NBC and Paintball

[Baca Loco]

Originally posted by shamu
The history of fringe sports that have appeared on TV isn't that great... Arenaball (the baskeball/trampoline game) anyone? How about Indoor football? World's Strongest Man?

Personally, I'm waiting to see what DC does with XBall. Maybe we get the XGames, or maybe we get American Gladiators...

All NBC has at the moment is college sports and arena football. and while arena football ain't the NFL it's been around for nearly twenty years now. I daresay if PB reached the place where indoor X-Ball got the fan support arena league football gets people would be pretty pleased at the progress.
Speaking of fringe sports stuff like skateboarding and BMX were kid's stuff when I was a kid and look at them now.

 

[shamu]

Originally posted by Baca Loco
I daresay if PB reached the place where indoor X-Ball got the fan support arena league football gets people would be pretty pleased at the progress.

Good point Cow. I was thinking of how many people play Arenaball or participate in World's Strongest Man competitions, even though both have been on TV for a while. Perhaps the difference is in how we measure success - a larger fan base or a larger player group (or both ).

Speaking of fringe sports stuff like skateboarding and BMX were kid's stuff when I was a kid and look at them now.

Did skateboarding and BMX grow through TV exposure or through increased acceptance? It seems TV started showing these as their popularity grew. And maybe as those of us who started as kids (yes I had a skateboard) got older and the sports became more accepted.

There's also the case for breakout stars - Tony Hawk (who even my dear ol' mum knows), Matt Hoffman and the like started doing truly groundbreaking stuff like 980s and Supermans, which captured people's attention. Who's going to be Paintball's breakout star? Can you really have a breakout star in a team-based sport like Paintball?

 

[Robbo]

Originally posted by ChuckC
This NBC thing just doesn't sound nearly as promising as what you have reported to be happening with X-Ball.

X-Ball: Dick Clark's production company paid 'X' millions to buy the rights.

NPPL: NBC tells Pure Promotions they aren't willing to put any money behind them.

It almost sounds like the NPPL got shot down (at least for now) and X-Ball will be on TV within a year or two.

I don't know how you work that one out !!

From all accounts, the NBC meeting went well, it's just that nobody's 'putting out' anything until such times as deals are done.

You must also remember, the NPPL tourney package of HB, Vegas and Chi Town have already been aired (multiple times) to 84 million Yank homes by Fox Sports...so it would seem that if anybody's got something to shout about it's them.

It's a two horse race where both can win and both can lose.....we'll see who crosses the line....

 

[Baca Loco]

Originally posted by shamu
1--Good point Cow. I was thinking of how many people play Arenaball or participate in World's Strongest Man competitions, even though both have been on TV for a while. Perhaps the difference is in how we measure success - a larger fan base or a larger player group (or both ).

2--Did skateboarding and BMX grow through TV exposure or through increased acceptance? It seems TV started showing these as their popularity grew. And maybe as those of us who started as kids (yes I had a skateboard) got older and the sports became more accepted.

3--There's also the case for breakout stars - Tony Hawk (who even my dear ol' mum knows), Matt Hoffman and the like started doing truly groundbreaking stuff like 980s and Supermans, which captured people's attention. Who's going to be Paintball's breakout star? Can you really have a breakout star in a team-based sport like Paintball?

1--whether it's the NXL or the NPPL or something else it will ultimately be the elite players and teams that get the accolades and the coverage. Just MHO. I do think however that a growing fan base necessarily also means a growing player group.
2--TV exposure drives the whole thing, including the creation of celebrity. Sure the various extreme sports pre-existed and would have continued in a manner not unlike where PB is today. But the whole alternative sports gimmick is a manufactured one aimed at a particular retail demographic.
3--Hawk was a skating superhero before TV but it was confined to the hardcore skaters. And a wider audience's attention can't be captured if they ain't got no idea the guy exists. And of course you can have breakout stars in PB. In many ways it's got little to with performance--more a matter of promotion. Look at Beckham for example.

Regarding Fox SportsNet--there is a difference between having access to and actually watching. I've got well over 200 channels including Fox SN and I assure you there are lots of channels I've never even tuned in, much less watched any of their programming. Seeing what kind of ratings the shows had would be alot more informative.