Speaking of economics, I caught a thread on RSD with a discussion on the state of Ultimate with respect to the downturn. Then today, this article discusses the NBA's financial woes.
Note: Canadian Tire money is not legal tender in Canada...though it's damn cool.So, what will happen in the upcoming Ultimate seasons due to the current financial problems. First, I look to my friends in Ultimate, and other than a few, the majority have kept their jobs. This is good news. Companies may have frozen raises, but based on previous spending history, it seems that people will be able to afford the Ultimate trips and gear based on last year. My guess is that the status quo maintains its' spending (no growth).
The second place where Ultimate might get hurt is the upcoming graduates. This group will, likely, find it hard to find work that pays enough and has a low enough time demand to allow Ultimate spending. This means that we might see a growth slowdown for the sport. Also, parents will be able to use the economic climate to convince their children to tighten their belts. Maybe College Ultimate will see a small negative growth.
The third place where we might see change is due to fear. Even though the economic status of players might not change, general fear might cause us to look towards cheaper leisure options. This might mean that local leagues see a decline, tournaments see less bids, and the jersey industry doesn't design new jerseys and instead prints last years version for a few new players.
It would be interesting to hear what people think on this issue. So far, only GAIA has disappeared off the Ultimate map (unconfirmed). I suspect our Ultimate market will see a decline, but not on the same scale as the Worlds. I feel the sport is a reasonably wealthy group to begin with.
PJ
5 comments:
and here i thought ultimate players were unreasonably wealthy...
PJ. I don't think Gaia has disappeared from the map as their website says: "www.GAIACustom.ca will be back up shortly".
this is actually a great chance for a lot of creativity ... players may opt to play for teams which travel less or travel to practice less which could lead to better 3rd and 4th teams in a region. Teams may opt to travel less frequently across country and instead play more often in a regional area.
Players most likely will not be purchasing as many amenities unless prices drop ... who needs the 11th or 12th tourney shirt that is going to lay at the bottom of the tourney shirt drawer
Just make more money. Grind harder. I lost my job and so did my girlfriend, but I don't blame the economy for my pocketbook. Most ultimate players make the sport a priority already, I bet they will cut spending on the stupid shit they buy. That is at least, what I am doing.
I definitely think it is time for us to stop being victims and start determining what happens in our lives. I should save this content for self-help writing.
No jobs means more time to play ultimate. It seems pretty straightforward. More sleeping in tents, less sleeping at the Four Seasons. More driving to tournaments in shitty cars, less private jets. More Pabst Blue Ribbon, less Chateau Lafite. Less lockouts due to multi-million dollar contract impasses, more hanging out a bars with no cover.
Financial crisis = positive effect on ultimate.
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