So, we where one of the top AM B teams this season in the Millennium and came 3rd total in the series. Here is our HUGE sponsorship package:
*We hosted a successful indoor tournament, where only our sponsor's paint was allowed.
*We played in our sponsor's Jerseys (actually, we paid for them)
*We brought a big sponsor banner up on the podium whenever we got there
*We displayed our sponsor's logo on our home page
*Our "Kids" teams only uses our sponsor's paint
Now, that may not be worth that extremely much BUT we also
*Bought around 150 cases of our sponsor's premium brand paintballs
SO, what did we get from all this? Discounted paintballs.
As I see it, the main reason we got that discount is the same reason as you get a discount in any other place: We bought a lot of paint, and told everybody about it. The reason we call it sponsoring is probably the wishful thinking that we are like other sports where there actually are real sponsoring deals. We are sponsoring wannabees.
So, Sam, as I see it, it is mererly a business arrangement where we as a volume user of a premium product (that is Draxxus Inferno and Hellfire, which are great products by the way, you should try them) get a discount. There is no money in there to magically transfer into airline tickets for Pro teams. It is just a high volume discount which already is calculated into the marigins anyway.
As discussed so many times before the solution is to get outside media attention and sponsorship from companies outside the industry. If paintball players can affect the product choices of other consumers than tournament paintball players, there will be a financial base big enough (=enough end customers paying a fraction of their purchase) to actually do REAL SPONSORING, not what we have today.
