turn out. They even extended the pre-registration in order to try and get more people signed up to play.

monkeyballer099639 · 10-12-2010, 02:54 PM

The economy put a dent in the game and made it slow down. In the past few years, the economy was running hot, so companies were able to pour tons of money into sponsorships for teams to play the big events. Now that those days are gone, the sponsors have been limited to how much they put into teams. For the PSP, NPPL, and other leagues, most teams are having to choose between playig either PSP or NPPL.

However, people are starting to get back into it. I have seen a growth in the nnumber of players at my local field and have also seen a growth in the number of local teams that have formed. Hopefully it keeps going.

ballin v6 · 10-12-2010, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monkeyballer099639

The economy put a dent in the game and made it slow down. In the past few years, the economy was running hot, so companies were able to pour tons of money into sponsorships for teams to play the big events. Now that those days are gone, the sponsors have been limited to how much they put into teams. For the PSP, NPPL, and other leagues, most teams are having to choode between playig either PSP or NPPL.

However, people are starting to get back into it. I have seen a growth in the nnumber of players at my local field and have also seen a growth in the number of local teams that have formed. Hopefully it keeps going.

yeah, most pro teams play PSP and NPPL, but not lower divisions.

PAPA_SMURF1 · 10-12-2010, 09:24 PM

Economy man.

eforcegtid00d · 10-12-2010, 10:18 PM

Paintball is a luxury sport. It's expensive to play and even more to compete. I know a lot of people in Chicago that used to play every weekend and stopped after the closest fields shut down. To some people, it's not worth driving 40+ minutes to play. When your rec base shrinks, that means you have fewer people feeding the tournament scene. Factor in the massive cost of playing national events and it's no wonder why you see numbers are down.

rakim · 10-19-2010, 11:13 AM

Didn't I see this exact same thread when I signed up 5 years ago?

Luigi Speed 05 · 10-19-2010, 04:32 PM

I can tell you about my own situation... this is the first year since I started playing that I won't be playing at cup, so bummed about it! Since last year's cup I haven't had extra cash to afford weekly practices, and how am I supposed to play tourneys when I haven't practiced??
And worse, I'm not the only one on my team, matter of fact we had to take a break this year cos we're all kinda broke.
Hopefully it'll get better, but I still can't quite see the light at the end of the tunnel...

cool3108 · 10-20-2010, 04:32 PM

Gotta say that I'm not really seeing this in the uk as the amount of teams playing the national tourneys eg nspl have risen and there have been a few new tourneys with radicly different rule sets eg super5ives

ChiTownBaLLerrr (Banned) · 10-25-2010, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eforcegtid00d

Paintball is a luxury sport. It's expensive to play and even more to compete. I know a lot of people in Chicago that used to play every weekend and stopped after the closest fields shut down. To some people, it's not worth driving 40+ minutes to play. When your rec base shrinks, that means you have fewer people feeding the tournament scene. Factor in the massive cost of playing national events and it's no wonder why you see numbers are down.

I live in Chicago too, this statement couldn't be any more true.

ultranoobify · 10-26-2010, 06:55 AM

that ****s expensive

jnkydrvr · 10-27-2010, 12:19 PM

paintball aint cheap, and people are broke these days

team outragous angel (Banned) · 10-27-2010, 06:52 PM

The games a bit pricey and its not that fun to watch, only play really haha..

asfaraslogic · 10-27-2010, 07:26 PM

It is a participant sport, unlike basketball, football or baseball, where you have a clear point to concentrate your attention on, ( the action revolves mostly around the ball ) so its hard to watch.
So the key is to get people playing right!? Well every year newer faster, more efficient markers come out. For the competetive player this is great, and that trickles down to the local rec fields, where now your average player can afford a four year old high end, easily shooting 24 BPS.
Well for the new player that means these over aggressive wanna be tournament ballers are coming out to the local field and shooting a case of paint at them on unlimited ramping, because they can, and because it makes them feel and better about themselves to mow muppets, or bunker noobs or whatever they call it in your neck of the woods.
Why would these new players ever come back? If the first time you went bowling you slipped and fell every time and threw almost all gutter balls, would you consider that a good time? Would you make it a point to go back and bring your friends?

Expensive game. Cheap fast markers+douche bags=no fun=very few new players.
And I have been to fields around the country and only two ( va and ok ) actually had refs watch over the players, and split up teams or keep new players separate for the sake of making it equal ( closer to anyway )

McTx · 10-27-2010, 07:41 PM

economy hurts it most. just keep playing and having fun. everything else will work its self out.