NBC Sports' NFBC Online Championship

[Greg Ambrosius]

Okay, I finally have all of my costs figured out for an online championship and after a lot of review and projections I think I'm going to go forward with this plan this year. I'm still looking for input on some things, so this is my way of asking for help. Here's the initial plan:



NBC Sports' NFBC Online Championship



WHAT: Online 12-team leagues with league prizes and overall prizes.



WHEN: Drafts will be held each night for eight straight nights before Opening Day: Saturday, March 28th through Saturday, April 4th. You can draft as many times as you'd like.



COST: $350 per team. We will have a three-pack offer as well.



Prizes: Top three teams in each league will win prizes and top 6 overall will win prizes. Prizes are based on 300 teams and 25 leagues. If we expand beyond 300 teams, additional prize money based on the current 80 percent payout will go towards increasing the overall prize pool. With 300 teams, the current prize is $1,100 for first in each league and $20,000 overall.



LEAGUE SETUP: Leagues will consist of 12 teams, 23 starting players and 30 players per team. Same $1,000 FAAB system as all other NFBC events. 10 categories, Rotisserie setup. All drafts done online at MockDraftCentral.com.



EXTRAS: We will combine the main event with the Online Championship and reward the top team overall with a cash prize. Combined standings will be available on a daily basis to watch.





This is still tentative, but I'm interested in feedback on the format, pricing, prize structure, etc. Ideally, we'd like to offer a $1 million bonus like we do in football, but I'm leery about offering an online championship at a price level above $400 and guaranteeing too much prize money based on more than 25 leagues is just too risky in today's economy. The cost of that insurance under this current format would be greater than the 20% left over after prizes. We are also showcasing the 12-team format as another variance to the competition as our 15-team NFBC Satellite Leagues will remain with just individual league prizes (no overall prize).



I wish we could offer two live baseball events on the same weekend and pull off the $1 million bonus, but I realize how tough the economy is right now and how tough decisions will have to be made by all of you. By offering an online championship in 2009, we feel like we can still expand our offerings and give you affordable choices for the upcoming season. This is also the start of our expansion into a 12-team format that could appeal to more first time players. And in time, maybe we'll find a way to do two live events with two different formats when the world gets back on its axis.



Please help with feedback as this is still a work in progress. Thanks all and good luck in 2009.