An Open Letter to the NFBC
Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:16 pm
As of this writing, I know that it has been quite sometime since I have made any significant appearance on these boards, be it with my "Musings" column, The MTM Super thread, or simply responding or chiming in on the myriad of posts which I do peruse and contemplate on a regular basis. However, I felt compelled to speak out to anyone who will honestly listen at the NFBC and take stock in what I am about to post here. But before I go any further, I want to preface what I am about to write with a few things:
I do not have an ax to grind or an agenda of my own that I am trying to further. I do not have any financial or business motivation for writing what I am about to write. I do not write what I am about to write out of spite, anger, revenge, or to be disrespectful of Greg, Tom, or anyone else for that matter that is affiliated with the NFBC. I have always found them all to be nice guys who have done so much to advance this great passion/obsession/hobby of ours. I truly wish that what I am about to write will be taken in the right vein without what has become a consistent pattern of defensiveness and often self-righteous indignation when I do speak out usually on behalf of others who come to me as a sounding board with the hopes that I will say something since I am "The Mouth". I truly would like nothing more than to say nothing in this case since I realize the potential shit storm of reaction that I am sure to get along with the phone calls from the powers that be which come all the more frequently when I am being accused of stirring the pot and creating controversy or when I want to spend more money on their product rather than for my advice, insights, constructive criticism, or even for my participation on any level to help promote and support their products and their company.
But after much consideration, I decided, so be it. I can no longer remain silent (stop chuckling, please). I will say my piece and let the chips fall where they may. I am not doing this to be liked or in an attempt to rally support from the masses. I am doing this out of incredible frustration and an ever-increasing level of annual aggravation, distress, and disillusionment as to where the future of this organization that is the NFBC is going. Just to clarify, first and foremost I participate in the NFBC for the love and passion I have for the game and the competition. Second, I participate each year for the love, friendship, and bond that I have created with so many of the great people I have come to know in this my eighth year of competition. And third I participate and pay my hard-earned money (and a lot of it) year in and year out for the sheer entertainment value and fun of it all, be it the gambling aspect for a chance at the big money, or what should be the fun and excitement of the live events or just even the drafts themselves in whatever form they take. I'm sure that I am not alone in saying that these are the main reasons that most of the core of us participate in the NFBC, in particular the "high rollers" or "whales" so-to-speak who represent the majority of revenue that the NFBC generates each year despite being the smallest demographic of the population, which is another of many parts of the overall issue.
Perhaps the biggest part of my frustration and aggravation comes from being an entrepreneur and independent business person myself, so I look at what is happening each year in terms of the trends, changes, etc. with the NFBC with a different perspective than most. However, I can tell you that the majority of us who operate in the same circles as I do, are as equally as frustrated, exasperated, and aggravated as I am when it comes to the distinct lack of willingness to innovate and change in order to improve on what is a good brand that could be extraordinary on behalf of its paying customers. The fact that we are in fact all customers is quite painfully and frequently forgotten in the way we are treated when we do speak out time and time again to demand these changes in service and product improvement. At the same time, true innovation and change would also be significantly more lucrative for the very powers that be who continually fail to listen to what is needed, wanted, and demanded by its clientele and the increasingly competitive nature of the fantasy sports market. Instead of exploring ways to tap into their greatest asset: their loyal, knowledgeable, creative, and business savvy clientele for their insights and guidance on how to help them better invest in and bring this organization and the competition to the next level of growth, expansion, and development it so desperately needs and that they are seemingly striving for, we are only tapped into for more of our money (and from the same core client base). This happens time and again each year and without a corresponding level of improved product and service. Vague attempts are made annually in the guise of threads which are created on these boards requesting us folks to weigh in on various topics of concern such as technical improvements, rule changes, new and improved contests and client services (such as direct deposit of winnings and personal client accounts that were most recently bandied about), etc. only to have virtually nothing of any significance improve or change and not without a fight when it finally does (case in point on what I personally had to go through to make the MTM Super a reality the way that it is a couple of years ago, and getting a second Diamond League to be created this past season). And I know that I am not the only one who has encountered this difficulty in getting new high stakes contests considered and brought into existence. Even the idea of increasing the prize amount for just one of the Diamonds last year as some may recall was turned into a huge fiasco by the powers that be that it did not have to become. In none of the previous cases should it have been that difficult or adversarial especially when all it did was add more revenue to the coffers of the NFBC while energizing the core clientele and stimulating new interest in them to pony up even more of their hard-earned money.
And when we are asked for our input, it is only quite obviously after a decision has already been made internally to do or not do something by the powers that be beforehand even without significant market research or clientele survey which shouldn't consist of getting the input of the same four of five most vocal veteran NFBC participants (sometimes myself included) who flood these threads with pages and pages of posts in support of their own particular hobby horse or pet peeve. The most recent case being this idea of a 'Cutline Draft' competition for fantasy baseball, which by the way, when did the idea of trying to convert or dumb down fantasy baseball so it becomes more fantasy football-like come in to play as a smart idea to drum up new business for the NFBC? I digress, but it's a simply ludicrous initiative especially when there are so many innovative and creative things that could and seriously need to be done to enhance all of the other contests there already are without further diluting the brand and the pool of money that exists to go around as it is. This along with what looks like will be the addition of a 12-Team Main Event that is sure to even further inhibit what is already stagnant Main Event growth and participation in what should be the premiere national event for fantasy baseball after 10 years of existence. But in reality, The Main Event has only little more than doubled in growth and participation since its inception, which given the size of the market and the advancements in technology on all levels, should be many more times this with the proper innovation, promotion, and marketing.
I definitely appreciate the need and desire for the NFBC to recruit new blood. I wholeheartedly support doing so whenever I can or I am afforded the forum to do so. But this constant urge to add more contests and more gimmicks in the hopes of increasing company revenue that will mainly be gleaned in doing so from the core clientele (which inevitably ends up happening with these initiatives), is just another in a long line of infuriating examples of good intentions, but with the wrong methodology and very little execution or follow through by the powers that be. Case in point again with the dialogue initiated about the Cutline Draft idea. The potential for something good is there perhaps, but it is mired in a convoluted morass of disjointed planning and double-speak which after pages and pages of conversation and debate, still comes down to a matter of "the programmers" being able to make something like this happen when they obviously haven't been able to do this to date with a laundry list of items dating back months and years which have been compiled on another thread on this forum for as long as I care to remember. Again, what is needed is innovation such as a new software platform alternative which is readily available to be had instead of trying to constantly cram the proverbial square peg into the round hole of an inferior product. As I said, what is needed is not need gimmicks which are mainly targeted to a core base of already paying clientele that essentially remains static from year to year other than the increase of the low dollar draft champion leagues which many of the core participate in multiple times over for larger dollar league preparation anyway. There are even a couple among us who draft the equivalent of two or three full leagues of teams of these types of drafts alone, and this is considered a good thing for business and growth when it should not.
In addition, I would be remiss if I did not speak to the unfortunate top down attrition which is beginning to occur as the "whales" or "high-rollers"are becoming increasingly more disenchanted each year by the NFBC's distinct lack of care, attention, and development which caters to this incredibly vital base of competitors whose annual influx of entrance fees proportionately contribute a huge percentage to the company's revenue. This does not make those of us in this small minority necessarily anymore special than any other NFBC competitor, but it should definitely count big time to the powers that be from a business perspective to want to keep this very small core of loyal contributors returning each year as very happy and satisfied customers. But unfortunately it does not as our pleas for innovation and change in the realm of the high dollar competitions, the corresponding draft events and festivities surrounding and supporting them, rules and prize structure/payouts, etc. simply fall on deaf ears for the most part. And worse yet, should any of us dare leave to participate in other competitions or games outside of the NFBC, the powers that be confront these competitors with indignation and scorn. They should in fact be recognizing the situation as a problem with their own product and service. It should be viewed as a potential wake-up call that their own lack of responsibility for not innovating and improving is risking losing more of the "whales', while and not attracting more of these types of players each year. It should not take a math or economics major to figure out the financial benefit to the NFBC of adding a new $10,000 Diamond competitor to the fold while retaining its core for example, as opposed to bringing in several new draft champions players. Common sense however as they say, is often neither.
I could go on here in this post for pages more, but this has already gotten longer than I intended it to be. These are my sentiments, observations, and realities as they pertain to the NFBC. Agree or disagree with them as you wish, which I am sure that the powers that be who I have referenced quite intentionally multiple times throughout this post will most certainly vehemently take the position of the latter. But hopefully not when I do in fact receive the phone call that I have been waiting for for the last two weeks. I wrote this because I want to desperately see something truly change. Perhaps this post will be the impetus for this dialogue to begin, and not just on these boards which will not serve to solve these problems and bring the true change and innovation that is needed. I love this game and the people that I compete against playing it, but I will no longer continue to blindly support it with the same boundless enthusiasm, time, energy, and even more of my money than I already do until I feel good again about doing so. Maybe this doesn't matter to anyone other than me. Maybe it does. We shall see.
Maybe I just wasted parts of three days of my time writing this, but I have always dictated my life and my business with these words of wisdom that have been accredited to the great John Wooden and Earl Weaver as well:
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." Enough said. Maybe someone got the message.
-MTM
I do not have an ax to grind or an agenda of my own that I am trying to further. I do not have any financial or business motivation for writing what I am about to write. I do not write what I am about to write out of spite, anger, revenge, or to be disrespectful of Greg, Tom, or anyone else for that matter that is affiliated with the NFBC. I have always found them all to be nice guys who have done so much to advance this great passion/obsession/hobby of ours. I truly wish that what I am about to write will be taken in the right vein without what has become a consistent pattern of defensiveness and often self-righteous indignation when I do speak out usually on behalf of others who come to me as a sounding board with the hopes that I will say something since I am "The Mouth". I truly would like nothing more than to say nothing in this case since I realize the potential shit storm of reaction that I am sure to get along with the phone calls from the powers that be which come all the more frequently when I am being accused of stirring the pot and creating controversy or when I want to spend more money on their product rather than for my advice, insights, constructive criticism, or even for my participation on any level to help promote and support their products and their company.
But after much consideration, I decided, so be it. I can no longer remain silent (stop chuckling, please). I will say my piece and let the chips fall where they may. I am not doing this to be liked or in an attempt to rally support from the masses. I am doing this out of incredible frustration and an ever-increasing level of annual aggravation, distress, and disillusionment as to where the future of this organization that is the NFBC is going. Just to clarify, first and foremost I participate in the NFBC for the love and passion I have for the game and the competition. Second, I participate each year for the love, friendship, and bond that I have created with so many of the great people I have come to know in this my eighth year of competition. And third I participate and pay my hard-earned money (and a lot of it) year in and year out for the sheer entertainment value and fun of it all, be it the gambling aspect for a chance at the big money, or what should be the fun and excitement of the live events or just even the drafts themselves in whatever form they take. I'm sure that I am not alone in saying that these are the main reasons that most of the core of us participate in the NFBC, in particular the "high rollers" or "whales" so-to-speak who represent the majority of revenue that the NFBC generates each year despite being the smallest demographic of the population, which is another of many parts of the overall issue.
Perhaps the biggest part of my frustration and aggravation comes from being an entrepreneur and independent business person myself, so I look at what is happening each year in terms of the trends, changes, etc. with the NFBC with a different perspective than most. However, I can tell you that the majority of us who operate in the same circles as I do, are as equally as frustrated, exasperated, and aggravated as I am when it comes to the distinct lack of willingness to innovate and change in order to improve on what is a good brand that could be extraordinary on behalf of its paying customers. The fact that we are in fact all customers is quite painfully and frequently forgotten in the way we are treated when we do speak out time and time again to demand these changes in service and product improvement. At the same time, true innovation and change would also be significantly more lucrative for the very powers that be who continually fail to listen to what is needed, wanted, and demanded by its clientele and the increasingly competitive nature of the fantasy sports market. Instead of exploring ways to tap into their greatest asset: their loyal, knowledgeable, creative, and business savvy clientele for their insights and guidance on how to help them better invest in and bring this organization and the competition to the next level of growth, expansion, and development it so desperately needs and that they are seemingly striving for, we are only tapped into for more of our money (and from the same core client base). This happens time and again each year and without a corresponding level of improved product and service. Vague attempts are made annually in the guise of threads which are created on these boards requesting us folks to weigh in on various topics of concern such as technical improvements, rule changes, new and improved contests and client services (such as direct deposit of winnings and personal client accounts that were most recently bandied about), etc. only to have virtually nothing of any significance improve or change and not without a fight when it finally does (case in point on what I personally had to go through to make the MTM Super a reality the way that it is a couple of years ago, and getting a second Diamond League to be created this past season). And I know that I am not the only one who has encountered this difficulty in getting new high stakes contests considered and brought into existence. Even the idea of increasing the prize amount for just one of the Diamonds last year as some may recall was turned into a huge fiasco by the powers that be that it did not have to become. In none of the previous cases should it have been that difficult or adversarial especially when all it did was add more revenue to the coffers of the NFBC while energizing the core clientele and stimulating new interest in them to pony up even more of their hard-earned money.
And when we are asked for our input, it is only quite obviously after a decision has already been made internally to do or not do something by the powers that be beforehand even without significant market research or clientele survey which shouldn't consist of getting the input of the same four of five most vocal veteran NFBC participants (sometimes myself included) who flood these threads with pages and pages of posts in support of their own particular hobby horse or pet peeve. The most recent case being this idea of a 'Cutline Draft' competition for fantasy baseball, which by the way, when did the idea of trying to convert or dumb down fantasy baseball so it becomes more fantasy football-like come in to play as a smart idea to drum up new business for the NFBC? I digress, but it's a simply ludicrous initiative especially when there are so many innovative and creative things that could and seriously need to be done to enhance all of the other contests there already are without further diluting the brand and the pool of money that exists to go around as it is. This along with what looks like will be the addition of a 12-Team Main Event that is sure to even further inhibit what is already stagnant Main Event growth and participation in what should be the premiere national event for fantasy baseball after 10 years of existence. But in reality, The Main Event has only little more than doubled in growth and participation since its inception, which given the size of the market and the advancements in technology on all levels, should be many more times this with the proper innovation, promotion, and marketing.
I definitely appreciate the need and desire for the NFBC to recruit new blood. I wholeheartedly support doing so whenever I can or I am afforded the forum to do so. But this constant urge to add more contests and more gimmicks in the hopes of increasing company revenue that will mainly be gleaned in doing so from the core clientele (which inevitably ends up happening with these initiatives), is just another in a long line of infuriating examples of good intentions, but with the wrong methodology and very little execution or follow through by the powers that be. Case in point again with the dialogue initiated about the Cutline Draft idea. The potential for something good is there perhaps, but it is mired in a convoluted morass of disjointed planning and double-speak which after pages and pages of conversation and debate, still comes down to a matter of "the programmers" being able to make something like this happen when they obviously haven't been able to do this to date with a laundry list of items dating back months and years which have been compiled on another thread on this forum for as long as I care to remember. Again, what is needed is innovation such as a new software platform alternative which is readily available to be had instead of trying to constantly cram the proverbial square peg into the round hole of an inferior product. As I said, what is needed is not need gimmicks which are mainly targeted to a core base of already paying clientele that essentially remains static from year to year other than the increase of the low dollar draft champion leagues which many of the core participate in multiple times over for larger dollar league preparation anyway. There are even a couple among us who draft the equivalent of two or three full leagues of teams of these types of drafts alone, and this is considered a good thing for business and growth when it should not.
In addition, I would be remiss if I did not speak to the unfortunate top down attrition which is beginning to occur as the "whales" or "high-rollers"are becoming increasingly more disenchanted each year by the NFBC's distinct lack of care, attention, and development which caters to this incredibly vital base of competitors whose annual influx of entrance fees proportionately contribute a huge percentage to the company's revenue. This does not make those of us in this small minority necessarily anymore special than any other NFBC competitor, but it should definitely count big time to the powers that be from a business perspective to want to keep this very small core of loyal contributors returning each year as very happy and satisfied customers. But unfortunately it does not as our pleas for innovation and change in the realm of the high dollar competitions, the corresponding draft events and festivities surrounding and supporting them, rules and prize structure/payouts, etc. simply fall on deaf ears for the most part. And worse yet, should any of us dare leave to participate in other competitions or games outside of the NFBC, the powers that be confront these competitors with indignation and scorn. They should in fact be recognizing the situation as a problem with their own product and service. It should be viewed as a potential wake-up call that their own lack of responsibility for not innovating and improving is risking losing more of the "whales', while and not attracting more of these types of players each year. It should not take a math or economics major to figure out the financial benefit to the NFBC of adding a new $10,000 Diamond competitor to the fold while retaining its core for example, as opposed to bringing in several new draft champions players. Common sense however as they say, is often neither.
I could go on here in this post for pages more, but this has already gotten longer than I intended it to be. These are my sentiments, observations, and realities as they pertain to the NFBC. Agree or disagree with them as you wish, which I am sure that the powers that be who I have referenced quite intentionally multiple times throughout this post will most certainly vehemently take the position of the latter. But hopefully not when I do in fact receive the phone call that I have been waiting for for the last two weeks. I wrote this because I want to desperately see something truly change. Perhaps this post will be the impetus for this dialogue to begin, and not just on these boards which will not serve to solve these problems and bring the true change and innovation that is needed. I love this game and the people that I compete against playing it, but I will no longer continue to blindly support it with the same boundless enthusiasm, time, energy, and even more of my money than I already do until I feel good again about doing so. Maybe this doesn't matter to anyone other than me. Maybe it does. We shall see.
Maybe I just wasted parts of three days of my time writing this, but I have always dictated my life and my business with these words of wisdom that have been accredited to the great John Wooden and Earl Weaver as well:
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." Enough said. Maybe someone got the message.
-MTM