No Dynasty in X-ball!

[Robbo]

Originally posted by crazzzy
That is probably true, we can not survive without the US X. Therefore I hope they change the format in the states so that it will survive. Anyone have any indications that they are changing their ruling in this regard? I have heared rumours, and those could well be just that, rumours, that one team are pissed of with the whole thing and want out of X-ball.

It's not just one team here Crazzy, there are many disenchanted X-Ball players over there and I hear recently that another pressure is being bought to bear on one particular team and I will say this much, if this pressure is successful, then X-Ball’s hopes of survival will be severely compromised !

But in the end, if TV comes along, then all is saved Stateside and over here and it will have all been worth it…won’t it ?....

 

[Robbo]

If US X-Ball disintegrates....

Originally posted by Nick Brockdorff
I think a Nations Cup as an overall idea is GREAT for the sport - but if there was no US X-ball, I would much prefer it to be in the regular 7-man format... and so would the organisers !
Nick

Nick, it may well be a great idea but the 7-man existing format ain't gonna crack nothing mate.
If you are saying that the nation's cup 7-man existing format is purely an in-house indulgence, and as such is a good idea, then I agree but if you are suggesting that the Nation's cup 7-man format is a good vehicle for a potential TV uptake, then I disagree.

The whole edifice of X-Ball is built upon the notion of an attractive paintball format for the purposes of attracting American TV and to that end, it lives or dies on that TV uptake...and consequently, so does Euro X-Ball.

But then again, we seem to be a doing a great job of not only marginalizing our X-ball but also facking it up at the first opportunity

 

[raehl]

There's an extra variable here...

Non-NXL X Ball. I'd like to see if PSP fills out all 16 of their X Ball spots in Vegas, which I'm pretty sure they will as I know a couple teams planning to get in on it (granted, both teams with players from Collegiate Cup or the NCPA LA X Ball team). If there's a good chunk of teams who like playing X Ball, that'll give a little more energy to keeping the NXL alive.

There are some people who just really like X Ball way more than anything else.

- Chris

 

[Robbo]

Chris, good point !

The format itself is exciting to play and watch, and if its survival depended upon its own appeal then I think it would succeed but....X-Ball is impractical to impose upon the tournament circuit as it stands now because of the huge logistical problem this would create for promoters.

The only reason X-Ball is being played now, (NXL and non NXL) is because it is being subsidised (to a certain extent) by its host 10 man tourney and even that is now being eroded now by the NPPL tournament alternative.

What hovers on the horizon, as I see it, is a proposed alliance between X-Ball and Super 7's if TV doesn't come along fast, then they have no choice but to try and broker a deal with Pure Promotions.
Now whether that proposal is taken up is conjecture because in this situation, I think the Super 7's holds all the cards and if it secured its own TV deal on the back of attracting TV because of its promotional prowess then they could tweak their own 7 man format to emulate some of the qualities that made X-Ball so damn integratable into the American sports psyche.

Tricky times ahead I think !

 

[NulodPBall]

Just an observation...

All I know is, I see some friends standing forlornly at the Super 7's and the Pan Am's, watching everyone else play...it's sad to see a pro player (NXL) begging food at the VIP tent .... and the look of joy when you bring out finger food... I bug them and tell them to grab a jersey, we can sneak them in for a game (yes, yes, I know) or two and they sound so sad when they say that they can't, and after awhile they kinda fade away and don't even say "bye" when they leave.

All I know, is most 'ballers on the Am or Pro level really, REALLY love to play, and they'll play at the drop of a hat... what do we do on a non-practice Sunday??? A bunch of us show up at the local practice field (no longer SC), without any co-ordination ahead of time, throw together a squad, and play for fun... it gives us a chance to play with old teammates again... what does an old teammate do when he has to drive over an hour to spend time with a girlfriend near my house? He calls me up so we can play some one-on-one before he goes to see her. What does a supposedly "retired" friend do in his backyard when work is slow? He puts some guns in employee's hands and "forces" them to play, taking care to shoot them mostly on their exposed knuckles (some people are just plain cruel ).

Also, yes, I do agree that most tourney players really, really play to win SOMETHING, anything, just as long as they can point to something and say that they won it (that's why I think winning TV's and DVD players will be so popular). I remember taking second place at a local tournament, winning a case of gun oil, and we grabbed some of the bottles of oil and started getting in the faces of the 1st places team and screaming "Yeah, baby...look at that...you wish you had one, yeah!" and other rediculous aggro things 'cause we were so stoked at winning gun oil (yeah, right).

Seeing all that I do see, yes, I agree, if the NXL players don't find some form of recognition (AKA TV exposure and fame, really, the money comes second to the average player), they will continue to become unhappy and want to defect, or moonlight and play other tournaments. Especially with the move the PSP did to force the top remaining Pro teams into the X-ball format. They pretty much screwed the top 10-man PSP Pro teams by telling them they can't play 10-man pro anymore, just in time for them to miss the first two NPPL 7-man tournaments, and offering them to play Div 1 or 2 X-ball.

I think there are alot of unhappy Pro players out there.

That said, I do know alot of players that like the way X-ball plays out.... Aggro, with no concentration on defensive play after the first opening moves.

I think that alot of teams will finish out the year, in deference to their sponsors, and then switch over to the Super 7... unless they see themselves on TV.

Ray
(Hmmm... NPPL.TV, but not on TV, NPPL.COM but not commercial and losing money... just some mindless ramblings on karma and co-incidence)