Friday, July 27, 2012

The Latest from Mr. Curious: NPPL Edition

Are you shocked your Facebook stock has face planted? Concerned you'll soon be reduced to Twitter to maintain your global social network? Devastated that Kristen Stewart slept around on teeny bopper beta fantasy superstud Robert Pattinson? Unaware that the U.S. Senate hasn't passed a budget in over 3 years or that the prez hasn't met with his jobs council in nearly 200 days while real unemployment continues to rise? (Don't be fooled by the U3 data kids, look at the U6) Unconcerned that the ECB (European Central Bank) is on the verge of fracturing over exploding (Or is that imploding?) Spanish bond rates or that the clock is literally ticking on the coming Greek default? Closer to home perhaps you noticed that in the weak and likely to be revised down Q2 GDP numbers that debt accumulation outpaced real growth better than 2:1? Whatever. Don't worry, be happy.

And to help you be happy Mr. Curious has some deep dish rumorlogy concerning NPPL plans for next season. None of this has been officially confirmed but does have multiple sources. And of course plans could change. Disclaimer out of the way the NPPL is contemplating 8 events next season. Count 'em, 8! 4 would be considered major or national events and 4 would be considered regional events. The regionals would feature reduced entry fees. No word on whether or not the league will expect Pro teams to compete in any event other than the national ones--but it seems unlikely. Pev's DC event would be demoted to regional status and along with HB, Vegas and probably Chicago the fourth major is projected to be Tampa. Vancouver has also been resurrected as a regional event venue.

Did you miss Mr. C's previous release on VFTD-FB? (It was more NPPL rumorology.) Keep up or get left behind. Just saying.

30 comments:

Reiner Schafer said...

Oh good. Time to jump back on the NPPL Vancouver bandwagon. The fact that they are considering making it a NPPL Lite event makes a little more sense at least.

Anonymous said...

Only NPPL's answer to failing at 4 events a year is failing at 8 events a year instead.

Anonymous said...

I like it! It's a great concept.

Anonymous said...

Great concept? Psp has 5 majors and like 40 minors this year.

Anonymous said...

So you agree it's a great concept? Would it be even greater if they did 50 minors? Or should they not do any because the concept of a minor event is already taken and no one else in the world can do it?

Sheesh... it's a good idea. They should do it. And from the sound of it, the NPPL will be able to do pretty good hands on job if they aren't taking on 40!

Anonymous said...

Sure, it's a good concept. But it's not an original concept.

More importantly, regardless of how good the concept is, or how original it is (or isn't), NPPL will still fuck it up.

When you're currently running 4 crappy events, maybe the next step should be running 4 good events instead of stretching yourself to 8 crappy events.

Nick Brockdorff said...

Is it important it is an original concept?

Clearly, there is a market for 7man still, otherwise the league would not exist.

Personally, I'd like to see 7man go away, and see the leagues merge and go to 6 events, it would be better for the sport as a whole.... but as long as a sufficient number of teams want to play 7man, to sustain the NPPL, more power to them.

I'd be more concerned with getting more people to play tournaments as a whole, over recball and big games, than what format the tournaments are.

Reiner Schafer said...

I'd like to see more people play all formats of paintball. :)

Anonymous said...

Nick, that's teh thing - there aren't enough teams interested in NPPL to sustain it. That's why what started as a supposed "player-owned league" is now substantially owned by Bart Yachimec and Ian Trainer's dad.

It's the "my daddy will buy your daddy" league.

Nick Brockdorff said...

Come on - NPPL has never truly been player owned.... it's been owned by some individuals that were players.... but that's not quite the same thing, is it? :)

Not that I mind - I just mind people trying to tell young impressionable players, that it's the "players league", when it never were - even way back in the original NPPL.

So, it doesn't really matter who owns it, as long as enough people want to play it to sustain it - it's all good.

We all know - including the owners of both leagues and all of industry, that paintball would be better off with ONE major league in the US.... but as long as our sport is full of petty and arrogant people (as it always was), it will be a continuous battle.

Trust me, even if the current NPPL folds, someone else shut out from the PSP or with an axe to grind with its principals, will be starting up another NPPL.

We won't see the sport truly come together, until the sport goes back to being all inclusive (in terms of industry), where every manufacturer that wants to, is allowed to take part - and thus no longer has a vested interest in supporting a competing league.

And THAT, is in the hands of the PSP.... and the manufacturers that own it.... they need to look beyond their own short term agenda, to grow their long term market.

Anonymous said...

PSP has always been all-inclusive.

The only exception was when one industry member broke from "the ultimatum" and supported NPPL after they refused to merge even when given astoundingly phenomenal terms.

Nick Brockdorff said...

Not every paint is allowed in the PSP.

Media coverage is also becoming limited.

The MS has even taken it further, and limited what guns can be used.

It seems the philosophy starting to build, is the same seen in major league sports, where specific manufacturers and media can buy their way into being the only supplier to the league.

I believe that will be a bad road for paintball to travel - and that the PSP would gain a lot of ground from going the opposite direction - irrespective of what other leagoes a manufacturer chooses to sponsor.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if peoples opinions would change about the PSP/NPPL/merger/'one league is awesome and the other is 'crappy' situation if they knew what actually happened at the final merger meeting in Vegas last November?

I know I have a different take on things since I heard about what transpired there.

Anonymous said...

Did you hear about what actually happened there, or did you only hear NPPL's BS story about it?

Anonymous said...

"It seems the philosophy starting to build, is the same seen in major league sports, where specific manufacturers and media can buy their way into being the only supplier to the league."

That is more difficult to get around in other major league sports where the leagues have built up a major competitive advantage and barriers to entry that don't exist in PB. Five years from now, there will still be an MLB, NFL, NBA, etc. Five years from now it would not be all that surprising if one or both of the NPPL and PSP were gone and there were one or two organizations that moved in to fill the void (or perhaps a new league that formed and pushed out one of the current major leagues).

Anonymous said...

To Anon above, yeah, I know exactly what happened at that last merger-meet, I heard from both sides and I didn't find the story to be any different either way.
I'm not going to be the guy that 'breaks silence', but the NPPL bashers might feel differently if they knew. Even you, you automatically assume that the NPPL side of the story is 'BS'. Why? Because you play in the PSP? The most damning intel I got actually came from the PSP side. There is certainly nothing wrong with my sources.

Nick Brockdorff said...

Come on dude - you are anonymous - why not just break the story?

Anyone can come on here and throw around unsubstantiated stuff like that.... but you are essentially wasting everyones time, when you are giving us nothing to bite into.

Especially, since you would be able to divulge all you know without risk.

Troy Purdue/WFC2 said...

Would love to see the NPPL come back to Tampa, always thought that was a great event.

Anonymous said...

From "Anon Above" to "Anon":

You're uninformed. If you were informed, you'd know that the Vegas meeting wasn't the end of the merger discussions. And you'd know the offer that was made to NPPL, and you'd be wondering both why PSP made such a ridiculously generous offer and why Bart turned it down.

But regardless of what happened in the merger discussions, it isn't going to change the opinions of the NPPL bashers.

NPPL bashers aren't bashing NPPL because of anything to do with the merger.

NPPL bashers bash NPPL because they run craptastic events.

Anonymous said...

How'd that whole RaceTo-4 thing work out for NPPL?

Anonymous said...

to NPPL Sux HHH Anon from Uninformed Anon.
But, how could any merger-business be taken seriously by Bart after what happened in Vegas? Would you come back to the table after that?
And if you don't get my drift, then I guess I must be the informed one again...

Anonymous said...

No, I don't get your drift. I thought you were talking about "breaking the silence" about how ridiculously good of an offer PSP gave to NPPL. It would be tremendously embarrassing to Bart if it got out how good of an offer he rejected.

I can only assume he's spreading some story to cover his own poor judgement. It's pretty obvious when comparing NPPL and PSP which business should be taken seriously, and the merger discussions continued well past Vegas NPPL, so if Bart is peddling something other than, "They made a stupidly good offer I wouldn't take", seems like someone is trying to change history.

Anonymous said...

OK, so you don't know what I'm talking about.

and that's fine.

Nick Brockdorff said...

" It's pretty obvious when comparing NPPL and PSP which business should be taken seriously"

How is that "obvious"?

I take it you do not have in-depth information on profitability... but if I am wrong, and you do - please share :)

Now, if you really meant "what league should be taken seriously from a sporting point of view" - I may agree with you..... but in terms of "business" - I am not so certain you have the necessary information to make that call.

Anonymous said...

I have the necessary information to make that call, assuming the call is being made on profitability. One league requires constant "reinvestment" to stay operating, and it isn't PSP.

Anonymous said...

@Uninformed Anon:

It's kinda hard to stay informed about all things NPPL-folk make up.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure you're right.

The deal must have fell apart because the NPPL are douches, there's no other acceptable explanation. Long Live the PSP!

wow, now I really feel uninformed...

Anonymous said...

Close. The deal fell apart because NPPL reps are incompetent.

Nick Brockdorff said...

All this innuendo - and nobody with the stones to tell the story.

Waste of time and space.

Anonymous said...

Incompetent with their clothes on, or with them off (hot-tub style)?