scpaintballer01

Now, the title of this might be a little provoking to many of you, but please bear with me -- this is something that i've been thinking for quite a while and it is really beginning to irk me. Before i start though: please dont anybody take offense to what I'm going to say, this is not an attack at anybody and i WILL use your team's name's in this post; but it is not directed at you, your team, or the good grace that the paintball gods have given you. My beef is really with the industry.

On the PBJ home page there is a nice banner of the South Beach Pimps displaying a nice assortment of EGO's, provided by their new sponsor: Planet Eclipse.

In another there there is a post about scenario team Delta Paintball signing a new contract with JT.

With another quick search of "scenario sponsorship" I recieve another hand full of scenario teams that are recieving sponsorships from the industry, and not just from one part. Companies like Smart Parts, TechT, Draxxus -- all are chipping in to the scenario team craze and it's really beginning to worry me. On the other side of the ball, we're really feeling the squeeze of the economy, and it sucks. GAP paintball has closed, Draxxus is pulling back on a ton of their sponsorships for the 09 season and teams are having trouble finding gear, and especially paint sponsorships. Even at the top of the game teams like the Bushwackers (who were let go 7 days before the first event of the season by Draxxus), Impact (cut from procaps), and the Naughty Dogs -- who couldnt find ANYTHING up until a week or so before the event -- are scraping the bottom of the barrel, trying to pull something together to cut some cost.

What I dont understand in these hard times, is how the industry is justifying taking money out of the tournament scene, claiming they just dont have the money for it anymore, and then pumping it into the scenario scene like it's free candy at a madi gras parade. And no, none of these posts that Im referencing are over two months old so all that I'm saying is relevent.

"But SC! You've got a nice list of sponsors at the bottom of YOUR screen! Why should we be left out!? "

Like I said, I'm not trying to accuse anybody of anything, but the HsK organization is fortunate: it's been running sense 2005 and has had success at the regional level, winning on a consistent basis. Many of the sponsors we have have been two+ year agreements and none of them are new...ie- they were all acquired before the lows in the industry...when things were actually "good." Honestly, I'm not worried that the industry is pumping money into the wrong things, I'm worried that it's continueing to pump money at all! It's like watching every local team in the world grab a sponsorship from Draxxus (see 2006) and then DXS realizing -- we shouldnt have done is to that degree; except in 2008/9 it doesnt seem that the industry has learned it's lesson...instead, it's just flipping to the other side of the ball.

There is no one "ultimate savior" of paintball (when it comes to formats)...pumping more money into one side will not increase the over all gain, imo, it's going to take a balance of both sides, and oh here's an idea: stop sponsoring teams. Start sponsoring events. Make it cheap for everybody.

Next post: the marketability of paintball teams? not sure.

And please, i hope i didnt offend anybody -- im pissed at the industry, not you.