[gtcpaintball]

Long way but would be with it. Just more media attention.

[unfated33]

Woodsninja, on 21 February 2013 - 08:34 PM, said:

Exactly Mike.... people who have never played any level of basketball, football, baseball, wrestling or rode dirt bikes etc watch and buy tickets to all those events. Who watches paintball? People that play paintball ... and not even that many because most would rather be playing it than watching it.

As with any of the 'big'' sports they're adult driven .... pros are adults, people watching are adults, people paying the bills are adults... but they all have youth leagues & feeder systems, massive amounts of youth that keep the sport growing. Paintball has none of that.... a long ways to go.

Start with small moves. The first time I ever played there were only 10 players at the field and maybe 1000 paintballs between all of us. Close to 20 years later I can watch video of Gmore70 or Wolf or Mike play a game on my computer any time I want. I can check out living legends videos or see Dynasty take on Red Legion in 2010.

Cameras are helping, and as they get better so will interest in watching the games. But, we need to still do our own homework:

1. Keep introducing new people to the sport. Get your parents, children, and/or siblings to try it
2. Make it enjoyable for 1st time players.
3. Teach the rising generation how to play with fairness and respect.
4. Make videos, especially if you go to tournaments or scenarios.
5. If you aren't now, push yourself to make it to local big games and events. Show dealers that your field and your area are markets worth investing in.
6. Support your local paintball businesses.
7. Write about what you're doing - submit letters to the editor or write a report for school.
8. Other things, of which I haven't yet thought about.

My goal for this year is to go attend Fulda Gap and try to stay a positive role model at my local fields. Not a goal, but my hope for 2013 is that we'll see continued sales growth from the major companies like in 2012. Small moves - it's going to take a lot of them.

[metsfan521]

more paintball in the olympics talk?!?

[cockerpunk]

TechPB-Mike, on 21 February 2013 - 06:19 PM, said:

when I started playing paintball in 1998, people were pushing for paintball to get into the Olympics

It takes hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars to get a "sport" into the Olympics.

Let's compare Crossfit to Paintball

Right now, Crossfit has millions of dollars in advertising (paintball does not), TONS of mainstream sponsors from Reebok to other companies (paintball does not), and Crossfit is currently on television (paintball is not)

Crossfit has 100,000,000,000,000 times more of a chance of getting into the Olympics than paintball does, and that's being conservative.


To get recognition, you need to be capable of throwing your OWN party. Originally, motocross and dirt bikes weren't in the XGames. But after dirtbike stunters starting packing stadiums during the monster truck bashes, ESPN and the XGames took notice and put them in

We are backwards in this argument, we are trying to get the Olympics and the XGames to bring people to us (paintball). That's NOT how this works. We need to have the crowds built FIRST, then the XGames and the Olympics will take notice.

If we can consistently pack a stadium with 30,000+ people to watch a paintball match, then and ONLY then do we even have a smidgen of a chance for this to happen.

At WORLD CUP, they can barely get 500 people to watch the pros compete. You think the Olympics and the XGames want to watch 50,000 people leave a stadium, just so a couple hundred people can come in and cheer for a paintball team?

The bottom line is this - paintball does not have 1/1,000th of the draw needed to get into the XGames or the Olympics. We never have, we never will, get over it.

We don't have the money, we don't have the recognition, we don't have the attendance, we don't have the fans, we don't have the sponsorship, we don't have the recognition.... out of the 800 things you need to have a CHANCE of getting into the XGames or the Olympics, paintball harely has a half dozen of them.

Play paintball because you enjoy playing it. Who gives a shit if Yosh Rau plays paintball in the Olympics, or Travis Lemanski plays paintball in the XGames. It's not going to "legitimize" you as an athlete by any stretch of the imagination.

the way to get outside industry support and sponsors though is his methods in the video.

and its important because it grows paintball in a serious way. it gives us legitimacy to the parents of the next generation of players.

did you not watch the video?

This post has been edited by cockerpunk: 21 February 2013 - 09:13 PM

[spqr-king]

Do stadiums really get packed for Darts... Or equestrian? I think it's mostly the Olympics that draw the crowed not all the sports themself consider that they have kayaking and that's pretty much unwatchable half the time along with krew...

[spqr-king]

And by Olympics I mean the event not the sports themselves...

[Crashkt90]

Does someone have a link to the batman movie shooting where they blamed paintball. I dont ever remember that.

[Dakent]

Orange Chicken, on 21 February 2013 - 05:36 PM, said:

Xgames should be our first goal. Olympics....meh.

Agreed.

[spqr-king]

Crashkt90, on 21 February 2013 - 10:31 PM, said:

Does someone have a link to the batman movie shooting where they blamed paintball. I dont ever remember that.

A ton of news outlets claimed that he has paintball posters on his walls which he did but it's like saying the unibomber wore glasses so all people wearing glasses are now suspicious...

[Jawz]

I remember going to my first tourny in 07 (Can't remember where), it was amazing so many people!!!! I went to psp in 2011 and there weren't nearly as may as I thought there was gonna be

[TechPB-Mike]

Gordon I listened to the video, lots of valid points

people have been making this argument for the past 25 years... still won't happen

[Nobben #44]

Paintball doesn't even fit the olympics. So why the bother making so much fuzz about it? It's a stupid "goal".

Now the Xgames, that's a different story, and I'm all for that!