Wpl Debut Sets New Benchmark

[TJ Lambini]

Originally posted by ollytheosteo
Mick Holdaway used to hold a World Speedball Championship every year in the early 90's that usually featured one french team

You Euros run tournaments with only one team?

We call that 'practice' over here.

It's no wonder y'all suck so bad. Still, I guess with one-team events at least you guys can actually win something.

 

[Gyroscope]

Ohh! BURN on Europe!

 

[Red_Merkin]

There are rumors of civilization outside North America, and some say they even play paintball... and have running water!




I'm sure if any Euro team wanted a franchise they'd be welcome in the WPL.

Here's my take:
Personally i don't like 3 man as much as Xball or 7 man. However It is much easier to televise, and it's easier to focus on individuals.

I don't think very many teams would play this league if it wasn't aready in it's second season of TV, and the ratio of cost vs the exposure and potential sponsorship a huge draw.

You should see the kids here in Montreal fighting to get a spot on the team, we've got kids comming in from 8 hours away every weekend just to get a chance to play on TV!

 

[#29]

Originally posted by TJ Lambini
You Euros run tournaments with only one team?

We call that 'practice' over here.

It's no wonder y'all suck so bad. Still, I guess with one-team events at least you guys can actually win something.

dude there no need for that

 

[TJ Lambini]

Originally posted by cleetus
dude there no need for that

Laughter is its own reward kiddo. There's always a need, 'k?

K.

 

[Missy Q]

trivial fact - The Baseball World Series was not called the World Series because of any yank flag-waving reasons as I always thought. In fact it was called the World Series because the original sponsor of the event was a newspaper called 'The World'.

I know, I always used to use that one too. The good thing is that even the yanks seem blissfully aware of this and so you can usually still use the situation to belittle them when talking about sport, so long as you back it up with Baseball (rounders) and Basketball (netball) being played almost exclusively by girls in the UK, and 'American football' equating to rugby without the padding or the long rests between 'plays'.

You should see the kids here in Montreal fighting to get a spot on the team

Now we're talking, lets put those kids in the cage at half-time, give the camera's what they want.

 

[Rocky Knuth]

Whoa!!! Any TV is good TV.... PERIOD.

I look at this league as a stepping stone for us athletes. Hopefully a outside company see's us and wants to get involved. I dont know about you but its tough working a "real" job and trying to balance this with paintball life. This could help us break into the action athlete world.

Playing in the cage is still playing ball, we are not choreographing anything before hand like the WWF!.

If any of you are familar with AND1 basketball series on ESPN, its competetive basketball with some flavor. Thats what the UAPL is.

This should be a great way for gain intrests from NON paintball players. We need to capture some of those NASCAR watchers, I mean they can watch a car go in circles for 500 miles with no problem, Why cant they watch us shoot eachother in a cage .

Later,
Rocky

 

[Robbo]

Hey Rock I certainly wasn't suggesting any of it was choreographed, I was worried that the production company might in the future begin to think 'WWF' style and try to persuade the people involved to go down a more 'contrived' route and we all know where that can lead mate.

Money bends a lot of principles mate and having the fate of compettitve paintball thrust into the hands of such people isn't my idea of safekeeping.
These TV guys would sell their own mothers to get another point on the ratings Rock, they wouldn't bat an eyelid at sacrificing what me and you would respect as inviolate, that of the competitive nature of tournament paintball....Rock if you need any proof of my point...ever met that guy Beau who was involved with that Dick Clark thingy?
If you have, then you know what I am talking about.

But I do agree that at this stage of our evolution, any TV is good.

 

[Chicago]

Any paintball on TV is good to a point - as long as it doesn't end up defining what paintball is. I'd hate to see someone bring XBall to a network and get turned away because paintball is supposed to have flashing lights.

Teh real win with WPPL is the work Milt has done getting out-of-industry corporate sponsors involved.

 

[shamu]

AND1 Basketball on ESPN? Or Extreme Dodgeball on Comedy Central? Right now I think it could go either way.

I'd start worrying if they ask teams to dress up in "cool" outfits and portray them as "the nerd team" or "the all-girls team".

oh wait, they already have the last one, don't they

nothing against the girls/ladies/female gender. I think paintball is actually one of the most gender neutral sports. My point is the way it's being promoted in the recent press releases. If the ratings are low, will they start pushing easy marketing ideas like "the alternative lifestyle" team from san francisco, or "the cowboy team" from texas?