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Now that we have two months of the season in and a little time to reflect back and look forward, I'm interested in receiving your feedback on the whole Double Play concept. I know that at first it was confusing -- even to those of us who thought of combining the live and online portions together -- but now that most of us understand the concept I have to ask the question: Do you like it? Should we do it again next year? Or should we just build the Online Championship?



The concept behind hosting a $500 Live Event was to 1) give our customers who were coming to the live events another incentive to draft at a fair price and win a nice grand prize; and 2) to lure in new members to the NFBC who probably couldn't afford the $1300 main event but who wanted to try a live high-stakes event. And the best way to make the grand prize big enough for our live participants was to combine this with the online championship so that conceivably someone could pay $500 and win $85,000.



Did it work? Did you enjoy drafting live in this 12-team format? Does the double play (watching live DP standings and the online DP standings) make sense now and is it fun? Would you do it again next year? Or again, should we just grow the online portion and bag the live DP portion?



I ask these questions because we do want to plan ahead for next year with contests that make sense, have solid prize payouts and grow our user base. Trust me, hosting the live DPs is not economically a sound plan because between paying for space, food, three facilitators, draft boards, food and drink it's a loss leader. But those seemed like fun, quick drafts with a lot of camraderie. But was it enough to do again next year?



I look forward to the feedback, good bad or indifferent. We have some thoughts for 2011 on what we want to do with the two weekends and locations, but this is one area I think we need your input in. I'd love to see your feedback. Thanks all.

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

Now that we have two months of the season in and a little time to reflect back and look forward, I'm interested in receiving your feedback on the whole Double Play concept. I know that at first it was confusing -- even to those of us who thought of combining the live and online portions together -- but now that most of us understand the concept I have to ask the question: Do you like it? Should we do it again next year? Or should we just build the Online Championship?



The concept behind hosting a $500 Live Event was to 1) give our customers who were coming to the live events another incentive to draft at a fair price and win a nice grand prize; and 2) to lure in new members to the NFBC who probably couldn't afford the $1300 main event but who wanted to try a live high-stakes event. And the best way to make the grand prize big enough for our live participants was to combine this with the online championship so that conceivably someone could pay $500 and win $85,000.



Did it work? Did you enjoy drafting live in this 12-team format? Does the double play (watching live DP standings and the online DP standings) make sense now and is it fun? Would you do it again next year? Or again, should we just grow the online portion and bag the live DP portion?



I ask these questions because we do want to plan ahead for next year with contests that make sense, have solid prize payouts and grow our user base. Trust me, hosting the live DPs is not economically a sound plan because between paying for space, food, three facilitators, draft boards, food and drink it's a loss leader. But those seemed like fun, quick drafts with a lot of camraderie. But was it enough to do again next year?



I look forward to the feedback, good bad or indifferent. We have some thoughts for 2011 on what we want to do with the two weekends and locations, but this is one area I think we need your input in. I'd love to see your feedback. Thanks all. Just go with the online DP. I think you cannibalized the online DP with the live DP and it was a bit confusing. I think the online DP would grow better if it was left alone and marketed as its own event. I do not think the live DP itself is a big enough draw to make it worth it.

League prize money for the Live event is a little out of whack.



just look at 2nd place league prize money. You pay an additional $150 to win $100 more, giving you a $50 net loss if you finish second.

After playing the 12-tm format last season I had no interest, adding the DP concept made it even less appealing.



On the other hand, love the auction championship ... hope to see this event grow in future seasons.

I think it was too confusing. Stick with the Online. I think there's a market for $500 live drafts if you do them without destroying the league prize for a large overall prize.



I'd be interested in a $500 Head to Head tournament. Each league would have 15 teams. Rosters could only be set on Mondays only to avoid having to log in daily to readjust lineups. You could even have a playoff at the end of the season to determine an overall champ.

I really like Jules Winfield's response...agree with it totally.



I did some 12 teamers last year and really didn't like them. I also was confused on the whole double play concept, I didn't feel like figuring things out that made my head spin. It's fantasy baseball...I don't think things should confuse me to that extent



I really like everything the NFBC has to offer, except 12 team leagues and double play confusion. I think business would be better if things were easier to understand from the get-go or the home-page. I have asked friends to check out the site, and they were to confused or impatient to dig through the material. I think things should be more user friendly, but if that's my only complaint...I can't complain

Put me down for keeping the 12-team on line and focusing on growing the auction format live.



If you feel you need another live event, perhaps running AL only and NL only drafts (not auctions) with an overall prize would work, even if it meant alternating AL one year, NL the next until you felt participation warranted both. And actually, I could see using the double play concept with the "only" league championship as some may prefer to do them on line.



[ June 10, 2010, 10:26 AM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]

I not a fan of 12 teamers in baseball or football.

Last year i did one baseball 12 team and won but the waiver wire is much more work and just dont enjoy them like the 14 teams.This year because of money i again did one 12 teamer and bombed out so i really never look at the standings or could care less about them.

This year I have a little taste of everything. My preference is and will remain the 15-team formats. But while in Vegas it was nice to have another live option. But having dipped my toes in the auction world (for the first time this year), I think that is where my extra live experience will come from next year.



I like the idea of growing the auction leagues, and passing on the Live Double Play. I'll still do atleast one 12-teamer, but I probably prefer to do that online the week after the 15-team drafts and auctions.

Originally posted by Joe Sambito:





I like the idea of growing the auction leagues, and passing on the Live Double Play. I'll still do atleast one 12-teamer, but I probably prefer to do that online the week after the 15-team drafts and auctions. Same here.



Even though my auction team is in the tank and my 12 teamer has a chance.



I would like to see the Auction Championship grow but I just don't know if the market for that style event is there. Back "in-the-day" we only played auction style, but now it's almost all draft style for the new fantasy player. I don't know how many players are willing to drop $800 on a style of game they have never played before.

I guess I am in the minority or the silent majority.... but I like the 12 team format and think the $500 entry fee for the Live DP was a nice addition to the online format.



I think the idea of having a "live" draft for a "reasonable" entry fee is smart in these economic times. It should have gotten you more "newbies" looking for a live event but not ready to pony up $1300.



In addition, if I recall properly, it seemed that more teams signed up for the live event willing to pay $500 than for the online event; at least in the early going.



The one thing that does stick out is what someone earlier said... second place money in your $500 league should be increased. If you come in 2nd in the $350 league and win $650 then you should win more than $750 if you pay $500. You have a net loss of $50 buy "trading up" to the $500 league. Seems odd and out of line.



Pete

I like to think of the Double Play as Ryan's idea.



Just having fun, Greg. Don't get upset, again.



[ June 10, 2010, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

Despite the fact that my 3 (Live) DP's are all sucking wind, I prefer that concept to the Online version. It's fast paced and there aren't any technical distractions. Other than the inadverdent calling out of a players name when it's not your turn (Sorry about that Steve, I'm guessing right about now you're wishing you'd have let me have Pedroia-just as I'm wishing you had Greinke ), it's pretty foolproof.

As for the auctions, I attempted to sign up for my maiden voyage in that format this year, but the league never filled. I plan to try again next year, but it's such a strange beast to most serpentine drafters that I don't think the gains there will offset the losses in the Live DP format if it's dropped. Finally, if the Live DP is dropped I might forego the 12 team format entirely, as I do prefer the 15 team game.

I think the confusion led to a lot of people not playing. I really prefer it as the Online Championship, seems to hold a lot more luster than something called The Double Play.

Put me down as a fan of the live dp. Probably wont do the 12 teamers unless their live.

If I go up to the top of this screen and click on double-play, I see that it is *still* explained incorrectly, where there is no indication whatsoever that the on-line prize pool is available to the live players.



I think that it would be a lot less confusing if you made an effort to explain how it actually works somewhere other than in the middle paragraphs of a ten paragraph post announcing the event on the message board where it is just going to get buried in a few days anyway. People need to be able to see it outlined clearly.

I signed up for the Live DP, it didn't fill and ended up drafting the Live Online. Many of us are traveling far to attend the Main event and personally, I like the idea of having a 2nd live serpentine draft option at each event. That said, I would prefer a smaller $, 15 team live event as a "warm-up" to the Main. Stand-alone competition. Maybe use the $500 buy-in, pay 1st with a free entry to next year's Main and 2nd with a Free entry to next year's "Warm-Up" (or FanBall credit). Pay the rest to Overall prizes.

The league prizes were too small to interest me. If you can't really break even finishing 2nd in your league something seems wrong.



I do agree with others regarding the auction championship though. It would be great to expand the live version and hopefully offer online satellites in the future.

No interest in a 12 team mixed league, every team is an all-star, too many players siting out in free agency. I am hoping the auction format expands and I like Todd Z's idea about either an AL or NL only type draft or auction format with an overall prize. I really hated to see us lose the $650 AL / NL auction leagues this year.

i've had success in the 12 team format, but really, it's for the birds. if the "live" drafters were not getting a share of the "online" drafters prize pool, i wouldn't have signed up for any 12 team formats. these leagues are superpower team vs superpower team. tough to see which owners have the most skill. faab player pool is entirely different and requires much more time to look at each week.



bag the 12 team format and make them 15 team formats

I'm not a fan at all of the 12 team format. I did the online championship in 2009 because the bonus and signed up again this year for the same thing. I won't be joining next year regardless of the bonus pool. I love the 15 team format.



I did feel the Double Play idea was better than just the online. The live drafts are so much fun and the NFBC does this very well. I just can't do the 12 team. It's an odd ball team when you have so many other 15 team leagues running.



I like the idea of changing it to 15 teams or having an AL or NL only league as suggested.



PS - The auction championships are awesome. I can't get enough of those.

Originally posted by Gekko:

i've had success in the 12 team format, but really, it's for the birds. if the "live" drafters were not getting a share of the "online" drafters prize pool, i wouldn't have signed up for any 12 team formats. these leagues are superpower team vs superpower team. tough to see which owners have the most skill. faab player pool is entirely different and requires much more time to look at each week.



bag the 12 team format and make them 15 team formats I couldnt have said it any better. BANG.

I see more comments about 12-team versus 15-team format rather than the "Live" option (with the extra prize pool kicker) as a part of the "Online" Championship.



To me, it was a sweet option. I bought in as part of the Christmas Three-Pack after so many years of being a primarily Main Event participant. It effectively doubled the NFBC share of my wallet as I was waffling on being in the Auction Championship (which I LOVE). Having the "Live" Online contest with the extra overall prize money possibility and I could also participate in live while I was in Vegas sealed the deal.



While I too prefer the 15-team format, I have not regretted the mind-candy of having to use a different strategy in the 12-team format. The attraction to me is the "live" component (i.e. drafting online is not nearly as fun and a little too Yahoo-ish) and the extra overall prize money possibility.



In short, economy willing, I would do it again.

Like both the 15 team format and the 12 team format. I'll go live on the main event and supers and on line for the DP (12 teamer). Just my vote....

Originally posted by Edwards Kings:

[QB] I see more comments about 12-team versus 15-team format rather than the "Live" option (with the extra prize pool kicker) as a part of the "Online" Championship.



Yeah, thanks for all the comments so far guys and keep 'em coming. It's really a mixed bag, which is great. But for those who don't like the 12-team format at all, that's not what I'm looking for. As much as us die-hards like the tougher leagues, to bring in new players to the NFBC the 12-team format is more universal and played. The 12-team format debuted with 600 teams in 2009 and we had 828 this year. So we'll definitely continue to offer a 12-team format; whether that's all online or mixed with live is the question.



I have my own feelings, but could handle a plan either way. I agree that folks who pay to travel and have a chance to add another league at $500 makes sense. Whether it's this concept or something else is the question. And I agree, I hope the Auction Championship continues to grow because I do like that addition the most.



Again, keep the opinions coming. I think I see good thoughts all around on Live vs. Online. But the 12-team concept is here to stay, in the NFBC and NFFC.