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Spikeball

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berndt_mann View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote berndt_mann Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Spikeball
    Posted: 05/16/2015 at 4:15pm
(excerpted from USASpikeball.com)

Our Mission: To build the next great American sport. 

Spikeball is played 2 vs 2. Described as kinda sorta like volleyball and foursquare but on steroids.

There are 250,000+ players in the US and 1,000+ nationally ranked teams!  Want to become ranked?  Want to play in or host a tournament (there were over 100 of them last year alone!)?  USASpikeball.com is the site for you. 

This is terrifying.  How many of you have ever heard of  spikeball?  I hadn't, until I watched Shark Tank last night and a couple of  guys from USASpikeball came on to try to convince at least one of the sharks that Spikeball was going to be the next big thing in American sport.  It's simple in concept but very athletic and strenuous.  You put the ball into play by whopping it onto a small circular trampoline-like gizmo and then everybody tries to keep the small ball in play without it touching the ground.  And USASpikeball claims (who knows how true or how hyped?) that there are 250,000 people in the U.S. alone doing this.  Plus 1,000+ nationally ranked teams.  

Whoa.  Somebody is doing some heavy selling and marketing here.  And what is USA Table Tennis, the beloved national governing body for the sport doing to promote it so that membership will some day reach about five figures (well, there are a few more cadets and juniors than there once were)?  The millions of great unwashed who like a game of pong now and then?  Screw 'em.  Let them play spikeball.  

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pgpg View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pgpg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05/16/2015 at 4:47pm
Saw it played once couple of weeks ago at a local college - was wondering what that is - now I know.

Edit: From what I saw it did not look really athletic or strenuous, reminded me of a hacky sack a bit.


Edited by pgpg - 05/16/2015 at 5:36pm
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igorponger View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote igorponger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05/16/2015 at 5:40pm
http://4er-tisch.de/

The sport a real man would like most.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kenneyy88 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05/16/2015 at 6:53pm
Looks kinda fun
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote wturber Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05/16/2015 at 11:53pm
USA Table Tennis doesn't have owners, stockholder etc.  USATT has no marketing department and no marketing budget. There is no one person or group who has a large vested interest in promoting table tennis in general as opposed to their particular club or athlete. That's not to say that there is no marketing at all.  Some does happen.  But it has clearly not been a priority.  So it is no surprise that table tennis growth in the USA is mostly about on par with the nations population growth. 

I'm sure that the owners of Spikeball are VERY focused on marketing the sport.  It only makes sense.  They own the name and sell the gear.  They stand to benefit in a huge way from it.  You bet they are marketing the heck out of it.


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Pondus View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pondus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05/17/2015 at 12:23am
Originally posted by wturber wturber wrote:

USATT has no marketing department and no marketing budget...



Wturber is making Samuel feel overlooked and insignificant... Cry


Edited by Pondus - 05/17/2015 at 12:24am
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wturber View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote wturber Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05/17/2015 at 12:46am
Originally posted by Pondus Pondus wrote:

Originally posted by wturber wturber wrote:

USATT has no marketing department and no marketing budget...



Wturber is making Samuel feel overlooked and insignificant... Cry


My apologies to Samuel.

I double-checked the website and didn't find him.  Frankly, I think it is great that they now have a Marketing Manager.  I checked the most recent available USATT financial audit and in 2013 a total of about $6000 was spent on marketing. 

Let's hope that the focus is truly shifting.  Better late than never.
Jay Turberville
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Hardbat: Nittaku Resist w/ Dr. Evil or Friendship 802-40 OX
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