5 Reasons Axe Throwing should have Team Competitions

Have you ever stood at the line and threw your very best hatchet game only to have it received with silence? Have you ever won your league championship and only one person clapped because everyone else already  left for home? As an individual Axe Thrower there is little incentive for others to cheer for you. Considering that the community itself is one of things people like most about the sport, it always seemed odd to me that there are no larger team competitions.

My pitch here is that adding a team aspect to axe throwing could revitalize the sport. Here are 5 reasons why axe throwing should have team competitions.

1. Popularity - While Individual sports have their own benefits they tend to be less popular than team sports because they require less people. With the exception of MMA, 9 of the top 10 most popular sports in the world are all team sports (Some would argue that behind the scenes MMA is also a team sport). We all know what the big sports are, I don't need to list them.

With team sports, more players means more family and friends to cheer for their favorite athlete. More viewership attracts advertisers which raises awareness and attracts even more fans and future potential athletes. Attention is a self perpetuating cycle. Nothing advertises a sport better than exciting events from the sport itself. Nothing spreads awareness faster than fans who love to talk about what they witnessed or took part in.

Tennis, Golf, Rowing and Cycling all started as individual sports that added team competitions which made them more appealing to a wider audience. Look it up.

2. Money, Money, Money - It almost goes without saying that the most popular sports are also the wealthiest. It's a numbers game. The more athletes and fans you have, the more money you make. Even smaller teams sports like Bowling or BMX racing have ten times the number of participants of axe throwing and thus are more financially successful.

Consider sponsorship for a second. A company sponsors an individual both to help them along with their sports career but also to spread the word about their business. Teams are made up of several individuals so they walk with a wider berth. They draw more attention. Sponsoring a team is far more beneficial to a company than just one individual.

The passion of the fans is what propels profitability (Say that five times fast). Introducing team competitions would add intensity to events making wins and losses more meaningful. Team competitions would drive excitement which would raise interest and increase sales. Mo people, mo money.

3. Expansion - Has anyone tried to draft you onto their local bowling team? This has happened to me twice and I hardly ever bowl. In both cases they needed just one more person to make a team or to keep their team up and running. This is an easy way for a sport to expand.

If a group of customers walked into your venue on a league night, they would have no reason to ask what's going on because it just looks like a bunch of individuals throwing matches. However, if they saw teams of people wearing jerseys and cheering for their friends, the visuals alone would compel interest. The sport would be advertising itself.

The truth is that I haven't seen any advertising for new people to join the leagues. Just finding out when the leagues are, what the rules are and how much it costs all require the newbie to ask numerous questions at venues or search online for answers. The outreach is almost non-existent. Teams wearing jerseys are walking, talking outreach posters. Can you imagine how many questions you would get about your jersey while just traveling to your venue on a league night? Now multiply that by five thousand.

4. Intrapreneurship - This term refers to employees within an existing organization who act as entrepreneurs, using their skills and creativity to develop new products, services, or processes, ultimately contributing to the company's growth. This happens spontaneously in most any sport but it's also a numbers game. The more people you have, the more ideas that can bounce around and reach the ears of someone who has the skills or means to act on those ideas.

I know a guy who wanted to start a BMX team but didn't have a track anywhere near his home. Someone suggested he should build one (Very expensive) but he had means. Others in the sport offered to run the track or do maintenance. Another person was an electrician who would set up power and lights. Another person knew where they could get a trailer for a track office. In the end this was how The Riverview BMX track in Florida was created (Now known as Triple Creek BMX).

We already see it in our sport with throwers who design axes, gear and stencils. We have people who write books and produce videos or set up live streams or podcasts. We have non-profits for different causes. Adding teams to this would expand the influence and variety of go-getters. 

5. A Stronger Community - Community is already axe throwing's biggest strength and yet it could be so much stronger. Axe throwing is relatively easy to learn and play, this accessibility should create fertile grounds for grassroots growth. That growth is usually centered in small communities that we call teams. 

Team sports foster a shared identity and sense of belonging that increases emotional investment in the game. If axe throwing has teams then those two people playing the final match of the league championship would both have teammates cheering them on. There should be a lot more noise in venues than just the sound of metal hitting wood. No one should ever have to succeed in silence.

Here is my pitch: Imagine that WATL allotted for teams of four at your local venue. Let's say there are already two established teams but you only have three people left, now there is a driving need to find that fourth person and bring them in. Expansion would become an organic part of the process. Players would be drafting new players from outside the venue.

Here's another idea, the top three scores from the four person teams would be added up to determine the team champions for that season. Why the top three scores? This avoids the tendency for athletes to create "Super Teams," dominant groups that have the venue's top four throwers. Team competitions need to feel fair so everyone believes they have a shot.

At the very least I thought this idea would be worth discussing. I entered axe throwing with a four person team, we even made our own t-shirts, only to find that teams didn't mean anything in the current structure of the sport. What is funny was the number of people who saw our shirts and commented that it was a great idea. Maybe now it's an idea whose time has come.