NPPL PSP Merger Rumors, ProPaintball Poll

The end of the season is only a few weeks away and the major league paintball merger rumors are heating up. ProPaintball insiders have been passing through a series of conflicting information. You, the ProPaintball community, are invited to be the judge of what is true, false, and ridiculous.



Here is the latest in the stream of never ending merger related gossip. Please note that this gossip comes to us from a variety of sources, some of which are long time ProPaintball insiders, and a few are newer and unvetted. Some of this may be spot on and other elements may be out of left field. Aside from areas marked “ProPaintball:”, This gossip is posted raw and uncut.
■According to several sources, the odds of the PSP and NPPL mergering is about 50/50. ProPaintball: If true, these odds appear to remain unchanged after several months of negotiations. For the records sake, these merger negotiations officially began in July, 2011.
■Talk around the water cooler is that there won’t be a merger. Then we hear that there will be a merger. ProPaintball: No one knows.
■The PSP is rumored to be going to 5 events next year, merger or not.
■The NPPL is rumored to be firmly in charge of merger talks and controlling the direction of the merger.
■The NPPL is rumored to be pushing a 7-man, Race-to 3 format for all divisions.
■The 2012 pro division will be limited to 16 teams. Those that don’t make the cut will be playing in a new semi pro division. Semi pro teams will have a chance to win a slot in the pro division, and the bottom pro teams will be relegated into semi pro.
■The PSP pro division will be “the” pro division next year. A select group of NPPL teams will be invited in to the fold. NPPL teams that play PSP Pro at the 2011 World Cup will have priority.
■The NPPL pro division will be “the” pro division next year. A select group of PSP pro teams will be invited in to the fold.
■Merger talks are taking place at the 2011 PSP World Cup.

ProPaintball:
■Players from 3 Pro Paintball teams polled said that if there is no merger, and the PSP goes to 5 events, that they believe their teams will be playing the PSP exclusively. These teams play currently play both leagues.
■Pro Merger: Elements from both sides are rumored to be pushing for a rumor so that the industry can work together to rebuild, grow the game and make another push for mainstream acceptance.
■No Merger: Elements that are against a merger are worried about the loss of control, ownership stakes, suggest “big sponsorship deals” are in the wings, and prefer one format over the other.

Based on the above rumors, ProPaintball has published a poll (to the right of this article) offering you the opportunity to vote on your preferred paintball format for 2012. Cast your votes and we will discuss the results next Tuesday.

ProPaintball, we want to hear from you.

What is your take on the above rumors? Will a merger happen? How will it happen? What format will the merged leagues play? Share your thoughts in the comments!