Bad Company 1997 World Cup
John ( R ) with Rene Boucher ( L ), of Paintball News advertising funds to keep us going every month . Trying to convince people in this industry with money that without what we are doing there would be no traditional journalism left in the game . Look , I understand there are bloggers , YouTubers and social media , but we are the only magazine left covering this game and the 55,000 monthly readers we have and the feedback we get shows that .
The biggest reward is the 55,000 readers . That ’ s why we do this . And also companies like GI Sportz , Planet Eclipse , JT Paintball , Sport Smoke , the NXL , OXCC Paintball , Valken and many others that support us … that ’ s very rewarding .
What is also rewarding is the number of great contributors we have . I make no secret that there ’ s just not enough money on the table to pay most of our contributors and I am just so blessed that they see our vision and contribute anyway . I wish that we could do more for our writers and photographers , I really do .
The paintball industry has a longstanding reputation for its tolerance of fringe lifestyles and underhanded business . Do you think that culture has changed ? If so , how ?
Maybe because the game is a “ fringe lifestyle ” [ laughs ]. Over the years I ’ ve seen some of the under-handed businesses come and go . Companies run by guys like Keith Idema and Eddie Dovner ( see , still calling people out ) never last . They will always eventually be run out of the game . So , I ’ m not sure it ’ s tolerance as much as it is kind of letting things play out and run its course . One thing I have told anyone that asks is , I have not made a living in paintball for 40 years by being dishonest . Longevity in paintball is hard to come by . www . paintball . media
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