Originally posted by Chicago [/B]
That the only reason anyone is there to watch the Pros is that there are a pile of DIII and DII players there to fill the stands and buy stuff to the vendors pay their fees?
Bull, the way the game is being developed and sold by the NPPL is that more and more 'outsiders' are being bought in to watch as is evidenced at HB and even if a core number of people are there to be with the other divisionals, they are still watching the pros !!!!!!!
That without a venue to compete, the pros would make no money on endorsements?
No Sh!t Sherlock !!!
And without a venue to compete, there would be no Paintball .....period ! ...Jeeeez Chi Town, you gotta do better than that mate.
That the rate of return on a Pro entry fee is much, much greater than on a DIII entry?
I'm not really sure what you mean by rate of return when compared to a Div 3 team, please make that point clearer.
That the Pros don't pay their entry fee out of their pocket?
The direction for payment is academic for God's sake, suffice to say, the pro teams still pay entry fee, if the pros get that entry fee paid for them in total, or in part, then that is an emergent property of some of the points I have already mentioned in my initial post.
That NPPL buys the air time for the pros to be on TV so they can get more endorsement money?
Really???
The NPPL isn't buying air time just to get better opportunities for pro team endorsements, the pro teams get better opportunities as a consequence of that air time and they can only get it if they are in that league and they can only be in that league, once again because of the points I have already mentioned in the initial post.
The pro teams have invested huge amounts of time and their own
money (much more than in any divisional teams) and as such should be rewarded. The financial situation these pro teams find themselves in is self reinforcing (harder training, more dedicated, better talent base = more sponsor dollars etc ) I realize but you cannot offset that income and use it as a counter for charging the pro entry fee because the other divisionals don't get those benefits.
That DIII and DII teams DON'T get to be on TV, don't get $25,000 for winning, and still pay hefty entry fees?
The other divisionals don't get on TV coz they just ain't good enough, US TV ain't some social democratic institution whereby ALL paintball teams get their fair share, the US public like winners, they like to see the best and I'm afraid Div 2 and Div 3 teams ain't the best, the pros are.
As for the prize package, Bejeeezus, you think that the chance of first place alone is gonna be enough to justify the presence of all the 18 teams in the league ?
I mean, there are only ever gonna be a handful of those 18 who benefit from that package and the vast majority ain't.
The Divisional teams pay to play, the pros not only pay to play but it is we are who are being showcased and who spectators are paying good money to see.
It is the pro game that is the focal point for marketing and developing a revenue stream from spectators, nobody else, just the pros.
That the entry fee for a PRo team, as a percentage of sponsorship and other revenue the pro team receives, is miniscule when compared to that of a DIII or DII team?
You seem to keep falling into the same trap here of continually offsetting the benefits pro teams earn against a point of principle that has pro teams being used exclusively for marketing and developing income streams and those same teams not only being rewarded but also being charged the most for entry.
NPPL should charge $5,000 per event per pro spot for no other reason than that there are 18 teams who would pay it.
The fact that other teams might wanna pay it is academic and to be honest, this point is not only a facile one but one that is devoid of any real sense.
Even if there were only 12, NPPL would still come out ahead AND we wouldn't have to watch the Bushwackers play.
OK, Ok, you left the best point till last, (well your only (credible) point really) and I can't argue with it other than to add Ronnie does have nice teeth
