Monday Poll in Review

The poll was precipitated by ongoing periodic rumors that the PSP has some interest in bringing their brand to Europe. I don't put any real stock in those rumors despite the fact they have some substance. Beyond that the results were utterly predictable. So why did I do it, you might reasonably ask. Mostly on the off chance the league might pay some attention. And, of course, because a little more Millennium bashing is always fun. It's not sport (rather like most of paintball) but it's still entertaining.

When current or former Millennium Series players were asked if, given a choice, they would play PSP Europe or the MS the overwhelming majority chose (95% to 5%)--no great surprise--the PSP. However, the result was not the sort the PSP (or anyone else) ought to assume is an implied promise or even an invitation. The poll was really no more than a referendum on the MS and a reflection of the general dissatisfaction of the player base with the way the league has been operating lately. Chances are the numbers would have been similar if the option had been the MS vs. Another Pan-European league more like the PSP. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It wasn't very many years ago when everyone held up the MS as the standard of excellence. Have they gotten worse? Or the PSP that much better? What if better (by anyone and everyones' definition) really does cost more?

Any change would also be a change to the established order with much of the industry, particularly in Europe, tied to the MS in a variety of ways. How simple would a move away from the established order really be? How many teams are tied by ownership, affiliation & sponsorship to elements of the MS that would fight to resist any new league incursion? It's easy to express general unhappiness. Another thing altogether to do anything about it. Nor have we given any consideration to larger economic factors that at present are, and will continue to, make high level competitive play difficult for many. Bottom line, if the Euro teams want different or better they need to stop waiting for somebody else to act.