Originally posted by Chicago
Now that you mention this, maybe the answer to choosing between NPPL and Millenium is to choose to do Millenium and PSP? Then you even get format consistency. Selling that NPPL Pro spot outta net you enough cash to play PSP Pro and then some.
The more I think about this, the more it makes sense. 7-man is a tempermental beast - who advances to Sunday at any given tournament can depend on luck of calls, luck of games, and many other factors just by the very nature of the 7-man format pitting two teams against each other for only a game or two. This is especially true trying to get out ofthe quarterfinals - one bad officials call, one gun goes down, one fluke breakout, and you don't make the cut.
Given that the European teams seem to play a much.... cleaner game of ball than the American teams do,* 7-man may also be particularly unkind to the Euros. The penalty structure of XBall tends both to limit cheating and the impact of sub-par officials. I'd bet European teams would fare better - or at least more consitently - than the ups-and-downs that appear common in NPPL.
* One could argue that bending the rules when the officials can't see it is part of any sport, but given the current quality of paintball officials, I admire teams like Nexus for taking the high ground
Aaron, I have had to do an awful lot of thinking this past few weeks after the NPPL hiked its entry fee up to 3 frikkin thousand dollars.
I sat down and worked out that for roughly every hour we (Nexus) play NPPL ball, we have to pay roughly $11,250.
I ain't kidding, for the pleasure of getting my team's ass out there to support this league as I have done since day one, I have to allocate funds of $11,250 for every event I play.
I recently asked Chuck for some concrete security so I could justify all this expenditure, he came out with the same ole lines as he has done since 2003.....and which i have heard every year since.
'Oh but Pete, we are returning most of the entry fees back in prize money'
Oh spiffing, what a hoot, so you increase the entry fee of Nexus to facilitate paying Dynasty even more money, cool, that's real nice of you, cheers for that.
I don't mind Dynasty or any other victor taking home the spoils but bejeeezus, there is a sensible limit.
And this price hike for teams is being done when our sponsors are cutting corners everywhere, there is a frikkin paintball recession going on out there and even tournament sponsors have had a cost hike, platinum deals are now $125K as against 100k last, and the pro fee entry's, well, don't get me started.
WTF is going on here, we are squeezing the small guys here, and for what?
Now that's just sheer lunacy........
I have called my sponsors of late to discuss with them the problem, not with a mind to getting any more money out of them, I am not that insensitive or that cheap but I had to discuss with them the options Nexus has and whether or not a particular course will affect any deals I have.
It's frikkin dismal and this situation is wholly bought about by co-incidental dates of first events (NPPL and Millennium) forcing us to choose and the increased costs now being levied, against a backdrop of a contracting market.
I am sooo pissed off with these people for putting me in this position.
Last I heard from Chuck was 'Oh but Pete, we really want you to stay with us, blah, blah, blah'. I bet he frikkin does when I have to hand over 15 large for the benefit of being a pro team in his league
'pro team'...there's now a frikkin misnomer if ever I heard one !
