| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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Time to shine the light the other way a bit.
As I said in the other thread, there are many fine individuals putting in time and getting results in Houston, but it's in the context of a poisonous environment that limits its impact. Brian is fond of business metaphors and examples, so I'll provide one of my own that answers the reasonable question of what I would do differently.
First, let's look at Houston's advantages:
Access (to players and venues)
Capital (thank you Jason)
Energy (motivated team with diverse skillsets)
This sounds like the makings of a great startup company or incubator! What's fantastic about a startup or incubator is the speed of innovation, in which bad ideas are disposed of quickly while good ideas are disseminated as widely as possible with equal speed. Employees are given latitude to develop their own ideas and are rewarded for doing so (Google famously gives its engineers TWENTY PERCENT of their time to work on personal projects). On the flip side, of course, are the old school corporations that "own" all the ideas of their employees, stealing and patenting them for the profit of those at the top rather than everyone involved.
Houston's promotional APPROACH clearly imitates the latter, not the former. This approach works only to build Houston as, in the words of one, "the center of all air hockey." It works only to build and relentlessly hype the BIGGEST tournament, and to keep it all and always in Houston.
I would like to see Houston work more like a startup. We've already greatly benefited from this website, frex, and ideas like children's tournaments and the G4 spinoff brackets are awesome innovations. These are ideas that are taking place because of the structural advantages (all legitimately gained, no judgment here!) outlined above. Houston can try things regularly and adopt best practices for its tournaments.
And that's where the change needs to occur. Instead of just benefiting Houston tournaments, these innovations should be disseminated with great speed throughout the air hockey world when and if they are shown to be an improvement. Right now the approach is merely to hype Houston, not to help air hockey.
Finally, here's a fundamental truth that I think gets lost from within the Houston haze: nobody outside Houston gives a shit if Houston is the center of all air hockey, or has the biggest tournaments. I think I can safely say the vast majority of players would rather have many tournaments around the country than a single tournament in Houston (in summer no less!) every year. Though to be clear, I love playing in Houston and think there's no reason it couldn't be a premiere event on the tour.
The Access, Capital, and Energy that has suffused Houston over the last two years could be used to springboard that future for air hockey, or it could be used to glorify an insular community to no real benefit for the sport. The choice is before the Houston promotional team
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| jasonstevens
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 176
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QUOTE
The Access, Capital, and Energy that has suffused Houston over the last two years could be used to springboard that future for air hockey, or it could be used to glorify an insular community to no real benefit for the sport. The choice is before the Houston promotional team
QUOTE
What would you suggest?
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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| Oh, and since I ran out of characters in the first post, let me clarify something in it: dissemination doesn't mean selflessness. While under the startup model everyone will benefit, the innovators will and should clearly benefit *more.* I'm by no means proposing a collectivist model for air hockey any more than I would favor a monopoly corporation over a group of capitalized startups.
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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jasonstevens said: QUOTE
The Access, Capital, and Energy that has suffused Houston over the last two years could be used to springboard that future for air hockey, or it could be used to glorify an insular community to no real benefit for the sport. The choice is before the Houston promotional team
QUOTE
What would you suggest? |
Messaging that suggests an open, collaborative environment rather than a jealous, prideful competition. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that a coordinated attack is taking place on Rosen. The irony being that while Houston promoters were busy attacking (often by proxy), Rosen was working behind the scenes to enact many of the types of innovations I've been talking about.
Will the "table sport series" format work? Who knows, but it's exciting and has reinvigorated manufacturer support in an unprecedented way.
Houston's approach has alienated non-local players, while the Vegas nationals will have representatives from active player bases all over the world. I'd rather give experience and exposure to player-promoters on three continents than grow a single city's single-tournament attendance by a few players.
Regarding communication, how much communication can a party in negotiations be expected to give? I'm sure Brian will agree that it's not good business practice to make promises based on ongoing negotations. Rosen could have come on here and said "Working on stuff, but can't talk about negotiations in progress." Would that have made anyone happier? I think not.
I think everyone can agree that now that the details are set, the Vegas tournament sounds amazing. I hope the Houston team will now switch gears and encourage folks to support the Vegas tournament, especially with the technical expertise of the webcammers and webmasters whose networking capabilities are invaluable to our growth.
Also, a positive statement about the *outcomes* would be very welcome. Negotiations often go to the 11th hour, and we can't judge our growth by single tournaments if we truly want to have a plan. If this Vegas tournament serves as a springboard for new ideas, sponsorships, and manufacturer support, who cares if it suffered from what ALL innovations suffer from in their early stages?
Every tournament could be the start of something big, and so we should all support the kinds of initiatives that Rosen has and continues to take in order to grow the sport. It's not possible to read his latest announcements without dreaming big, and those big dreams are more important at this stage than incremental growth in a single tournament location.
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| jasonstevens
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 176
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I'm just going to take a part of your post.....
Quote
Every tournament could be the start of something big, and so we should all support the kinds of initiatives that Rosen has and continues to take in order to grow the sport. It's not possible to read his latest announcements without dreaming big, and those big dreams are more important at this stage than incremental growth in a single tournament location.
Quote
What initiatives are you referring to?
What in his announcement makes someone dream big?
I'm not picking at Rosen but rather what Will is saying.
Also I asked you a question in my post above this one. Why not answer that one? Please outline what you would do to springboard AH.
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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All my posts in this thread, and many in the other, answer your question. 
As for the question about the Vegas tournament, I'll leave it for others to weigh in on. This isn't my debate, it's a collective discussion. I'm not going to tell other people what to think about Rosen's ideas, and I'm VERY interested to start seeing the reactions rolling in.
All I can say definitively is that *I* think the Vegas nationals sounds immensely positive and is rife with potential.
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| jasonstevens
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 176
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Juggernaut said: All my posts in this thread, and many in the other, answer your question.
As for the question about the Vegas tournament, I'll leave it for others to weigh in on. This isn't my debate, it's a collective discussion. I'm not going to tell other people what to think about Rosen's ideas, and I'm VERY interested to start seeing the reactions rolling in.
All I can say definitively is that *I* think the Vegas nationals sounds immensely positive and is rife with potential. |
I don't see hard answers but generalizations from your posts above.
I'd like to see you do some ACTIONS instead of talking. Actions are what counts as we can all type on a computer on what SHOULD be done.
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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jasonstevens said:
I don't see hard answers but generalizations from your posts above.
I'd like to see you do some ACTIONS instead of talking. Actions are what counts as we can all type on a computer on what SHOULD be done. |
Valuable actions require forethought and planning. In most cases those who excel or are interested in the the former are not suited for the latter, and vice versa. I have never seen a deeper, more talented pool of air hockey promoters and enthusiasts working hard at different things related to air hockey than I do right now, and Houston is a locus for that activity.
Consider me your idea man. Underlying all of my suggestions is the implicit suggestion that you need a better one, and I will continue to present my arguments why. :)
(Also, while I'm not a round-the-clock promoter, my Way of the Puck screening was an innovative and successful promotional event that should be adopted by all promoters across the country. I'll be writing a post-mortem and how-to guide at some point in the next month. That post will serve as not only a "do" so your task-oriented commandment will be fulfilled, but also will serve as a model for the kind of collaborative effort and outlook that I argue is missing from the Houston approach.)
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| ajflanagan
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 509
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| There is no doubt in anyone's mind that a coordinated attack is taking place on Rosen. The irony being that while Houston promoters were busy attacking (often by proxy), Rosen was working behind the scenes to enact many of the types of innovations I've been talking about. |
There is so much information you and others are not privy to Wil. You are trying to speculate on situations that you are simply not armed to speculate on. You (and many other speculators) were not a direct part of the groundbreaking promotional efforts in 2009 and 2010. I'm not going to get into gritty details. Let's just say that a lot of toes were stepped on... both ways. There was quite a bit of pushing and shoving and plenty of backstabbing.
Be clear on one thing... as professionals, the TAG team relented to the strong arm tactics and gave Rosen a token part in the promotional venture in 2010. It was done for the good of the sport. Not for any one person's satisfaction. Believe me. By no means did he initiate or solidify the relationship with any sponsors for either the 2009 or 2010 events.
I can't bear listening to you tear down the Houston promoters while Major League Air Hockey pisses away another opportunity to grow the sport. It takes an army. Major League Air Hockey is far from an army... it's one guy. Yet he somehow feels he is able to play the role of promoter, sanctioning body president and the talent... all while burning as many bridges as possible.
Do yourself a favor before you continue your soapbox rant. Get the whole story.
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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ajflanagan said: I'm not going to get into gritty details.
Do yourself a favor before you continue your soapbox rant. Get the whole story.
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Do share!
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| brain
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 578
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What Andrew said. :)
Wil, you looking for a doubles partner again? Because with this kind of fire and energy, I am thinking team Chaos is destined for another title!
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| ajflanagan
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 509
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The issues of the USAA and it's shortcomings are certainly for public consumption and discussion. That organization was created by the players for the players.
Promotional entities are private companies with no responsibility or requirement to share anything that occurs behind the scenes. As a business, however, promotional entities have a responsibility to themselves and their efforts to use all marketing avenues available to them to make their events the best they can be... or they fail. How do you measure success/failure? In my mind, for a sporting event open to the ENTIRE WORLD, failure is inevitably dictated by attendance.
All I'm trying to say is that you have no clue what you are talking about. You have been out of the fray for a while and you are passing judgments on information you have stored away in your mind from 10+ years ago.
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| fupersly
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 231
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ajflanagan said: | Promotional entities are private companies with no responsibility or requirement to share anything that occurs behind the scenes. |
And yet you're so quick to hammer on Rosen when all he's been guilty of is not telling you what you wanted to hear when you wanted to hear it? I don't think that's a very fair position, especially when you could turn around and use that exact same logic to obfuscate details you don't want people to know about your events.
And no, I'm not suggesting that you have anything to hide. I'm just saying that if you really believe what you're saying, don't come crying when (not if) someone else does the same to you.
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| carolina phil
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 1084
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Wil,
In all fairness, there are many dedicated ah folk in Houston who contribute toward ah events here and at other venues run in Vegas, Chicago, etc. And we had scores of players from all over the world here just 9 months ago.
The main thing that had many players around the country united lately was whether the Vegas event was open to all ah players; not just some socially imposed 21 year limit.
That is a principle that goes back to 1978 that old and new players to the sport have honored. I recall talking to your family when you were under 15 to get you in our Nationals; and trying to cover for ya when you took the long way back to Dallas one late night missing your bus and wandering round the backstreets of H-Town doing who knows what--looking for John Galt!
Anyway, despite all the testosterone our army of ah warriors strut, we are at a point now that Michael has honored the no age limit tradition, and now that all people in the world are formally invited and included, I, and I think, others in Texas and other regions, are much more relaxed and ready to have some fun playing for the World Championship in Vegas.
I least I sure hope so. So, let's put some positive energy into the next four weeks as we prepare for competition. And congrats on the Illinois performance. You are truly a mesmerizing player and a whirling dervish on the Table.
Best,
Phil
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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brain said: What Andrew said. :)
Wil, you looking for a doubles partner again? Because with this kind of fire and energy, I am thinking team Chaos is destined for another title! |
Ummm, yes. :) Sadly it seems that I'll (possibly) be at one tournament and you'll be at another. Even in our primes I'm not sure we could pull that one off.
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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fupersly said: ajflanagan said: | Promotional entities are private companies with no responsibility or requirement to share anything that occurs behind the scenes. |
And yet you're so quick to hammer on Rosen when all he's been guilty of is not telling you what you wanted to hear when you wanted to hear it? I don't think that's a very fair position, especially when you could turn around and use that exact same logic to obfuscate details you don't want people to know about your events.
And no, I'm not suggesting that you have anything to hide. I'm just saying that if you really believe what you're saying, don't come crying when (not if) someone else does the same to you. |
Exactly, and it's doublespeak to say that you have secret information that would change opinions but then refuse to share it. Andrew told me to educate myself, so I went to the source (Andrew) who then told me to buzz off. It's not so much an argument as a strategy to avoid being proven wrong. :)
I would LOVE to be let in on the private goings on because I want to have an accurate picture and not argue from faulty data, but until those details (if they exist at all) become public, then I and the rest of humanity will judge circumstances on public knowledge.
So Andrew, educate us, otherwise we have no reason to believe your assessment that we don't know what we're talking about. :)
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| ajflanagan
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 509
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fupersly said: ajflanagan said: | Promotional entities are private companies with no responsibility or requirement to share anything that occurs behind the scenes. |
And yet you're so quick to hammer on Rosen when all he's been guilty of is not telling you what you wanted to hear when you wanted to hear it? I don't think that's a very fair position, especially when you could turn around and use that exact same logic to obfuscate details you don't want people to know about your events.
And no, I'm not suggesting that you have anything to hide. I'm just saying that if you really believe what you're saying, don't come crying when (not if) someone else does the same to you. |
Be clear about one thing. I'm on haitus as a promoter. My business is exploding at the seams and I cannot afford to be distracted by an event that takes 3 to 6 months for proper planning right now. Anything I've said on here lately regarding the lack of communication on the details of a Vegas event are purely as a CONSUMER. It seems clear to me that MLAH is not terribly concerned with keeping happy customers... and that will show in attendance. Do you think because I've worked with Brian that suddenly my opinions as a consumer are suddenly meaningless?
By they way, have you guys really watched the newest release of Way of the Puck? Although most of those interviews are now 5+ years old, I think it's clear that Rosen's intentions were never purely innocent. You think I gave Yevish a hard time? Damn. But competition is competition. Make no mistake about it, Brian's team and Rosen's "team" are competing for market share. There's nothing wrong with that. Coke and Pepsi compete for a market too. Working together is clearly out of the questions. So, the players will ultimately decide who succeeds and who fails.
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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carolina phil said: Wil,
In all fairness, there are many dedicated ah folk in Houston who contribute toward ah events here and at other venues run in Vegas, Chicago, etc. And we had scores of players from all over the world here just 9 months ago. |
And I hope I've very fairly given them their due in these threads today, multiple times. :) If I didn't believe Houston promoters embodied talent, dedication, and passion I wouldn't bother offering my own assessment of their accomplishments and my suggestions for a future plan of action.
Hope to see you in Vegas, it's been a long time.
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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ajflanagan said: My business is exploding at the seams and I cannot afford to be distracted by an event that takes 3 to 6 months for proper planning right now.
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That's awesome, congrats. I see your work on FB all the time and it's really great stuff.
As for seeing air hockey players as market share, thanks for being honest enough to confirm everything I've said today. ;)
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| ajflanagan
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 509
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Juggernaut said: ajflanagan said: My business is exploding at the seams and I cannot afford to be distracted by an event that takes 3 to 6 months for proper planning right now.
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That's awesome, congrats. I see your work on FB all the time and it's really great stuff.
As for seeing air hockey players as market share, thanks for being honest enough to confirm everything I've said today. ;) |
Thanks for the props.
The "market share" thing shouldn't really surprise you. Surely you watched (more than once) Michael speak candidly about profitability as it relates to AH promotion in Way of the Puck. It's a business. The bar has been set very high now. Promoters have the difficult job of pulling together costly resources to provide an event to the players that will knock their socks off. And yes, the players are the "market" that promoters are after. Do the semantics offend you?
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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ajflanagan said: Juggernaut said: ajflanagan said: My business is exploding at the seams and I cannot afford to be distracted by an event that takes 3 to 6 months for proper planning right now.
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That's awesome, congrats. I see your work on FB all the time and it's really great stuff.
As for seeing air hockey players as market share, thanks for being honest enough to confirm everything I've said today. ;) |
Thanks for the props.
The "market share" thing shouldn't really surprise you. Surely you watched (more than once) Michael speak candidly about profitability as it relates to AH promotion in Way of the Puck. It's a business. The bar has been set very high now. Promoters have the difficult job of pulling together costly resources to provide an event to the players that will knock their socks off. And yes, the players are the "market" that promoters are after. Do the semantics offend you?
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Not at all, it's the clear lack of business sense in anyone that sees profit potential in fighting over 100 consumers that offends me. :)
Network externalities should be organized air hockey's main concern, which essentially means increasing the value of each tournament event by increasing the number of potential consumers of that event. All promoters must learn that they cannot grow air hockey alone, however, and that collaborative competition as well as innovation through creative destruction is the pathway to network growth, not fighting over the scraps of a dying hobby.
So, are air hockey players consumers of air hockey tournaments and thus market share? Yes.
Are there enough air hockey players to make that market share matter in terms of profitability (for the sport, and for individual promoters...your post ignores the sport's health, again confirming everything I've posted about the Houston perspective)? No.
Can building one tournament in one city once a year create sufficient network externalities to grow the sport and thus its profitability as an industry? No.
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| ajflanagan
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 509
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Wil, your trivializing things that again, you don't fully understand. It's as if you're making assumptions that we're all idiots running around fighting over a player base of 100 consumers. That's not really it... at least not for me. For me, it has always been about chasing a dream. Making the absolute most of the opportunities and resources at our disposal. When I see it wasted and squandered... it upsets me as a business owner and as a consumer.
I'm still chasing my dream. Does that mean I'm going to get on the forums and spill out all my ideas and plans? No, but rest assured there is a REASON behind everything I fight for. The point is, we all have to start somewhere. My own business started with a vision. I feel blessed that my vision totally came to fruition. But even today, each and every day I focus on what I want my company to look like tomorrow and I take the steps I need to take to get there.
Whether you believe it or not, I actually think you and I are in alignment on a lot of things.
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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ajflanagan said: Wil, your trivializing things that again, you don't fully understand. It's as if you're making assumptions that we're all idiots running around fighting over a player base of 100 consumers. That's not really it... at least not for me. For me, it has always been about chasing a dream. Making the absolute most of the opportunities and resources at our disposal. When I see it wasted and squandered... it upsets me as a business owner and as a consumer.
I'm still chasing my dream. Does that mean I'm going to get on the forums and spill out all my ideas and plans? No, but rest assured there is a REASON behind everything I fight for. The point is, we all have to start somewhere. My own business started with a vision. I feel blessed that my vision totally came to fruition. But even today, each and every day I focus on what I want my company to look like tomorrow and I take the steps I need to take to get there.
Whether you believe it or not, I actually think you and I are in alignment on a lot of things. |
What don't I understand? Saying you have secret info that invalidates all of my arguments is a conspiracy theory not an argument.
Still waiting for some content so we can evaluate whether your ideas have merit. It's pretty clear mine do, if for no other reason than you can't refute them. :)
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| ajflanagan
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 509
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What don't I understand? Saying you have secret info that invalidates all of my arguments is a conspiracy theory not an argument.
Still waiting for some content so we can evaluate whether your ideas have merit. It's pretty clear mine do, if for no other reason than you can't refute them. :) |
LOL. Ok... well, since you asked...
Come on. Be realistic. It's not "secret info" and I'm certainly not here to validate or invalidate you. Nor am I here to satisfy your need for "content" any more than Mark Robbins is going to post his new table designs to the world before they are complete or anymore than Michael Rosen is going to share the potential sponsor he his keeping a lid on at the moment.
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| Juggernaut
- 02 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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ajflanagan said:
LOL. Ok... well, since you asked...
Come on. Be realistic. It's not "secret info" and I'm certainly not here to validate or invalidate you. Nor am I here to satisfy your need for "content" any more than Mark Robbins is going to post his new table designs to the world before they are complete or anymore than Michael Rosen is going to share the potential sponsor he his keeping a lid on at the moment.
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Right, so you have nothing. The rest of us can now continue discussing actual posts and ideas!
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| Darth_Wafu
- 03 May 2011
Total Posts: 117
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ajflanagan said: | How do you measure success/failure? In my mind, for a sporting event open to the ENTIRE WORLD, failure is inevitably dictated by attendance. |
First of all, I believe you mean participation as a specific subset of attendance. This obsession with participation needs to end. It is detrimental to our actual goals. The PGAs U.S. Open is an event open to the entire world, do you think they judge success by how many players compete? The very notion is ridiculous. Furthermore, if 1000 players showed up to your (or any other) Air-Hockey Tournament it would be a massive failure because you couldn't possibly handle it. This is known, because the Houston tournaments have put a cap on registration in the past.
Attendance, the broader category, would be a better thing to target. An even better one would be viewing audience. Sponsors care about the visibility of their products. This can be accomplished through the webstream just as easily as by players in the tournament. At this point, I think we have enough hard core players to satisfy the reasonable needs of a yearly championship level event. We could however get a better promotional bang for our buck by trying to attract viewers. More viewers will also translate to more casually competitive players, which is the other thing the sport is lacking. This would then lead to more viewers. A good cycle.
Many promos for Air-Hockey events mention the price for participation, but I can't remember any that mention that is free to watch. You might say that is obvious, but I say that putting it in bold for people to see tells them watching the tournament has entertainment value. I would also say things like "Can't make it out to the tournament site to see the fast-paced action in person? No problem, view it live on the web at _____." In addition, I think brainstorming ways to enhance the viewing experience has been neglected. Wil's off hand comment about bleachers would be a tremendous upgrade to the viewing experience. Especially for the finals, which I sometimes skip watching because I know I will barely be able to see what is going on.
And I am sure there are others who have or can come up with far better ideas than mine. The first step, though, is to get past the intense focus on player participation at our top level events.
Nick Geoffroy
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| Juggernaut
- 03 May 2011
Total Posts: 121
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Was that an offhand comment? Seemed like a serious suggestion to me. :p
Wow, Nick just comes in and wins the thread. What a great perspective check, and dead on. I've mentioned the Professional Bowler's Association before. Their major tournaments seed about as many folks as ours but they only televise I think the Top 4. So for all the world knows, there are four dudes bowling for a six-figure payday several times per year. Yeah, they have only a few competitive folks, but are making decent money. Their televised competitions aren't even filmed at bowling alleys, but with a pair of assembled lanes that can accommodate bleacher seating, multiple camera angles, etc. They essentially play on a set. Here's a starting point: http://www.pba.com/Tournaments/Details/1677 Their first tournament of the season has twelve registrants so far. Their numbers aren't huge, which makes Nick's point even more solid.
Great post, Nick.
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| carolina phil
- 03 May 2011
Total Posts: 1084
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I like the way the table tennis people found a way to present and promote. Ever see the Spin events on TV? Just for the TV,they cut the matches down to just two or three games. Added some special effects. Diverse players with unique styles; grips; paddles; shirts; hats; etc.
The games were short enough and direct enough that I would stop and watch it. I learned about their sport. Saw the excitement.
We could contact the media, or do a TV special, with just four players. Pair them off for a single elim SINGLE GAME 4 man tourney. One game to 7. With the winners meeting for one final game. Put up some prize money and a classy trophy. In between the games, announcers talk up the sport of ah; interview champs, kids, and a top female. Talk about how now in the 21st century this old favorite has come back as a new faster more exciting sport with one game sudden death matches; or whatever Sizzles. Do it on cable; or one game on major late night talk shows.
Would we get millions watching? No, but it would get the word "out there" because media and people can understand the concept: 2 greats playing one game to see who is the winner. Our big tournies draw some media, but only because it is a novel two day event; not because they comprehend how exciting the actual playing of the game is.
These are the kinds of new promotional and marketable concepts that we should be brainstorming over in order to build a future for the sport of air hockey. Value comes from innovation.
Phil
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| jasonstevens
- 03 May 2011
Total Posts: 176
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Bleachers SOUNDS like a good idea but until there are a large amount of NEW people coming to spectate I think it would be a waste of time and money to arrange them (in Houston).
Can bleachers be brought through a 10 foot wide door?
Nick:
If participation in a tournament is not considered a good thing but spectators is then if a tournament had a bunch of people that watched it then the tournament would be a success? I'd love to tell you people want to WATCH air hockey but I just don't think it has that kind of draw. I have brought a few people to the tournaments and they played. Some liked playing and some weren't "into" it. Not one of them has come back to watch a tournament after that.
Ideas are great to have but we have to be realistic on what can and will happen.
Looking back 27 years it seems these kinds of discussions always come up and grandios ideas are thrown around but in the end whatever that has been done hasn't "worked" to catapult AH to the masses. I hate to be Debbie Downer but I just don't see AH as a main stream sport like golf, tennis, football etc. AH is a participation sport. We need to be realistic.
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| Davisl
- 03 May 2011
Total Posts: 168
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Nick succintly posted what I've thought for years. Growth of Air Hockey is not validated by attendance. We've all been to the tournaments, so we also understand how metrics can be manipulated for the sake of promotions and marketing. This is done by every promoter for every industry. Success should be measured by how many new viewers and fans we gain around the world. What if some people don't want to compete, but really enjoy watching Billy Stubbs vs. Jose Mora duke it out, or Wil Upchurch vs Nick Geoffroy? I don't box or do MMA, but I sometimes pay to watch a big event. Instead of advertising 100 players, advertise the greatest Air Hockey being played on the planet. What would a sponsor rather hear, 100+ participants, or the latter?
Secondly, as Wil stated, we need more destinations to visit. It costs money to travel and participate in any sport. It costs most people $600-900 plus vacation time, so we are looking for more than just Air Hockey competition, we need it to be semi-vacations as well. Houston is not a vacation for me - it's my second home where I come to visit my AH friends, which is still great. I've been to Houston more than 10x in the past decade - I don't even need directions for most spots. This is not to knock Houston, we are blessed to have such a solid base and dedicated promoters and event coordinators. At the end of the day, we all love the Houston events, so it's just a dream off in the future to visit new places.
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