Why is TV deal so good for paintball

[Richard Kirke (DUPS Rocket) UK]

Ok, so the title is badly phrased to tempt y'all to read this. The real question is this: How will a TV deal effect the 99% of paintballers who don't play pro?

People keep saying that a TV deal will "pay off" will "bring money into the sport" etc. As far as I can tell the real upshot to it will be to intriduce a huge gulf between the pros and the rest of paintball. Sure that will be great for the few paintballers who are being paid to play paintball, but what about the rest of us?

So will it really help us? Or will it actually have the oposite effect? I suspect that in fact wide-spread TV coverage of a profesional paintball league woud serve to concentrate all the sponsorship with those teams, leaving everyone else (including significant AM teams) without any sponsorship. After all why should Smart Parts sponsor a small team when they have a televised advert in the likes of Dynasty or The Ducklings etc. reaching every baller on the planet every weekend?

So in a nut-shell: "Will TV coverage of paintball be a good thing for all us small-fry"

 

[stongle]

hmmm an attempt to plays Devils Advocate, Nick has pretty much encompassed the answer in a nutshell, but I'm going to throw this out there for all those in love with their Football analogies, does televised premiership football mean anything to 99% of footballers out there, how does that benefit you on a fiscal level? You still have to go to Footlocker to buy your Addidas Predators, no-ones going to give a you a shoe deal cos you play for your local pub. Yep Ok you buy 11 pairs of shorts and socks (you get INcentivised buying discount, but that's it)

Paintball will be the same. Of course the top teams will benefit, but to what level will be wholly determined to the success and take up of broadcast paintball. If an appetite for it exists the benefits could eventually filter down to the non-pro teams with slightly cheaper kit through increased sales, economies of scale blah blah blah, but again this will only manifest itself in the incentivised buying schemes available to most non-pro teams not Sponsorship as is so often banded about.

The one benefit, which may be tangible (very early on), but assumes the packaging and take up of televised paintball is done correctly, is you'll never have to look like a complete nutter or psycho explaining to ladies in Nightclubs that you have to get up to play paintball in the morning. It may, if we're lucky attract the same kudos that is attached to other extreme or alternative activities, not running around in Ghillie suits playing war (not that there's anything wrong with that, it might not work quite so well with the ladies though).

Although I don't doubt an appetite for Pro Train Crash fast paced paintball does exist, I believe the best we can hope for is to be elevated in the "cool" stakes somewhat. This does rely upon quantum shift in many peoples game, from that of counterpunch downloading pots to fast paced aggressive play. So another change you may see is the increased athleticism of players (as seems to be currently underway).

Excuse the terrible English, I too am still suffering from New Years Eve still.

 

[DonLKSAB]

Some more good stuff.

If TV picks up we will get more players and parents that aprove with the sport.
Local teams will get it easyer to get local non paintball sponsors. ( Sporting goods stores and so on ).
Look at the kids who play football they have lots of local sponsorships even if they dont rank high.

It will be easyer to get fealds for practice and tournaments.

So even the no pro will benifit from TV.

/DonLKSAB

 

[Mak D - Nexus Eclipse]

Originally posted by Richard Kirke (DUPS Rocket) UK

So in a nut-shell: "Will TV coverage of paintball be a good thing for all us small-fry"

Yes it's a good thing......... think about it would Football or any other sport for that matter be big if they wern't on TV. TV takes a sport into people homes, so I'm pretty sure its going to help paintball grow in this country and others more players = more teams = more events = more money = more ball

Fair enough the Pro's are going to get all the attention etc but that's expected. To be honest if paintball is to be on TV wot would u rather see top pro's going at it head to head with mad moves happning here n there, or 2 novice teams............. Kno wot I would watch.

End of the day watchin pro's is good because they make it look good, they all kno there stuff inside out and have the skills to pull off mad moves from no-where to break games wide open.
Would people tune into SkySports to watch to pub teams play each other????.........NO.
People want to see skills, and the skills are gonna come from the pro's its the same in every sport in the world.

Pro skating - is on TV because the Pro's have the skills to do mad things that truely impress people

Pro football - players who have enough skill to play for a top team are admired by the fans of that team for there skill and commitment to being the best and scoreing goals or wot eva they do.

Wot I'm sayin is that end of the day pro's make paintball look good its paintball at its best, 2 pro teams full of talented players going against each other is going to be good viewing.......am not sayin that Novice or Am teams make it look crap or anything but pro games are just better to watch. Games are gonna be more exciting if there 2 teams of guys with so much talent on each team going against each other, rather than a team of relatively new players who dont have the skills yet.

Any sport that s on TV its the pro's of it that are on simple as.

Every1 will benifit from it however as its gonna make people aware of wot we are about, goes bak to that more players = more teams stuff.

Ball can only get bigger n bigger from now on and I think TV is gonna help every single player out there in some way.

Peace

Mak Daddy

 

[Baca Loco]

Wow. Was gonna answer but am stunned into silence by another classic Mak D post. By my count so far the only tangible benefit listed is "and it will also be a heck of a lot easier for you to get Scounthorpe Autorepair to give your team £ 100 for a logo on the uniform, once the proprietor actually knows what paintball is, because he has seen it on the telly." provided by Mr. Nick Poppins.
How depressing. C'mon, kids, put on those thinkin' caps and get busy.

PS--first shameless plug for '04. Couple months down road should be a 'View' on subject of sponsorship as it relates to current trends and likely PB future. (Already done but up to Ant when it appears.)

 

[bruce]

In this now PC world (not the computer store) we live in, and the very anti social aspects of guns etc. how will the sport of people basically shooting each other be recieved by the tv viewing public.

Paintball no matter hows its shown is only interesting to the paintball playing public of which the tornament side is only a small percentage.


Dont get me wrong i would love to see the sport shown on the Tv, but i just carnt see how popular it would be. I dont think it will be anywhere near as popular or successful as we would all hope.


cheers

bruce

 

[Baca Loco]

Baca

Originally posted by Nick Brockdorff
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TV coverage will mean: More players, more paintball companies, more fields, more events and more money for paintball generally.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- And you don't believe these are tangible benefits ?

N

I should probably have said specific benefit though I'll stand by tangible as well as an inclusive good--which is what you seem to be suggesting. But to answer your question:
1--It isn't a given that TV coverage will have the stated effect. It could be a bust, after all, though I don't think it will be. How well it goes over and what constitutes "success" is open to interpretation, however.
2--IF it is the broad goal of the majority of PB players to see those more, more, mores come to PB then you could call such generalities tangible benefits, but--
3--You haven't done more than make a hopeful claim that all the mores will be beneficial in and of themselves. They might be but merely stating the littany of mores as a mantra of benefits is more wishful thinking that cogent argument.
4--Nor do I think you can offer specific applications for how all your listed mores are unequivocally beneficial to all. And really, it's all well and good to espouse some noble sentiment about the greater good of PB but right here and right now what matters to most players is how things affect them--and they too, are PB. At least for the moment.

Having said all that I'd like to make it clear I have better reason than most to hope it all works out and the sooner the better. Get those Pros on TV yesterday and start paying them the big cheese. I support that 100%. I just also think that should all that happen it's unlikely to be much of a boon to the other 99% of PBallers. Certainly not in the short term, say the next 5 years and possibly longer.

 

[xBOOMERx]

they televise foosball on sky...................
they televise bowles..........
they televise curling........


man paintball seems to be much more interesting than all of these things. i would hope that the ratings are better than any of these examples.

 

[snowythehobo]

Rich

Originally posted by Nick Brockdorff
TV coverage will mean: More players, more paintball companies, more fields, more events and more money for paintball generally.

Nick

if this happens does that mean the price of equipment will go up even more?

 

[Just Curious]

Benefits...what benefits??

Televised Paintball WILL be great, for the Sport and for us to watch from the comfort of our own homes.....but benefits....where?

The only people to 'get' anything out of any TV deal will be the top 'Pro Teams', Promoters and of course the Industry but to say this will have a knock on effect for the Nov's, Am's and the local 'Scounthorpe' Rec Team is, IMO, wishful thinking! Yes, it will most likely attract more people to our Sport which in turn will generate more cash......for the Industry but will this in turn make things less costly for us, the Nov or Am Teams?....Will this mean cheaper entry fees to Tournaments?....Will our Paint bill be any cheaper at the end of a days play?.... I honestly don't think so!

That xtra 100.00 quid from 'Scounthorpe Autorepair'....hmmm,,3 x Boxes of Paint, One Team members entry into a Comp, half a flight ticket.....not really much to be over-joyed about!

I'm sorry....I really would like to be xcited about the advent of Televised Paintball but until somebody explains to me how it will effect me and maybe reduce MY costs, not the Pro Teams, I'm afraid it looks to me like watching a Fireworks display on a Wet & Windy nite.........full of promise but really a Damp Squib!