What is Paintball //

Definition // Paintball (n) 

A Game in which players on one team seek to eliminate those on an opposing team by marking them with

a water-soluble dye shot in capsules from air guns.

History of Paintball //

The first paintballs were created in the 1970s by Charles Nelson of the Nelson Paint Company of MI,

Inc. in Kingsford, MI for use by foresters in marking trees from a distance, and also for use by cattlemen to mark cows. The earliest versions of paintballs were made from wax, but they were not sufficiently durable, and soon softgel encapsulation was identified as the best method of containing the paint in a projectile that would survive being rapidly accelerated when fired, yet break on the intended target. Source: Wikipedia

Safety //

Safety is paramount in paintball. All players are required to wear a mask at all times when entering into a playing area, as well as securing their markers with a barrel bag. Player’s markers are also regulated to a maximum rate of fire of 13 balls per second. The league accepts no excuses, or makes no exceptions. Players can and will be given penalties, match misconducts, suspensions and/or fines when acting in an unsafe manner.

The XBall Format //

The XBall format has revolutionized the sport of paintball. XBall combines the high energy in hockey and football but adds the heart stopping hits from a ballistic traveling at 300 feet per second. XBall matches are played on a flat grass or astro-turf surface measuring 125 by 150 feet. Surrounding the entire playing field is see-through safety netting towering 20 feet. From the safety behind the nets spectators and coaches have the ability to communicate with the players on the field increasing the already intense action. These XBall athletes are using all the skills and courage they can muster as they battle it out on a layout of up to 50 inflatable “bunkers” in various shapes and sizes.  Other similarities to hockey include penalty minutes and a gigantic electronic scoreboard counting everything from the match score, game time, penalty times and time out clock. Matches are made up of two twenty-five minute halves with a five minute halftime break.  When the buzzer sounds  each team’s line will break out from the start position and try to eliminate the apposing team’s line then hang the center flag to score a point for their team. Teams consist of 15 players, split into 3 lines of 5 players.  Speed is key as each team tries to score as many points as possible in the regulation time of a match. At the conclusion of each point teams will have 2 minutes to clean up, reload, and send another line of 5 players onto the field for the next point. Penalties are handed out in 2 and 5 minute increments forcing a team to play shorthanded. Adding to the excitement is heated rivalries, high performance markers and rates of fire exceeding 13 balls a second.

The CXBL //

The Canadian Extreme Paintball league (CXBL) was formed in Montreal, Quebec Canada in 1999. For over 11 years the league has been considered the sole professional tournament series in Canada. Comprised of almost 100 franchises with over 1,000 players spread across Canada.

Each team is provided a mandatory league jersey containing their unique team name, logo,  player number, and league sponsor logos so that each player can showcase their team professionally. The CXBL is divided into conferences that the franchises are sorted into. These conferences include players from all over North America competing in several different divisions. these divisions include tiers that group the different skill levels from Pro to amateur these divisions are CXBL Elite (Pro), MXL (Minor league), RXL (Rookie League), CX4 (Starter League). The top CXBL Elite teams are then rewarded with a chance to play at the Richmond Cup Championship.  The winning franchises for each division are promoted to the next tier of game play, while the bottom seeded franchises are demoted down a division.

Unique Features of CXBL //

Full X Ball Matches                                    

Live Online Score Board

15 balls per seconds Huge cash prizes/Championship rings 

Live Chat                                                  

CXBL Elite game highlight videos

Player Statistics updated immediately           

Jerseys provided for all players

Introduction //  Who is Backline Media  

Over the past several years Backline Media has catapulted as one of the most premier venues for video content for paintball sporting.  Backline Media was founded in 2008 to capture speedball action for the Canadian XBall League.  Largely online with a hefty and growing captive audience, Backline Media continues to find new and inventive ways of providing the viewing public a glimpse into the game, the sport and the characters of paintball, bringing another facet to an already exciting list of unique features of the CXBL.  .

After several successful seasons of game and event coverage of the CXBL , Backline Media expanded to include coverage of the Tippmann Challenge Canadian events.  In 2010 Backline Media once again grew in their production coverage to include web series, including Gab Fest, Sessions, Product Spotlight and Where Paintball Takes Us.