is this hobby dying ?

[Jim Davis]

i hate to say it , but it looks like this hobby is dying and I'm
as hell about it.
and if it is dying, i want to thank a lot of people for causing it's death.

and if it is dying I'll name names of who i think is causing the death of ef.
so i would like to say to all coaches think very hard and long about how you can make this hobby better for all of us.and not just you.
we are all family and i love you all. we must keep ef alive.

thanks jimmy Davis 313-300-1214

[mozeek]

No Sir .....I do not think that the hobby is dying. I think right now we are at a critical point in the hobby. We have Newbies that are afraid to join or be apart of the Forum because of the events that took place this past week.....Whats most important now is that we build better relationships and support all events especially "OUR CONVENTION"
No need to name names thats unimportant at this stage we must come together and try and make the "DREAM of UNITY A REALITY"

"ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF WE JUST BELIEVE"

[Silverhorse 228]

The Hobby is not dying...I believe it is just going through some growing pains...sometimes you have to take one step back to take two steps forward.

[Shabby J]

The hobby is not dying, it's just hit a rough patch. I for one would love to see that list, heck, I may even be on it!

I think we all have a "List" of some sorts, I am guilty of that myself.

My problem is learning to keep that list folded up and tucked away somewhere and act like it does not exist, I struggle with that daily, especially the last week.

I also think everyone will come away from the MFCA Con with a renewed vigor and interest in the hobby.

[sweetka]

Remember what it took to Get the Great Lakes going?

A lot of growth, and growing pains.

One of the biggest obstacles we always faced was we all came from different electric/miniature football backgrounds and boy did we disagree. Not so much on what the mission was, yet whether we could work together.

We had clicks and everything.

As time went on and seasons go by people power took effect, agendas were cast aside, and we were able to become highly successful at what we were doing. Mind you, it wasn't perfect, but when it became time all hands were on deck. Especially in season's five and six.

The frustration point, at least for me, has and always will be the inabliltiy for us to extend that knowledge to the community at large as it pertains to all hands being on deck. The civility, among those who could impact our hobby positively at the this time, should be a focus in the future.

No, the hobby is nowhere near dying because if it were you would not have people fighting for unity and transparency. We, myself included, have to insure that the fight for unity and integrity is restricted to the offenders, privately, to not interfere with the main component, FELLOWSHIP.

See you in "da hood" my friend.

For me, this topic hit's home. This hobby almost died for me. This is going to be my 1st year playing and a lot of guys in the Mid-Ohio league & the EF community have really helped me out. But I have been burned once and it has left a sour taste in my mouth After several conversations with Norbert, Chuck Lawrence, Frank Jacobs, they helped me to keep the faith and to not quit. I'm not going to name the individual because that's not my style, but I do want to commend some who have really helped me to get back started after being away for over 20 plus years.
1. Jeff Priest, Frank Jacobs, Chuck Lawrence, Larue, Rollertaco, Norbert, just to name a few off the top of my head. A BIG THANKS "Jimbo" the text are WILD!!!!!"

Being new for me, "HONESTY" is the most important thing that stands out. Getting over on someone and not making the situation right is just flat out wrong!!!! I'm not perfect by any means, but I can say $$$ does not drive me like it does for some. I think it is important to keep the hobby growing and have a strong foundation as well as helping the new guys out and by not taking advantage of them. Several guys who I mentioned above basically took me under and helped guide me along the way and to me that is what it's all about.

Just my .2 fellows.

[Megawattz]

Not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin & I got a lot of those hows that for an answer.

[Electric Coach]

I don’t think it’s dying. I think it has reached a plateau. We have the boards, the bases, figures, tournaments, videos, etc. As far as I can tell, there really isn’t anything else new in this hobby. Like all things, we have reached what appears to be the summit. Now we have to maintain that position unless someone else in the hobby has something brewing. If the attitudes of certain coaches are a cancer, don’t let the ill behavior of a few cause you to leave the hobby.

Maurice

The Electric Coach

[rjackson]

....it ain't dying bro. You have a lot of Diva's in the Hobby that cause conflict among some. I have taken another approach on the board. Bite my lip until face to face interaction is possible. Until then I have no more comments for the Diva's of the Hobby. Mike Robertson's announcement is big. He and I talked and I understand what and why he came to that conclusion. However if I know my nephew he will be back but I understand where he is coming from.

[MplsTom]

Is this hobby dying?

1) Because of this last go-around...no. One of the challenges/beauties of this hobby (depending on your perspective) is that it has so many different ways of playing and sets of possible rules. There is no governing board and when pure, unregulated free market happens, well we saw how well our large financial companies police themselves the past 8 years. Same concept here...people will do their own things, form their own groups depending on their point of view and vision, and try to convince the masses. That usually doesn't work.

2) Overall, absolutely. We are an aging group of players with very little interest amongst the youth - save a few children of coaches or league players. I've said this before and I'll say it again...the youth of tomorrow will fondly get together and have Madden tournaments when they are 40 and their kids will be playing the 3d virtual reality something or other.

It isn't a secret in the hobby that before I started my consulting business, I looked at acquiring one of the major manufacturers. In doing so, my marketing plan was basically a 5 to 10 year cycle. We can get the youth interested for a short amount of time if we have TV tournaments, etc with sponsors and the like. That will de facto set the "standards" in the hobby as guys will want to be preparing that style because that's where the recognition and $ is.

Having said that, it would be unwise to consider the business venture anything more than a short-term, grow the business and sell proposition. The youth are fully invested in the video culture and we would be marketing toward an aging group using the nostalgia angle.

In my eyes, at that time, the manufacturer had to take the lead in driving that type of strategy. It requires a ton of energy and some initial $ / risk to do so. The business is theirs and I respect their ability to do with it what they like. It is their business model to be a niche player, comfortably servicing the existing players and generating a nice side income and allow for some decent tax benefits. That is their perogotive and I do not fault them at all for that. Again, it is only my opinion as to how this hobby can get a serious bounce.