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Liz

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Jan 17, 2002
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Originally posted by Urban
I'd argue Rugby does not in any way come under the banner of Football, though I'll give you the rest and that kinda proves my point Liz... who the hell watches Gaelic football on TV? Is it even on TV?

The majority of Football is either good old english soccer or American Football. That's what the majority of people play and the majority of people watch. Moreover that is what the TV networks pay big money to televise, and what companies pay big money to sponsor. Gaelic is so small that even minority seems the wrong word to use.

The same with X-Ball. I'm a bit dubious of these 'it's the next big thing' claims when it seems to be anything but big... more an exercise in empire building by the few, for the few.

I guess we'll have to wait and see...

Urban
RFC (as used by Rugby clubs) stands for Rugby FOOTBALL Club. Origin of the sport was Rugby School playing Association Football (AKA as Soccer) & a guy picked up the ball & ran with it, so it's an offshoot of Soccer in a way.
But NO format of paintball is currently televised to any extent. Following the "football" analogy, I can see e.g. 7-man sup'air & scenarios in the same place as US Football & Soccer, 10-man taking the place of Rugby with 3-man the same as the Rugby 7's, maybe woodland tourneys the same as Gaelic & hardly ever shown?
 

Urban

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Originally posted by Liz


But NO format of paintball is currently televised to any extent. Following the "football" analogy, I can see e.g. 7-man sup'air & scenarios in the same place as US Football & Soccer, 10-man taking the place of Rugby with 3-man the same as the Rugby 7's, maybe woodland tourneys the same as Gaelic & hardly ever shown?
That would make sense, wouldn't it?

But that's not what we're gonna get, is it... we're getting the Gaelic equivalent (X-Ball) televised while the majority is sidelined, or at worst ignored.

As a percentage of total 'football' played, practically no-one plays Gaelic... as a percentage of total paintball played, almost literally no-one plays X-Ball.

Does anyone else find something slightly askew with this picture???

Urban
 

Buddha 3

Hamfist McPunchalot
I see what you're getting at, but I don't agree with you.
The thing is that paintball is still a new sport, despite the fact that it's been around for some 20 odd years.
It is still trying to find it's final, competitive form. A lot of sports go through these stages, particularly American ones. Hardly a year goes by without seeing some amendment to the rules for the NFL for instance. Maybe not what we're used to here in Europe, since our prime sports are very traditional minded. Otherwise we wouldn't still be soccer with just one ref....
 

Urban

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Originally posted by TJ Lambini
Nope.
I would expect nothing less from a figment.... :D

Just so I understand you, your saying you see nothing wrong with the sport of paintball being presented to Joe Public by the newest and smallest, non-representational, closed-shop, vested- interest incarnation of this 'sport' we have yet had?

Urban
 

Flash-Bugout

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Jul 6, 2001
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Originally posted by Urban
Just so I understand you, your saying you see nothing wrong with the sport of paintball being presented to Joe Public by the newest and smallest, non-representational, closed-shop, vested- interest incarnation of this 'sport' we have yet had?
Just like the way football is represented by the top few teams in the country, when the number of five-a-side league players must sureley outnumber the number of Premier League players.. :eek:


;) :D
 

Baca Loco

Ex-Fun Police
Terribly sorry, Urb, old boy

Originally posted by Urban
We're not talking about your Universe, we're talking about the one that the majority of the general public live in...

...the one where anyone can flick on the TV to watch football, British or American, and know exactly what they're going to get... how many players, how long it's gonna last, how the scoring works...

You say rec-ball, scenario etc are a completely different animal... to who??

Us paintballers? Yes.

Joe Public? No.

All these things (x-ball, rec, supair etc) all carry under the banner of 'Paintball'. In Britain, us tourney players are a minority representation of 'Paintball' given the number of rec players. Now the powers that be want to reduced that representation even further by introducing a new format that the vast majority of 'paintballers' (all types) cannot, physically and/or financially, play. The 'get fit, get better, join an X-ball team' arguement ain't valid here because it's nots what I'm talking about.

The way paintball is presented to the masses is the issue and there's something about 80 players representing paintball to the world, especially when at least one freely admits to cheating like a whore/pushing the grey*, that seems slightly worrying.

* Delete as appropriate :D

Urban
but my universe is far vaster than your experience and Brit p-ball. In my universe p-ball will become whatever it seems to be to the majority and as Bud said, it's still largely unformed. When and if X-Ball gets regular media exposure and a league develops from that then p-ball will be X-Ball in the minds of the majority and the game you and I play will be some variant, not vice versa.

The number of players is totally irrelevant as is the conduct of players on the field. In my universe as long as the players put forward are telegenic, smile a lot and offer the typical sports cliches for sound bites all will be well.

Don't worry, be happy. :) And remember Britain is a backwards place in the world of p-ball but it isn't the only place.
 
Urban

I'll use my old favorite...mountain biking.


Now tha vast majority of MTBers are trail riders/free-riders - they go out and ride at weekends. Think of em as rec-ballers.

Tha next biggest segment is X-country and enduro racers - they race competitively around tha world and their sport is even in the Olympics. Think of them as tourney players.

Tha smallest is downhillers - they race down extremely short, extremely technical, extremely watchable courses. Think of them as X-Ballers.

Now who do you think gets on TV?

Seeing any parallels?
 

Urban

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Terribly sorry, Urb, old boy

Originally posted by Baca Loco

but my universe is far vaster than your experience and Brit p-ball. In my universe p-ball will become whatever it seems to be to the majority and as Bud said, it's still largely unformed. When and if X-Ball gets regular media exposure and a league develops from that then p-ball will be X-Ball in the minds of the majority and the game you and I play will be some variant, not vice versa.

The number of players is totally irrelevant as is the conduct of players on the field. In my universe as long as the players put forward are telegenic, smile a lot and offer the typical sports cliches for sound bites all will be well.

Don't worry, be happy. :) And remember Britain is a backwards place in the world of p-ball but it isn't the only place.
"will become whatever it seems to be to the majority"... hmmm... guess we're all back in the woods wearing camo then coz recball is[/b] paintball to the majority of Joe Public and nothing short of constant exposure to X-Ball TV is gonna change that.

Backwards?? Small, petite, maybe, but backwards?? :(

Let's talk again in, say, two years? ;)

Urban