Here’s a great idea - and whilst I don’t agree that it has to culminate in the winning airsoft team going up against a SEAL team (any regular or reserve infantry unit would be good) – I do hope the show idea gets lots of support:Hello my name is Gerald Mahler I have recently submitted a show idea to Discovery Networks for The Military Channel called Mission Milsim ID#4770 the show idea is basically an international Airsoft competition pitting the best Milsim teams from all around the world against each other in force on force combat which will culminate in the winning Milsim team going up against a U.S. Navy SEALs team if they win. It all starts as any Airsoft team petitioning for competition they would then travel to a specially constructed camp where they must first pass the Obstacle and team fire events in military fashion in order to be considered for competition. Once approved they would then compete with all the other passing international teams for the number 1 team slot. Then its SEAL Time. The actual competition will be held in any suitable Airsoft center, Field or Military Facility anywhere in the free world.Scenarios will range from all the best we know of like escort through hostile territory; downed pilot etc. the sky is the limit. This will give everyone the ability to showcase their fields of play. Like you I am a member and advocate for Airsoft callsign RICO member of team SOCOM of Northern California at TeamSOCOMUSA.Proboards.com.The only way this show has any chance at all is for all of us in the Airsoft community, retail and manufacturing side to contact Discovery and mention that you are interested in watching or purchasing commercial time for the concept show Mission Milsim ID#4770 and it might have a chance to go from concept to production.What this show has that the others didn’t is everyone has the opportunity to be on Mission Milsim there is no set cast and will always change just like the missions and locations. I have already started posting on the Airsoft forums and everyone loves the concept and is looking forward to seeing it. I will also send this message to the other Airsoft retailers, manufacturers, Game developers and all branches of the United States Military recruitment departments to kick the tires and light fires on the first ever national prime time airsoft television show.Who to contact: 
Discovery.comAndrew SnyderVice PresidentFax: 212-548-5374Email: AdSales_Discovery@Discovery.comJohn ViladeSenior Vice President, Business DevelopmentPhone: (212) 548-5015Fax: (212) 548-5279http://extweb.discovery.com/viewerrelationsThank You and RememberNever Forget, Ever Honor.Gerald Mahler (aka RICO, Team SOCOM)
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Milsim airsoft has its roots in LARP,team building, fieldcraft and basic small units tactics. I feel that such a move as this show would turn it into a what paintball has become today, a grossly deformed commercial enterprise in which the original comraderie has broken down into a competition for prize money at all costs to the honor of the player and the integrity of the sport.The gross limitations of airsoft in range and other qualities will limit this to an indoors cqb affair, in which case simunitions would be a better tool.
Tim – I agree with your views about MilSim airsoft. However, I disagree with your conclusion that this type of show would lead to the spoiling and/or over-commercialisation of airsoft.Paintball became what it is today becuase it is a fundamentally rather silly “gotcha” type of game. Even with the most advanced RAP-4 type launchers, paintball can never have the same level of real-deal, “cool” factor as airsoft.Ultimately though, it would be the way that this type of enterprise was organised, judged, played and rewarded that would make the difference. If its done in a way that retains the suspension-of-disbelief factor, and in a way that encourages and rewards honour, integrity and camaraderie, then it will be a very good thing. In short – its needs to be more of a “mission” than a “competition”.
Airsoft is already a commercial venture. It’s the community that creates the experience many airsofters want, particularly milsim players. (That and wearing a lot of cool gear.) “Honour, integrity, and camaraderie” could be a central theme to a show like this, but frankly it’s going to need to draw an audience beyond strictly airsoft players to have any chance of production, much less survival. Thus, the competition is going to be integral to this presentation.(For the record, I don’t play. I’d love to, but it’s not that big where I’m at. And neither can I afford a decent kit and weapon.)It needs some kind of drama, and the drama airsoft players feel does not necessarily translate well to film/screen. Watching video of airsoft can be a mind-numbing trudge, unless you’re specifically looking for the technical details that enthusiasts love. For anyone else to care, they have to find something that stimulates their interests and makes them care.Pitching this to the Military Channel specifically might be an incredibly smart move on this person’s part. Much of what appears on that channel focuses on stuff gearheads of all types find interesting: refurbishing old military vehicles, the evolution of equipment and weapons, contests that test specific field-craft and skill sets, and the technical details of military weapons. There’s some built-in interest there to begin with.But, without a dramatic hook, the show would never survive if it were greenlit in the first place. The “mission” angle can help create a sense of narrative and pace, but something will have to be “on the line.” The basic mechanic behind this will involve competition. The question will be how that competition is masked so that it appears as more than a points tally.
I think it would work. Wasn’t there a similar show on Discovery a few years ago? It pitted teams of ‘elite’ professionals from police and military against one another in various missions. They did the same missions, but at different times, until the final playoff. Results where compared to find the winning team. Implausible as it seems, I think a metropolitan SWAT team went up against Navy SEALs in one episode. The hook is as much in the goings-on amongst team-mates between the contests as it is in the competition itself. Lots of shows use the format successfully these days.