Where Can I Watch Professional Paintball?
In only twenty years, professional paintball tournaments may be watched across the United States and in some European countries. Like professional baseball or football, though, pro paintball is currently limited to larger cities. Additionally, there are currently two professional leagues in paintball; these include the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) and the National X-ball League (NXL).
Combinations:
Eventually, these leagues may blend into a single organization as found in the history of professional football. Today, though, fans can either choose to follow a favorite, or enjoy those teams that choose to play in both the NPPL and NXL pro paintball leagues.
These teams include the following:
Baltimore Trauma or the Montreal Image in the NPPL
Jacksonville Raiders
Las Vegas LTZ
Los Angeles Ironmen
Los Angeles Infamous or the Oakland Assassins in the NXL
New England/New York Hurricanes
Pittsburgh/Philadelphia All-Americans
Portland/Seattle Naughty Dogs
Oakland Blast or the San Diego Legacy in the NXL
Sacramento XSV
San Diego Dynasty
NPPL or NXL Exclusively:
For those avid fans of the National Professional Paintball League, there are a handful of teams that only compete with other pro paintball teams in a single league. These teams are:
Chicago Farside
Dallas Elite
Edmonton Impact
Jersey Authority
Miami Rage
St. Louis Avalanche
Stockholm Joy Division
Similarly, fans of the NXL league can watch there favorites when they play at home. These pro paintball teams include:
Chicago Aftershock
Detroit Strange
Russian Legion (Boston Red Legion)
San Antonio X-Factor
Ultimate
While many of these teams only compete in a single league, some are looking to gain a franchise in the other. Today, a pro paintball fan can not only follow, but also watch world championships courtesy of ESPN.
This means, that watching a favorite team is not limited to those who happen to live in a city like St. Louis, anyone can tune in a root for their favorite professional paintball team armed with pizza and a circle of friends.
Paintball Heirarchy:
Like any other professional sport, professional paintball has a hierarchy. Players and teams must work their way through the ranks to become a pro paintball player. In the NPPL rule book, these levels begin with Young Guns (those under 16), Local Rookie, Novice, Amature, Semi-Pro and Professional.
To move up in ranking requires winning. For each tournament won, a team is given percentage points. After they have reached a certain level, they are allowed to move up in rank and start winning and accumulating points again. One of the most successful pro paintball rookie teams in the history of the sport is the San Diego Dynasty who won the professional championship in their rookie year.
Paintball isn’t just for those who plau the sport the way it once was. In the past twenty years, paintball has become wildly popular. Today, teams compete in championship tournaments globally, and their fan-base is expanding beyond those who have actually held a paintball gun. Fan who are lucky enough to have a pro paintball team nearby can watch their favorites battle live, the rest of us perch on the edge of our couches and tune into ESPN.