Gonna do a little reverse order action today and start with the Eurokids.
Grand Tour Budapest is this weekend and the final number participating looks to be around 31. If so that's down around 25% from the earlier numbers originally registered. Maybe if the GT decentralizes next year but tries to maintain their basic concept they could have two or three leagues operating in smaller territories with a centralized championship to close out their season. Don't know if that would be more appealing but I also don't know how they can continue on the meager turnouts they've scored.
Over in MillenniumLand it's beginning to look like the only thing holding the league together is the locked divisions and pre-payments. Campaign Cup is still nearly a month away but the unlocked divisional numbers aren't looking great--except in comparison to the Sarsilmaz Cup numbers which currently stand at zero according to the MS website. Campaign Cup has 7 D2 teams registered and 18 M5 teams signed up. Plenty of time to turn that around as the late crowd jump in last minute but I've got a feeling that isn't likely to happen this time around. Call it a hunch. Call it my natural pessimism. Call it what you like.
Is the fledgling UK Federation supporting Campaign or are they staying out of it and focusing on their primary interest; the (re)development of UK competitive paintball? Would it make any difference?
World Cup numbers stand at 318 registered not including any unregistered pro teams. Rumors abound about some pro teams missing Cup--er, not showing up--so I'm not counting anybody at this point not officially registered. (Though the word too is that Joy Division is set to replace at least one potential absentee.) Anyway, it's also about time to start keeping track of paid teams and that number is presently at 88. Let's see how that number does the next couple of weeks.
While the USPL morphs into NPPL 3.0 or perhaps turns into the NPPL presents the USPL or something else altogether the early numbers for Vegas are impossible to judge. There are 35 teams registered, not including any pro teams, and five weeks until registration closes leading up to the event. Nobody has put an event on the strip before. It is a fantasy venue but will that be enough? The next three or four weeks will tell us. (Among other things the Vegas venue will cost the league more in terms of infrastructure--bringing in the fields, netting, etc. set-up and take down and so on--so it's a gamble of sorts but ain't that what Vegas is all about?)
I have a lot of thoughts regarding this league and I will be doing the year in review sometime shortly after the season is over.
Until then I do have a bone to toss y'all. Word is the Naughty Dogs are set to buy in and join the league next season.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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6 comments:
i think that's bull that Pro team(s) would miss Cup. I guess it's for $$$ reasons... but imagine if the Lions said last year "you know what, we are 0-12, we don't feel like playing the last game".
It's F****G World Cup !!! There are dozens of teams going to Cup in part to watch the Pro teams. It's gonna be the only major event those teams will play becasue they will save to attend the best event of the season.
And some so-called Pros drop it ???
Wait, i just realized... maybe it's not about $$$... maybe they just suck soo bad they want to avoid the embarasment. Which is to me even worse.
Pros in general should be renamed "Elite" since they are not true Professional (paid athletes to play Paintball). And some should not even be allowed in that division.
Anony,
Which brings us back to the posts a few weeks back about what a pro is. Most of our "pros" are hobbyists. Very, very few teams and players qualify as "pro" in the sense you're talking about and I somewhat agree.
Generally I think it would be great for all the Pro's egos to disbar them of the title pro and just call it the "Advanced" division (Elite is way too nice). But it's not good for the industry. It's nice to tell everyone we know that yes there is such a thing as "pro paintball" even though we all snicker at the thought of it.
Anon
Trust me. Any pro team that doesn't attend Cup was pressed into that position and it's strictly all about the money--or the lack thereof. Now maybe they tried to bite off more than they could chew but that's a different conversation. Everybody wants to play Cup just like everybody wants to win Cup.
I doubt any of the players that spend their free time watching the pro field will be disappointed unless they have favorites they like to root for.
Anon
Maybe a bit of clarification is in order. The rumors are just that, rumors. In my estimation it is likely that one regular team this season will not show--is already understood to be a no-show and that Joy will replace them. I don't know this for a fact but I expect that's how things will pan out. As for any other team(s) it's purely unconfirmed rumor although I give some credence to the rumors--which is why I mentioned them--because it's a fact some teams have struggled financialy this season.
2DJB,
Just my two cents,
Teams that miss the cup beside any result during the season, shouldn't get any sponsorship dollars, after all they are missing the main event and the place to get most publicity.
Any season is planned ahead, everything else are lame excuses.
No team deserves sponsorship dollars. Sponsors supposedly make an investment they feel will pay off due to the team's: publicity, following, results or complementary business arrangements (store owner, etc).
Cup may have a huge impact on that, but not being at the main event to get all the publicity did not make Joy Division a less than desireable team to sponsor for most of its history. Showing up at the tournament is just part of it.
I'm quite certain if Dynasty decided to boycott Cup because they felt something was screwed up, they wouldn't have trouble getting sponsors next year. They might even be worth more due to the publicity around the affair.
I'm just more amused that some people seem offended or put off if a team wouldn't show up to Cup. Who cares? The competition will be great and the games enjoyable regardless.
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