SocialPaintball posted a huge, but unverified and sourceless rumor regarding Oliver Lang. According to the quick post, Oliver has signed a contract with Planet Eclipse, and thus would be leaving both the Ironmen and his position at DYE. Now THAT’s what I call a big move, almost as big as the original (rumoured to be 10-year) contract with DYE back in 2006. If it turns out to be true, that is – no mention of such a thing on PE official sources.
Sure, I may be jumping the gun a bit, but there are a lot of other things that come to mind with the sheer amount of transfers and the related rumors. The last 12 months have turned the pro paintball scene into a wildly spinning wheel of fortune – with the economic situation, the PSP’s new player classification rules and the downfall of Smart Parts leaving everyone scrambling for the best scraps that they can get on their plates – be it the players’ or the business’ perspectives. In the broad perspective, this abrupt and forcefull shift may most probably be taking the sport to a more balanced and professional direction, but the downside seems to be that nothing is “sacred” anymore. Before this year, mid-season signings and transfers were a rarity and teams often had solid rosters for a few years at a time. Sure, there were few franchises that just could not get the resources or the chemistry right, and some free movers were always present. This year it’s completely different.
With the off-season paced by the last breaths of Smart Parts, the corporate powers in charge of the sponsorships saw an opening to extend their visibility, and a few surprise moves were seen during the spring season, and team-wise DYE has definately been dealt the aces of the deck by first signing the Hinman-led SD Aftermath that did not join forces with Infamous, and dropping the visibility-bomb by signing NE Hurricanes who had a super-successful documentary project, Birth of a Storm going for them and Planet Eclipse at the time. The time was incidently after the 2010 NE Hurricanes EGO had already been published.. That kinda set the tone for the warfare for this year. Vicious has been signing and losing players left and right, somewhere over the spring Nicky Cuba ended to Infamous, and so on.
Now, the rumor with Ollie is certainly interesting. At first, it’s definately easy to shrug off, and I’m also personally inclined to do so as well. And hope to do so 
But when you think about the situation in its entirety, it doesn’t seem that impossible anymore. The rumor doesn’t point out a team for Ollie, just that PE has signed him. Realistically thinking, Ollie has a good number of years as a player still ahead, and I wouldn’t see him as only an advisor/consultant at PE and honestly, his value lies elsewhere. He is a huge figurehead for any brand or team, and that’s where he is the most valuable to a sponsor. So where would he go? Now, Ollie plays on both sides of the Atlantic, on the Ironmen and with mr.U in Budapest Bullets in Euroland. PE signed Dynasty – his original homeboys - during the spring shuffle, and by putting Ollie on the team, PE would get visibility in the same markets that DYE now has through him, as Dynasty and Impact play together in Europe.. So that would be a wise move in that sense if the rumor holds water.
Hey, but Ollie’s still on his (rumoured 10-year) contract with DYE? Not even that is a huge obstacle for PE. Why? Because losing a few heavily sponsored teams to the competitor kinda cuts your costs. You have to pick your battles, and by losing a few teams, you actually gain an opportunity to offer an astonishing contract to a few select individuals if you choose to. From what we’ve heard, Olllie’s been quite happy at DYE and with the Ironmen, so the offer has to be quite substantial to say the least.. But hey, pro athletes need to go where they get the best contract – not necessarily the best equipment 
Now, whether this piece of rumor turns out to be true or not, I can see this season eventually resulting to a much more controlled transfer market with free agents and regulated transfer periods for the pro bracket. My god, will we be a true sport after all?
