Paintball as a sport - Question for players.

[Staffy Lee]

In my opinion the term ‘OFFICIALY RECOGNISED AS A SPORT’ is bo!!ox and would change nothing !! Hey its ‘officially’ a sport tomorrow…..guess what the same people ‘no more/no less’ would turn up next week – BUT changing the general publics perception of paintball WOULD -or ‘at least’ push it in the direction the majority of us want it to go. Which could hopefully start a chain reaction ‘however small’ - for example once the ‘weekend warrior/Rambo’ opinion has been quashed the majority of people should then view it as the sport we see. Out of this majority, more people would be interested in participating, which in turn would make even more people (their friends/collegues etc) interested/aware.

Lets face it…todays paintball is somewhat similar to yesteryears skateboarding – where it was once a ‘hobby’ practiced by a of a bunch of kids in the local park (and b4 I get shot down in flames - yes I do realise you cant shoot 2000 paintballs in public - in the same way you can ollie a traffic cone)…but now…..its seems most sports channels are throwing ‘Tony Hawks this’ and ‘Xtreme boarding that’ at you. Ask most teenagers to name a ‘skateboarder’ and they could probably list a dozen. But that was only achieved by 'boarders introducing more kids - who introduced more and so on and so on, until it got itself the mass coverage it has today.

We should not be that ignorant to think we are the only ones in this country who want to play paintball – we’re just lucky enough to be introduced into the sport by someone who was

So rather than snigger at or b!tch about the people who still see it as crawling around the undergrowth on a Sunday morning, spend 5 minutes of your life to educate them, enthuse them, introduce them to web sites like one4one.tv – surely the more people that know the ‘truth’ cant harm the sport whatsoever.

Here endeth my 2p.

 

[Jonny 03]

In order for it to become a sport I personally feel it seriously needs a face-lift. A worldwide governing body needs to be elected with heavy funding going into them to manage and direct a level of competition that is regulated, using their own marshalling team (or providing a training facility for marshals) for all professional events. All professional competitions, leagues and events would then be properly ref'd. If for any one reason an event isnt within regulations this governing body would then have the power to stop the event until it comes into line. This power wouldnt nessessarily be one person barking orders from the top saying 'nope you cant do that' but instead prehaps all professional teams signing up to this body, meaning if an event isnt pulling its weight the teams under the bodies wing would not play the event thus making it difficult to proceed and thus making the event simply an amateur event.

More heavy backing. Money seems to be going directly into individuals pockets. I suppose this is always going to be the case but if there was a way to help put money back into the industry I'm sure we could quickly draw in a much much bigger crowd providing a bigger spectacle.

I just get the impression the industry as it stands is a mix and match scenario. If we can bring it closer together, clean up the edges and slap a bow on the top we might be able to pull it all off. Otherwise paintball will never truly evolve to anything more than a glorified version of what it is today.

Site owners making money, players spending money, and the professional circuit being a series of leagues competing for attention.

 

[baby dave]

If paintball was recognised as a sport tomorrow, nothing would change.

I think its the ballers who need to advertise it, if they want more people joining the sport.

If your a marshal.....possibly stick a poster on the wall advertising supair, add some sites add a name and photo of someone big in the sport....im sure most punters would walk by and have a glance at it atleast.

I speak to alot of punters and none of them have even heard of supair so i try my best to explain, give them websites, if there were otherways to promote it i would

I just cant see anything changing unless we do it.

 

[Chrissie]

Being recognised as a sport wont automatically improve things, but I agree with what Staffy lee said about a chain reaction. It would still take a lot of effort to get decent media coverage etc but may be slightly easier, the same for things like getting it in the olympics and whatever else people have been trying to do.

 

[phillips]

next week – BUT changing the general publics perception of paintball WOULD -or ‘at least’ push it in the direction the majority of us want it to go. Which could hopefully start a chain reaction ‘however small’ - for example once the ‘weekend warrior/Rambo’ opinion has been quashed the majority of people should then view it as the sport we see. Out of this majority, more people would be interested in participating,
Here endeth my 2p.

When you say the majority of people want the sport to go, I am sure there are far more mil sim players. Personally I think it wouldn't change a thing, look at what the majority want. The majority of people who play paintball arn't interested in sup air, so why would it go down that route?
If mass media coverage was somehow gained then things such as onmarker camera would have to be introduced as I think the same formats over and over again would bore the public to easily, before they gained a true undertsanding of the sport/past time.

 

[Staffy Lee]

I am sure there are far more mil sim players. -, look at what the majority want. The majority of people who play paintball arn't interested in sup air, so why would it go down that route?

Hey dude - calm down - I wasn't trying to say 'my gang is bigger than your gang' - I was trying to talk about paintball in general - And as I play Sup air I'm naturally bias towards it - I (and pressume most of the guys who have posted in THIS thread play sup air) and to bring the 'magical' sport word into it I feel sup air/X-ball is the one most likely to be accepted as a 'sport' - Again - MY opinion/experience thro' people I deal with, who I spend time to explain that I play paintball but I dont play in the way Mr Joe Public usually perceives it, ie rec ball and I then answer the multitude of questions - because they are genuinely unaware of the 'format I'm involved in. That could be where we differ as in my post I refer to it as a sport (recognised or not) whereas you hint that its a past time

I think the same formats over and over again would bore the public to easily, before they gained a true undertsanding of the sport/past time.

As for boring the public too easily with the same format over and over again - yes I can see your point - it would be like all the other repeatative sports that bores the public - like football - rugby - tennis - cricket ....no wait I think I've just cracked it.....!!

Seriously, ...the point I was blundering towards was - it will only grow as a sport if more people join (whichever format) and the only way more will join is if more people are aware - so you talk to people about 'mil sim' and I'll still go and wave the sup air flag - either way we are both promoting PAINTBALL

 

[Cook$]

There are two massively different sides to paintball. Supair/tourney ball and woodland/milsim ball. Which is bigger? Which one would get sport status? I can't see woodland getting sport status. It's too Rambo masculine testosterone bollox, not TV/sponsor friendly. But Supair is not interesting to watch, if it were on TV, people from outside the sport would turn on and expect to see a Rambo movie, and would be bored with what they did see. Hell, before I started playing, I expected to be running into forts, shooting everyone, waving a flag, and going home in a chopper. Which doesn't happen in milsim.... It's just people in camo trading paint. Supair, to the layman looks like people not in camo trading paint. So the TV angle is out. So why would big companies sponsor paintball if there is no TV advertising? because I've drunk a lot of cherry vodka and coke, that's why.

 

[TOOLE]

So why would big companies sponsor paintball if there is no TV advertising? because I've drunk a lot of cherry vodka and coke, that's why.

And it's all your fault.


*blames Cooks$*

 

[Raffles]

Anyone remember Mission Paintball - the first real attempt at televising paintball? How long did that last (even with Emily Booth )?

So TV has been tried - and failed. Is it time to try again?

Also, I know I asked the 'back room' guys to hang fire - but I'd love to hear Russ' response to the question - seeing as he is the one (or one of a team) working his nuts off to get recognition from the Sports Council (I wanted to get players perceptions first).

Hopefully, he can dispell some of the rumours - and give you the facts as to why he thinks recognition is worthwhile - and how the success doesn't come overnight.

Over to you Russ...

 

[wongo]

There seams to be quite a lot of pessimism regarding any attempts to grow paintball or change the perception. Yes things have been tried and failed but that does not mean success cannot be achieved in the future. Personally I don’t think achieving official sporting status will change things in the short term. However, it would be a positive step and would open up the possibility of grants/ funding. I don’t see why paintballer’s don’t get behind it especially if someone else is doing the work in regards to trying to get the official status.