Can We Combine Zoomcasts With NFBC Main Events?

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Greg Ambrosius
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Can We Combine Zoomcasts With NFBC Main Events?

Post by Greg Ambrosius » Fri Jun 26, 2020 8:06 am

So all of us have now added Zoom as part of our daily work lives, right? I mean, Zoom has allowed us to comfortably (well, as comfortably as possible) continue with our daily work requirements, while still being in touch with everyone at our former offices. It's basically replaced the telephone for the latest and easiest form of communication.

We use it for regular meetings here, and while it's tough to look at some of my co-horts before they've showered, it's a great way to stay in communication and keep every employee on the same page. And we've found it's also been a great way to broadcast some online drafts as our NFFC partner, FantasyPoints.com, has been doing Zoomcasts of our fantasy football online drafts twice a week. It's a great way for the participants to interact during an online fantasy draft and a great way to bring the public into one of our online drafts.

Once we saw how that technology could work so fluently with our NFFC online drafts, we immediately ramped up plans to incorporate this into future NFBC online drafts and even the live drafts. We know that in all of our highest-dollar private leagues (Platinum, Diamond, Ultimate), that some owners just can't make it to the live drafts in Las Vegas. They can now make their picks online and we still provide a phone hookup if they want to hear the draft facilitator and owners make their picks, but now we can go one step better. We can put them on Zoom so that they can hear and even SEE the live draft taking place.

We have been practicing for that, thinking it was still possible that we'd have NFBC live drafts in Las Vegas or New York and would need to use Zoom to hook some off-site participants into the draft with us. Nobody HAS to join us on Zoom as they are still making their picks in the NFBC draft room, but it would be a "second screen" option if anyone wanted to jump in and converse with the participants before or during these drafts.

Yesterday I started thinking about this for any Diamond or Ultimate League we will eventually fill so that we can make this more special even if everyone is Online. I know we will offer a Zoom meeting room for either of those leagues, and again, anyone who wants to jump in and talk with the other participants or listen to me announce the picks on a "second screen/window" can do so.

But then I talked with Mike Massotto about how we could help with the MTM Sprint Ultimate that he is hosting in New York City. Daniel Einhorn has graciously volunteered meeting room space at his office on 45th street and as many folks as possible will be there live to draft in that league. Adam Ronis will be our moderator for the picks and it's still going to be a great, great time. While we'd love to be there to help, it's almost an impossibility with our busy schedule and even some of the travel restrictions to New York. So we started discussing ways to still get me involved.

And Zoom is the obvious answer. We can set up a Zoom meeting room for this league and I'll jump in and lead the smack talk and have everyone watch me drink my own Corona's from home (Clay Matthews Fathead is behind my office desk, just so you're forewarned!!). Once Adam announces the pick, I'll select the players and they'll pop onto the draft board in New York City. I can even comment on the picks, naturally!!! :lol:

It should provide some personal touch and allow this league to run smoothly. More on this league as we move forward to the draft date of Saturday, July 18th.

So it got me thinking to what else we can do with Zoom and obviously the Main Events come to mind. I think for the first one of the season, it makes sense to provide a Zoomcast and even allow the public to join us (with no names on the draft board, obviously). This could be one that the whole fantasy baseball community would like to tune into. Maybe we get a few of the participants on if they want to and discuss some strategies if they want. If everyone wants to stay anonimous, that's fine and maybe I'll just provide the chatter with another industry guest. But I think it's something that really could generate some excitement and maybe we do that for the first couple of Main Events on that first weekend.

But I think there's merit to having us provide a Zoom meeting room for some of the other early Mains where we fill just one per night. Give the participants a chance to jump in and say hello to each other 15 minutes before the draft starts and even converse through that "second screen/window" during the draft. I will jump in and maybe announce the first few rounds of the picks before logging out, but it just seems like it could ADD to an online Main Event draft. Just something we are thinking through at this point.

Any feedback on this is welcome. We don't want to distract anyone who is drafting and again nobody HAS to join a Zoom meeting. And you can join before the draft to see everyone's wild hairdos in 4 months without haircuts and leave once the draft starts if you want. :lol: It's just another option and another way to spice up these NFBC Sprint Main Event leagues.

Thanks all. We're trying to make this season special. Now we just need MLB to cooperate!!
Greg Ambrosius
Founder, National Fantasy Baseball Championship
General Manager, Consumer Fantasy Games at SportsHub Technologies
Twitter - @GregAmbrosius

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KJ Duke
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Re: Can We Combine Zoomcasts With NFBC Main Events?

Post by KJ Duke » Fri Jun 26, 2020 10:49 am

Great idea, Greg. Not as good as LV but definitely more fun than just staring at team name boxes. :D

Philippe27
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Re: Can We Combine Zoomcasts With NFBC Main Events?

Post by Philippe27 » Fri Jun 26, 2020 12:41 pm

I have 6 or 7 people interested so far, the Saturday or Sunday night on that first week-end seem to be the most popular. If anyone else is interested, let me know if you have a preference between those 2 dates.

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Greg Ambrosius
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Re: Can We Combine Zoomcasts With NFBC Main Events?

Post by Greg Ambrosius » Fri Jun 26, 2020 12:50 pm

KJ Duke wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 10:49 am
Great idea, Greg. Not as good as LV but definitely more fun than just staring at team name boxes. :D
If you put your hairy beauties on Zoom with you during the draft I'll put my Beast of a black Lab on camera!!! Deal? :lol:
Greg Ambrosius
Founder, National Fantasy Baseball Championship
General Manager, Consumer Fantasy Games at SportsHub Technologies
Twitter - @GregAmbrosius

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KJ Duke
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Re: Can We Combine Zoomcasts With NFBC Main Events?

Post by KJ Duke » Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:23 pm

Yes!

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