Why The F&%k . . .

[sammy_k]

Could someone please explain to me the benefits of locking the Millennium pro league. It seems to me that all we ever do is follow suit with are american cousins.

Locking the pro division (in my opinion) will not benefit any of the european pro teams, so why do it. ?

 

[Nick Brockdorff]

It will concentrate and focus budgets and players to a smaller group of teams, thereby (in theory at least) increasing the quality.

Nick

 

[psycho]

Well said Nick, European is lacking true Pro teams!!

 

[sammy_k]

Originally posted by Nick Brockdorff
It will concentrate and focus budgets and players to a smaller group of teams, thereby (in theory at least) increasing the quality.

In theory alot of things work. I doubt very much in practice this will work. It will be like the NPPL's situation whereby they have a whole host of teams who are in their 'pro' league merely because of their loyalty and dedication to the league. Thats rubbish. So instead of having a 'pro' or 'premier' division why dont we rename it the loyal and dedicated division.

Cos lets face it, when you start leaving out the big boys, its just not as entertaining as it once was. I wanna see the big boys bump heads like in the old days.

 

[sammy_k]

Originally posted by psycho
Well said Nick, European is lacking true Pro teams!!

Of course it is, and it always will be until teams get the financial backing they need. Locking a division doesn't make you or your team any more proffesional.

 

[Nick Brockdorff]

Sammy:

You might very well have your personal doubts that it will work in practical terms - but please explain WHY you think that?

What is wrong with the theory behind the decision to lock the Champions League at 16 teams?

Some 6-8 Euro Pro teams will no longer be "Pro" after this season (we might be amongst them) - please explain why sponsors should maintain those teams' budgets, instead of shifting the budget to where the media and spectator attention is?

Please explain how the best European paintball teams get better by perpetuating the current situation where Pro teams play lower ranked teams in half their games, and where anyone who wants to can enter the highest league at a whim.

Please explain why - by making the highest division in Europe a thing of exclusivity - we are shooting ourselves in the foot?

- And no - the "I want to see Dynasty play in Europe" argument does not hold water - because if they wanted to play in Europe, they WOULD have done so this year (besides Paris).... and this change has happened AFTER they have decided not to.... and they have obviously opted to not try and qualify, as have many other US teams.

MY position is: It's about time European paintball stands on its own two feet, instead of trying to cater to the US teams that don't want to make the trip to Europe anyway.

XSV, Arsenal and the Wackers have given it a go - and I salute them for it... the rest I don't really care about.... if they don't want to play Europe, that's fine by me.... the object of European paintball should not be to get a couple of US teams more to go to our events like some paintball version of Oliver Twist, hat in hand, begging..... but instead to develop our own teams in the right direction.

European paintball needs to develop on its own terms - and it's about damn time we take this step!

Nick

 

[Robbo]

^^^^^ couldn't have said it better !

 

[sammy_k]

Nick:

My point should I say, is if you take a look at the teams playing the Millennium pro division I think you'll find that quite a few of them could not cut it in Div 1 yet they are playing pro and are on course to qualify for pro next season. This to me is bullsh*t.

Why dont they simply have an open pro division where you play pro vs pro (with maybe the odd div 1 team to play against depending on your draw).

Simple enough, no ?

 

[Sandown]

Originally posted by sammy_k
My point should I say, is if you take a look at the teams playing the Millennium pro division I think you'll find that quite a few of them could not cut it in Div 1 yet they are playing pro and are on course to qualify for pro next season. This to me is bullsh*t.

Why dont they simply have an open pro division where you play pro vs pro (with maybe the odd div 1 team to play against depending on your draw).

Simple enough, no ?

If the can't cut it, Won't they be relegated to the next lower division and the the best in Div 1 move up, after the 2006 season? Is that not the point to make the teams that call them selves Pro prove they can cut it.

The bigger worry is surely that some of these pro teams fold/disband before the season is over. After all they might be called Pro but how many squads are made up of seven or more full time Pro Players Or have the backing to bank roll them.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[sammy_k]

Originally posted by Sandown
If the can't cut it, Won't they be relegated to the next lower division and the the best in Div 1 move up, after the 2006 season?

Yes, relegation/promotion. Whoopee.

At the end of the day why cap the league when you can benefit just as much if not more from leaving it open.

If teams feel they are good enough to make the bump up to the pro division then they bump up. By locking the pro division it makes it more of an exclusive 'club' so to speak. Where by some teams are happy/content being the whooping boys of a locked division because they have that exclusive status, as long as they survive relegation they'll be happy. The idea of being a pro paintball team is that you can grind with the best of them and that you have realistic chance of doing well. If the Millennium weren't gonna lock the pro division there would a quite a few teams that wouldn't be playing pro this season. Why ? Because their getting beat up on. Nobody likes to be the whooping boys of any division, but make an locked/exclusive division and, oh it doesn't matter too much if we get beat up we'll turn it around next season as long we do just enough to survive relagtion. Whatever!

It just seems silly to me, if it's not broken dont fix it.

My 2 cents; Leave the league as it is without the locked pro division and just have it so that pro play pro with maybe a div 1 team in the draw. Like wise with Div1 play Div1 with maybe a div2 team in the draw and so on and so fourth.