Bernie,
First of all, I appreciate you asking an honest question on our boards. Take my word for it, you're not the only one comparing our contest with others out there. It's natural for everyone to ask as many questions as possible so that they can feel comfortable that when they are plunking down their hard earned cash that they are getting what they are paying for. I will tell you what I like about our contest and let you decide between the NFFC, the WCOFF, RotoBowl.com or any of the other contests out there.
1. Trust in Krause Publications. We are a company that has been around for 52 years, we have been a leader in the fantasy sports industry since Fantasy Sports Magazine was started in 1989, and we are part of a $250 million a year company. I think you can also trust in me since I've had a pretty good reputation in the industry for the last 15 years, and as president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association I have gained the respect of other industry executives to lead the way as we try to grow this incredible industry together.
2. We have one in the books. We hosted the National Fantasy Baseball Championship in March with 195 people competing for a $100,000 grand prize. As Dyv said, those people who competed in baseball left feeling good about the simultaneous live drafts, about the hospitality we showed in each city, and the professionalism of the game. STATS Inc., has run a very smooth in-season game for baseball and I don't anticipate any problems for football.
3. We are honest about our signups. We announce every single signup, so go on that thread and you can see how many FULLY PAID people we have right now. We don't take deposits, or announce applications or anything like that. We announce when someone has signed up and paid in full.
4. The prize money. In baseball, our prize structure was based on 300 teams, but we still guaranteed the $100,000 grand prize even though we finished with 195 teams. We gave out almost 100 percent of all revenue in prize money. Why? Because we are in this for the long term and we wanted to gain the trust of our members. Obviously we are offering a prize package that is twice as big as baseball and thus we need to attract twice as many people as baseball, but we're confident that the next two weeks will get us to our goal.
5. We are licensed by the NFLPA. Maybe that doesn't mean much to most people, but it should show that we are intent on doing our games first-class and working with the players to get extra promotional leverage.
6. The games and the players. Our 14-team league format is unique and I think a lot of guys see this contest as the ultimate challenge. The 14-team format also makes for a longer regular season and our consolation bowl and weekly prizes from Upper Deck Authenticed allow everyone to play hard for all 16 weeks of the season. There's something to play for each week. I also think our gamers are among the best in the industry, as evidenced by our baseball group that is currently competing for over $225,000 in total prizes and by the die-hard players who have signed up for the NFFC so far.
7. Best Buy, UDA and more. There's no question that I can't compete with an FHM party afterwards, so RotoBowl.com has one on me there. Plus they have a strong promotional partner to men. Me? I've reached out to Best Buy to sponsor our Welcome Receptions in each city and will bring in retired NFL players to speak to our group. Me? I've secured 16 Weekly Prizes from Upper Deck Authenticated to give to the high point team each week, so that everyone still plays hard during the season. And we hope to work with Steiner Sports again (who is also involved with RotoBowl) for our weekly prizes to one NFFC person each week. We're also offering eight free fantasy football magazines and other goodies from industry partners.
I think a lot of our guys believe the multi-city format is the way to go in the future and that following years will bring out more and more people to the NFFC as we continue to become recognized in baseball and football as the industry's only multi-city contest. I think some guys feel like they are getting in on the ground floor of what could be something very special in years to come. I agree as our format is set up to expand to more NFL cities in future years as our company is large enough to staff drafts in more than three cities. I know what my vision is for the NFBC and NFFC and we'll see if we reach it.
Right now we're just trying to stand out in a crowded field of contests and make the NFFC a first-class event/contest. We wish all of the other contests good luck and respect your decision either way. Good luck in all of your fantasy leagues this year and if you have more questions, call me anytime at 715-445-4612, ext. 284# or e-mail me at
[email protected]. I'd love to talk with you in person.