Oh, and Rodney, thanks for that first hand insight.
Although if you guys do switch sponsors all of a sudden, we'll be looking for ya.
Although if you guys do switch sponsors all of a sudden, we'll be looking for ya.
Pro Loyalty
- Thread starter Manning26
- Start date
But for most people, neither does playing paintball
It seems like the older, more established teams are pretty loyal - Dynasty/WDP/JT, Aftershock/PMI, Bad Co/Kingman, etc. You're always going to have players looking for the next big deal. That's not unique to paintball, you can see it in other major sports as well. Look at free agents in baseball, basketball and football. Their number top concern is usually how they get paid.
Where I think paintball is different is how even the lowest level players expect something for free. Rookie and novice teams looking for sponsorship deals, changing sponsors from year to year or even mid-season, because they're looking for more free stuff. IMHO that's where the real lack of integrety is - teams that don't understand sponsorship is a two way street.
PS - If you read Repairman's statement, he very carefully didn't say whether they're staying with WDP or any other sponsor, just that they have an agent to help them with the deals
Erm, the integrity statement from my post doesn't come across too well upon further scrutiny. I don't mean an attack on anyone's integrity, nor am I trying to belittle Dynasty for entertaining offers from other sponsors. Dynasty was my easiest example of both loyalty and (potential) disloyalty, if I may.
Ask any disgruntled old-school baseball fan about free agency, and you'll get the sneer and snarl regarding team loyalty vs. money. It's interesting to see paintball go through everything other 'real' sports deal with. This whole thread could fit anywhere from football to baseball to hockey. Traditionalists will always pine for the 'good ol' days' when the players played merely for the love of the game, and, "you didn't have all these feller's changin' teams as often as they change their drawers."
The more money we get flowing through the leagues, the more this sort of thing can and will happen. Right now, you can rightly look at this as a sign of strength. Think how far we've come in even the last three years.
Ask any disgruntled old-school baseball fan about free agency, and you'll get the sneer and snarl regarding team loyalty vs. money. It's interesting to see paintball go through everything other 'real' sports deal with. This whole thread could fit anywhere from football to baseball to hockey. Traditionalists will always pine for the 'good ol' days' when the players played merely for the love of the game, and, "you didn't have all these feller's changin' teams as often as they change their drawers."
The more money we get flowing through the leagues, the more this sort of thing can and will happen. Right now, you can rightly look at this as a sign of strength. Think how far we've come in even the last three years.
Actually, this remindes me about a conversation i had with Paul Alders at Campaign Cup.
Basically Paul said he has worked too hard to build up Strange as a team and as a brand to give it away for nothing. Compared to companies outside paintball, the industry giants, (WDP, Kingman, National, Smart Parts etc.) don't have the big bucks that say Pepsi, Coca cola, or Nike have. What he was alluding to is;
if you're going to sell your team, sell to the big boys, not the small operators. And if you want a shot at that your gona have to hire an agent.
I guess we're going to see this a lot more teams getting 'smart' with their branding, cause afterall that's what big name teams are, a brand.
Basically Paul said he has worked too hard to build up Strange as a team and as a brand to give it away for nothing. Compared to companies outside paintball, the industry giants, (WDP, Kingman, National, Smart Parts etc.) don't have the big bucks that say Pepsi, Coca cola, or Nike have. What he was alluding to is;
if you're going to sell your team, sell to the big boys, not the small operators. And if you want a shot at that your gona have to hire an agent.
I guess we're going to see this a lot more teams getting 'smart' with their branding, cause afterall that's what big name teams are, a brand.