Okay, on this whole reunification thing...

[Ty C.]

OK, i agree i could have used a better choice of words. This shouldnt become a which is better argument. But what should be done from here. The bottom line is two formats is expensive for the sponsors and players. This in turn costs the leagues money because the sponsors cant invest all of there money in one league. This also makes it a tough sell to outside industry sponsors because there are several competing leagues that say that they have the true pro league. I do not know of any professional sport in America in which two pro leagues has worked. Basketball and Football both had seperate pro leagues and they had to merge them to create the NBA and NFL respectively.

 

[duffistuta]

Originally posted by Ty C.
Basketball and Football both has seperate pro leagues and they had to merge.

Really, what do they call the hybrid sport, BasketFoot?

I imagine it's better than American Football...

 

[Missy Q]

Whatever dude - you have absolutely no impact on paintball where I am concerned

You mean in Denmark? Of course not, I've never even been there, although I hear its nice this time of year.

I fear that complexities will make for a sloppy collision of a joining.

It's OK, I told Loco I wouldn't meet him after all, so thats one less thing to worry about.

 

[Baca Loco]

Originally posted by Ty C.
OK, i agree i could have used a better choice of words. This shouldnt become a which is better argument. But what should be done from here. The bottom line is two formats is expensive for the sponsors and players. This in turn costs the leagues money because the sponsors cant invest all of there money in one league. This also makes it a tough sell to outside industry sponsors because there are several competing leagues that say that they have the true pro league. I do not know of any professional sport in America in which two pro leagues has worked. Basketball and Football both had seperate pro leagues and they had to merge them to create the NBA and NFL respectively.

Tyler, welcome aboard. Pay no attention to smart asses (Duffy ).
I think you are taking the wrong lessons from your examples. The only reason there are former ABA teams in the NBA and former AFL teams in the NFL is because the competing leagues were sufficiently successful to endanger the sports monopolies involved. There are, for example, no USFL or XFL teams in the NFL because those competing leagues never threatened the NFL. And in the case of the USFL and XFL they were both on TV from Day 1 and both attracted TV commitments precisely because football was already popular and on TV. Yet they still failed.
Seems to me folks can dress up the rational for unification fever however they want but I don't think those arguments really hold water--it is, as usual, about money. Less of theirs and more of somebody else's--potentially including yours.

* and no, I'm not implying money is a bad argument or an unworthy one, just that it is the primary one.

 

[Nick Brockdorff]

Missy:

You crack me up

I wonder when you last stepped onto a major tournament field as a player? - you certainly never did as a Pro (unles it was some old school thing in the woods when paintball was in its infancy).

But I'm really glad for your sake, that you find happiness in being hired help in a paintball company - it must be so much more gratifying that actually being IN the sport, since you can maintain such an smug attitude?

Makes me wonder if you don't like playing paintball - or if you just lack the talent?

It also poses the interesting question, that if I "suck" in terms of paintball... what would be said of you?

Nick

 

[SteveD]

I reject the venue argument. There are enough locations that can be found that could host the large number of fields necessary to literally put on all formats, at the same time and in the same location.

Virginia Beach is one such location that I did a site review on; they've got a soccer field complex (and a stadium, and another stadium, and and and) that's big enough to swallow a PSP, an NPPL, a Millennium, the IAO and more besides, with plenty of room left over for trade show, trailers, mosh pits, stages and et al.

The fairgrounds that hosted PaintFest could easily have supported 12 to 16 playing fields.

The Cost argument. I reject that also. PSP spends a lot of money re-doing things every event. If PSP bought some of their infrastructure instead of renting it, they'd be less expensive. NPPL seems to invest in infrastructure. Labor for erecting twice as many fields in one location is not twice the cost, its maybe 60-70%.

I reject the player ID argument. No system utilized by either league will be acceptable until it is handled by an outside firm that has no monetary interest in paintball, other than collecting processing fees. Whether manipulation exists or not is besides the point. The basic issue is - who gets the mailing list? Until its rendered moot by making it reasonably accessible to everyone, it will be a bone of contention.

Format argument. I reject the concept that either league needs the others format for whatever reason. I think NPPL needs a spectator format. I think X-Ball is financially unsustainable. Good players and teams will come to the top of whatever format they are competing in - and they'll also go wherever the supporters want them to go.

If we really want to cut expenses across the board, lets go for an international top gun format. Two refs per field, games last 1 minute. 6 Fields fit inside the area taken up by maybe two regulation fields. Players can get 12 games in the prelims and you can still shove almost 800 games through in a single day.

Rationally, there seem to be very few good reasons for doing this; it is obviously therefore an issue of money, politics and personalities - the outcome of which is virutally impossible to guess.

 

[Missy Q]

I really get to you don't I Nick.







Oh, and you Suck!

 

[Robbo]

Originally posted by Missy Q
Pete - we both know that parallel events are not unification, and that unification is what industry and players want. There is no way that desirable venues would/could cater for that amount of fields, and there is too much cross-over re. teams and refs. It solves a few issues and saves a few bills, but it creates as many issues as it solves, and some of the issues it creates affect the attraction, visibility and marketability of what the PP has acheived, something I do not feel should be sacrificed.

Missy, my point of view has always been that the need for unification on all levels has been paramount and should therefore take precedence over any piddly little details that get in the way.
That said, I did hear the PSP / NXL guys wanted to hang on to the XBall format (presumably the NXL) and as such, as an interim measure, I am pretty sure you could stage the NXL in parallel to the main 7 man tourney the NPPL would run.
I can't see that being any great logistical problem and if that facilitates integration, then cool, just do it and sort the rest of the crap out afterwards.

The problems that you suggest might surface are when you try and run a parallel XBall format for the PSP and as such, you don't have to go this way at all.
But I hear this is not the only problem proving to be a stumbling block but hey Missy, we got time to sort it all out...haven't we???

I think me and you are singing from the same hymn sheet mate, it's just that we get there at slightly rates and in slightly different ways.
PS I think you are getting to Nick 'boy' Brockdorff, I can sense the veins in his neck beginning to bulge
See ya soon Missy, we just hit Miami town, we are in the Doubletree on Briscayne Blvd, u?

PPS Missy, we need to talk

PPP SteveD, you coming? Call me on me cell to hook up.

 

[Missy Q]

I am in the Shelly on South Beach. I get in on a red-eye and land at 6am Thursday morning (I've been hired in to help a paintball company there, lol). I will have my phone with me and I am sure we will talk at the event.
I am sure I wil get the chance to chat it up with Nick too, he's bound to be there, what with him being 'IN the sport' and all....

 

[Nick Brockdorff]

I really get to you don't I Nick

Actually you don't little man - but you DO alleviate boredom at times - which is cool.... you can be slightly more interesting than the telly - when nothing good is on

Funny though that I get to you - what with your illustrious standing within the paintball community

Have a safe trip - and PLEASE try to not talk about me ALL the time - as you apparently did at the PSP event - eventually your bosses will start to think you've gotten your work priorities mixed up

Nick