SGMA Survey Shows Paintball Growth

[BigEvil]

From Warpig
http://www.warpig.com/paintball/articles/news/sgma08


Interesting. Especially considering how everyone is crying that the sport is dying.

[ThePixelGuru]

Hmm. I find the graph at the end especially interesting, since there are more paintballers than there are participants in a lot of other "mainstream" sports.

[MedicDVG]

... With a change in survey methodology, SGMA's 2007 reports presented annual participation projections for paintball at about half of those from the previous year. Much of that difference could be attributed to the change in research methodology...

Unfortunately I think that this is another 'figures lie and liars figure' type of thing where the data from past years really can't be compared to this survey due to the change in data collection methods. When you grossly underestimate the number of players in past years, and then show a 50-100% "increase" in participation, based completely on 'new' data collection, you really don't have an accurate pool to draw conclusions on.

Personally, I think the sport of speedball is indeed loosing popularity, however if there is indeed an increase, it is in the woods and rec arenas. Frankly, that is a good thing in my estimation as that is where paintball started in the first place, and it is where 90% of the sport is actually played each and every weekend in the USA and the world.

[Iggy42]

I don't speedball/airball is any less popular I just think that woodsball is getting a resurgence with the "big name" manufactorers putting money into it where for years they neglected the woodsballers in favor for the more public tournament series. Lets face it speedball is more commercial given how you can have spectators field side and such hence that being a focus for so long.

[maniacmechanic]

Wonder what gloom & doom Rogue will have to say about this

[punkncat]

Wonder what gloom & doom Rogue will have to say about this

That was one of the first thoughts in my head seeing the title...lol.


I didn't read the article, and probably should before making presumptions, but I must question what they consider a participant?

Lots of people have played paintball, but much less of them are players. Playing one time could be considered having been a participant, but if they never play again does it really count?

In this area there has been a pretty hard decline in the attendence at tourneys. I understand this to be pretty universal to all "speedball" style tournies everywhere. However as was stated above, the participation in rec ball has been phenomenal. Our closest field had an up year in walk ons. One of the local fields made the decision to completly do away with his tourney support this year in lieu of more support for rec baller/scenario ballers and what they want.
I look at it like a shift. People are realizing that they don't need all the high cost flashy new gear. This resulted in lower sales numbers, but that participation is probably about the same as it has always been. Folks are just holding on to their capable older markers.

[Cyberave68]

Wonder what gloom & doom Rogue will have to say about this

Look here he started his own thread a day later....:rolleyes: What a copy cat, LOL

http://www.pblegion.com/showthread.php?t=2815

[Chris Nearchos]

Look here he started his own thread a day later....:rolleyes: What a copy cat, LOL

http://www.pblegion.com/showthread.php



either its a bad link or he has removed it.

[k0m0d067]

yup...bad link...here's what Cy meant to post:

http://www.pblegion.com/showthread.php?t=2815

[Cyberave68]

Thanks k0m0d0, Even tho you left me out of that cocker thread on AO....:p

I fixed my link too....

[k0m0d067]

Thanks k0m0d0, Even tho you left me out of that cocker thread on AO....:p

I fixed my link too....

hadda strike before the Shark smelled the blood ;)

[ThePixelGuru]

Look here he started his own thread a day later....:rolleyes: What a copy cat, LOL

http://www.pblegion.com/showthread.php?t=2815
Hah, doom and gloom indeed, go figure.

It's difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions from this survey, though. When you constantly change survey formats, the results have very little relation to each other.

[pillage]

The scenario games that I attend at Splatbrothers down here in Virginia, routinely draw crowds of 300 to 500 players per game. They used to draw quite a bit less. I think the fields that are well organized still experience growth, as long as their products are viewed as quality by the customers. People tend to be willing to drive longer distances to attend a game at what is viewed as a prime venue. Castle Conquest is a prime example.

I wonder what they base their statistics of growth on? What constitutes growth? New gun sales, paint sales, or part sales? How many of us have large paintball related armorys? I know I have a bunch of markers but I have not bought a brand new one in years, as all the space dildoes look the same to me. Do the owners of multiple guns get counted more than once for the purposes of defining participation?

While the big comercial push was for the speedball format for a while, that market has faded somewhat. There have always been the cammie clad players taking to the woods. I think while the speedball Pro thing was being hyped, the cammie clad guys were just playing quietly out of the spotlight. Those people have always been and will always be there.

I personally feel that with all the marketing hype, most of the paintball companies forgot that playing is just supposed to be fun. With the downturn in the economy, numerous manufactors also forgot that people tend to reign in the fun only pursuits, when they have less disposable income.