Topic: Bigger Balls

[foozkillah]

Let's see how well you can argue the other side of the coin.  Your assignment, if you chose to accept it, is to set forth acceptable guidelines as can be expounded to the Olympic committee.  The goal is to spawn acceptance of foosball as an Olympic sport, and give clear guidelines to standardized rules and equipment for Olympic athletes all over the world.  The rules part we pretty much have down.  But the equipment standards need some work.

The previous World Cup had more tables, if I recall.  Now it's 5.  Olympic tennis allows a standardized clay/sandshell, grass (for London), and several artificial "hard" surfaces, & one set of "Olympic" rules.  Using the same foosball World Cup format, bringing 5 sets of tables & balls is just as practical, and even more egalitarian and fair, which is a lot harder to do in tennis.  It also guarantees interest from several dozen nations that prefer one or more of the tables.  No need to affect the tables currently in use in all those countries!  One or more manufacturers may add an Olympic "approved" table and balls and men, if desired, to their line of products, but that's all!  But that has absolutely nothing to do with getting Olympic status.  At least on this planet.

[invisiblesmoke]

Be careful to weed out marketing myths that have no basis in economic reality.  The big money comes to other sports because there are equipment standards defined enough to allow independent companies to produce accessories, e.g. balls, racquets, etc., profitably, and to demand star players for endorsements.  That will happen only when certain changes take place on the foosball landscape. 

Being an expert or professional foosball player does not necessarily qualify someone to make determinations about the future of the sport. At present it appears that many top foosers either don't realize what is in their best interests, or have knuckled under at the threat of being blackballed from participation. 

That said, we must give credit to some elite players who have tried to make changes, and some of you know who they are.  Certain steps could be taken that would not only make the current foosball industry much more profitable, but would make some of our top athletes very wealthy men.  And money at the top would resurrect our sport, causing an influx of players like happened in the seventies.