Is the economy killing paintball?

[Frontal Assault]

With gas and utilities rising,unemployment rising and generally EVERYTHING costing more,how is it affecting how much you play?
Even more important how many paintball friends have you lost due to it all costing more?............discussion?

[Bullit]

I"m in hvac service everyone is broke.I had to scale back,i sponsored my 13yr on a gfoa team and he is a alt ona cfoa team.at least he is having fun

[the boss]

I own a concrete company and a paintball field. Concrete is dead and paintball has slowed way down on the walk on side. Many people say they have been laid off or there is no work. It's tough and it's every where.

[USArmyManOfWar]

I've lived through ressions in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and now the 21st Century. Most of the time I never felt the recession. Historically recessions only affect a very small percentage of the population. If you have a job, the question you might ask is "what recession"??? Unfortunately, gas prices are here to stay and food is going to be much higher when gas is $3 than when it was $1.
No one I know has left paintball because of a downturn in the economy. Actually, the last few years have been very good for my business

[Grumpy]

If there is any accountants out there that can do an inflationary index pricing of gasoline starting at 1979 prices and index it up to 2008 and post it. I would like to see that and I am sure everyone will be surprised at the "actual" inflationary cost (I was taught the math once but alas with my limited memory capacity forgot it). As for the recession, I fortunately was never really affected by it, it seems every decade something of this nature happens, I hear the talking heads on radio call it "readjustment periods". This last one however I blame the good old American Greed (please don't slam me for that statement, I happen to be a "greedy American" myself) to save and make a buck that caught everyone with their perverbial pants down.

[Frontal Assault]

What I am personally seeing is teammates and aquaintances that I have played with for many years all of the sudden cannot afford to play and are selling gear or stashing it for later play and they are quoting rising gas prices,entries to events and paint prices rising along with all the normal day to day costs of living,I was just wondering how many others have started to see this trend.

[the boss]

Same here Jack they can't go to the big games because all money has to go to bills because as contractors they can't get any work. Any body that says there isn't a problem needs to pull their head out of the sand. I started holding a game once a month at the field with the proceeds going to help my team travel, but or walk on biss is down to a crawl, people say they just don't have the extra money to waste.

[Chappy]

its hurting enough that i am selling 99% of my gear and after mout in 2 weeks i might end up quiting the sport, sorry house and car payments come before paintball. And if i did not have already prepaid the day signs ups came out I would not got to mout but i have to much money in it already to just throw it away.

[GImpy]

I know how you all feel .. I have a 16 month old boy now and I had to go on a hiatus when he was born because babys are expensive. but as for everything else going up I try not to let it bother me but that is hard when you look at gas stations. I remember when gas was a 1 a gallon when I started driving in 2000. If my Baby didnt love to watch and hold my paintball gear (should see him carry around the markers) I would probably not play as much..

[Ragtop1968]

Back in 2002, when I started filming the games I saw the same teams at different fields EVERY scenario game. For the past couple of years about the only "regulars" I see are the home teams who probably get comped to some degree.

I haven't seen an increase in paintball or registration prices. I think the increase in gas and groceries is taking a huge bit out of people's budget for non-essential activities.