I have been around the paintball industry now for close to 25 years and even with the growth our sport has had, I still hear people say, "That is so not a Sport!" and other like-minded statements.
Something I always find interesting as that Oxford Dictionary defines sport as;
noun
1 an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment:
In this day and age of gaming consoles and the rise in obesity, why not get off the couch and come out to your local field and have a game or two. Paintball offers all the thrills you are getting from your game consoles without the safety of your screen in the way and you get some cardio work out at the same time. There are lots of articles being written now about the health benefit of getting out and playing paintball. Your heart and lungs get a work out every time you step onto the field and realize as you raise your marker (correct term instead of paintball gun)...someone else is out there gunning for me and my friend those paintballs have a muzzle velocity of 300fps (feet per second).
If you like stats and fast action try some Speedball. If you like the thrill of stalking with a Team through the woods and facing challenges not only man made but from nature try some Woodsball.
There is something for every skill level of play and at times you can find every skill level playing in the same game on the same field at the same time. There are leagues for both speedball and woodsball and all skill levels. Teams abound for both fields of play and scramble every year to grab sponsorship to help them through the upcoming season.
Paintball is played with a range of rules, which are specified before the game begins but can include capture the flag, elimination, ammunition limits, defending or attacking a particular point or area, or capturing objects, or scenario story lines. The most basic game rule is that players must attempt to accomplish a goal without being shot and marked with a paintball. A variety of different rules govern the legality of a hit, ranging from "anything counts" to the most common the paintball must break and leave a mark the size of a quarter or larger. Eliminated players are expected to leave the field of play; eliminations may also earn the points. Depending on the agreed upon game rules, the player may return to the field and continue playing, or is eliminated from the game completely. Depending on the variant played, games can last from seconds to hours, or even days in scenario play.
So, put down the remote, come out to your local indoor or outdoor field grab a marker and get some exercise along with some fun and play our sport.