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paintballimpact.com / Success / Making Money
Making Money As a Paintball Player
Though there are very few paintball players who earn major money through endorsement contracts and prize money, there are a number of ways to make money as a paintball player. Usually, the best sponsorships and prize money can do for players and teams is reimburse players for their travel, lodging and practice expenses. Professional paintball is not usually the way to go to obtain fame and rides, but the most dedicated and resourceful players usually get by and have a blast for a few years before they eventually settle down. The best professional teams manage to do pretty well with first place prizes and major endorsement deals. And some of the best paintball teams even manage to manufacture their own products and sell them on team websites. Some teams and players that have used their success and fame to promote their own line of products include XSU, Bob Long, and the Dynasty. Dynasty are currently reining 06 NPPL Series Champions. The Shocker was the team marker for Dynasty and sponsored by Smart Parts. The 2006 members of team Dynasty include, Justin Schwarz, Davey Williamson, Todd Martinez, Frank Connell, Brian Cole, Angel Fragoza, Alex Fraige, Yosh Raw, and Ryan Greenspan.
Though XSU and Dynasty are two of the games biggest success stories, I regret to tell you that you will be in for a let down if you are expecting to make a fortune in playing pro paintball. Though a lot of tournaments will often advertise 30 thousand in prizes, these are often divided among the top 4 ranked teams from all divisions, and rarely from just among the professional divisions. Most major tournaments have 3-5 divisions, including Professional, Semi-Pro, Amateur, Novice and Rookie. Also, though the major paintball manufacturers are very generous and active promoting their products through sponsorship, they tend to try to spread their money around in as many places as they can. Some companies that are active endorsing teams include WdP (Angel), Atomic Ordinance, and Evil.
"Being Pro in paintball means nothing more than playing at the highest level of the game. It's not what the real world considers the team to be in sports. True athletes make more money in endorsements from outside industry companies. If you really are a Pro, find a way to work that deal. I believe industry companies are doing all they can to keep this game alive for us to play." John Rathburn, Chicago Evil, from Paintball Games International, May 07.
If you are considering your career path whether it be a 9-5 desk job or to strive for elite paintball competition, then you should consider the love of the game over anything else. Players who have success at the game's highest level usually have many years of practice and non-professional competition under their belt. Players who compete year round often have to travel, taking them away from their families for lengths of time.
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