How Will Leagues Be Structured?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:28 am

My understanding is that there will be 100 teams in each of the three locations and that there are 15 teams in each league. Since 100 can not be divided by 15 evenly, where does that leave us? I think it works out to 6.66 leagues in each of the three locations. So does that mean that if I draft in Las Vegas that it is possible that not all members of my league will be there in attendence with me? It seems that some teams in several leagues will not be drafting in the same location as the rest of their league. Would it not have worked out better to have all the teams in a particular league draft in the same location so that everyone would get to meet each other and allow everyone to see who is drafting who? Maybe 105 in Vegas and 105 in New York and 90 in Chicago to even things out? Then you end up with 7 leagues out of Vegas and New York and 6 out of Chicago? Or am I missing something here? Thanks.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:28 am

Yes, you are correct that we are currently planning for seven full leagues in two cities and six in a third city. One of the reasons that we planned for 300 teams but left the door open to expand beyond 300 is exactly what you are talking about. Our goal is to get seven leagues in each city, which would give us a total of 315 teams, but realistically we know that one city will likely outdraw the other two. Right now interest in Las Vegas and New York seem stronger than Chicago.

But have no fear, we will not be left with partial leagues in any city. We will stop taking signups when we are close enough to the deadline to fill complete leagues in all three cities. If you try to sign up after we've stopped taking registrations, that's too bad because we don't want anyone making travel plans and then not having enough people to fill a league. If you snooze, you lose.

Everyone in your league will be drafting live and together in one city. Your point about having all 300 teams draft in one city is logical, but by having this draft in three regions of the country, we believe more people will get a chance to compete for the league and grand prize. Not everyone can take off in March to fly to Las Vegas, but more people will be able to travel to one of the three cities and compete. That's the rationale behind that and there will be enough leagues drafting at once in each city to create a buzz on the draft floor. Trust me on that.

I hope this clears up some of the confusion. Join us at one of the three locations and be part of the fun.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:28 am

Thanks for the answer Greg, I am already signed up for Vegas and am looking forward to the draft. Activity on this site seems very low, maybe because of the holidays but hopefully things will pick and you will provide everyone with a status on how the slots are filling up at each city. Thanks.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:29 am

I took part in WCOFB last season. Thas didn't fill until right before the actual draft date. Any updates along the way would be a bonus that would help those sitting on the fence. Already signed on for the NL AUCTION. Greg has been very prompt on any questions I've had. Hope more decide to jump on board, appears to be a first class operation and we could be in on the ground floor of an exciting new event.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:29 am

Yes, Plymouth, we received your signup on Christmas Day. Must have been a nice present to yourself or you have a very understanding wife! I look forward to meeting you in Las Vegas. I saw you are from Minnesota, so I hope you weren't too upset with the Vikings yesterday. I was at Lambeau yesterday and that was a heckuva surprise and a gift for the Packers, who now get to host Holmgren and the Seahawks at Lambeau Field. Wow.

As for the activity on the site, all I can tell you is that we're attracting more than 1,000 unique users per week to this site, so we have people checking the NFBC out and hopefully many of those will convert into signups. We have more than a dozen fantasy companies promoting this event to their customers, we have full page ads in all of the major fantasy publications, ads in USA Today Sports Weekly, STATS Inc. promoting to their strong customer base and e-mail sends that have gone out to over 100,000 people in the last month. So we're doing everything we can to get the 300 players it will take to make this a grand event.

Ken is right, the WCOFB filled up at the last minute in 2003, but they had 45 signups after inititally promoting 300 and then 105. This year they are shooting for 75. I will honestly give you updates on our event as I'm confident we'll reach 300 using the multi-city format. We will also have some good announcements right after the holidays concerning the weekly prizes and goodie bags.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:29 am

While I understand that people want to sit on the fence until they see more proof that this event is a go, the fact of the matter is that we're a company that has been in this industry for 15 years and we're committed to hosting all three events in the three different cities. The NFBC event in Las Vegas will follow the ninth Fantasy Sports Trade Conference at the Rio, which KP promotes. We will have more than 100 industry executives at that event March 17-18 and many of them are staying for the NFBC and will have representatives at the draft. The NFBC is going to be a very competitive event because so many industry professionals will be competing, many of them in Las Vegas.

So all I can tell you is that we're progressing well, we're getting signups and the best is yet to come. I fully understand why people wanted to wait until after the holidays to put $1,250 on their credit cards, but we will reach our goal and all three cities will draw well. Feel free to contact me individually at [email protected] for any info you'd like on the event. Thanks.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:30 am

75% return of entry fees is just too low. If it was 80% or more, I think I'd do it. In many leagues, the commissioner gets a discounted entry; in our leagues, it's half price. If you include the stat service and draft cost, that would increase it to a cost of one entry. In a 15-team league, that is 7.5%. To take 25% just seems unfair to me and I think that that is why people balked last year. I expect you to delete this post but if you want to convince other "fence-sitters", you might want to refute my post and tell me why taking that big of a chunk is fair.

I have no issue with any of the other rules/requirements.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:30 am

It is called a business and the chunk is called a profit less expenses of course. It is just my guess but i think they may have a bit more time and energy invested in the event than the average joe commissioner from the poe dunk bar. There is more to this than money, for me it is the time spent with friends not only for the weekend but the time spent razzing each other about how crappy we all are at fantasy baseball!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:30 am

Dan, you bring up a good point that I'll definitely address. As you can tell, we are not requiring hotel stays at any of the cities, yet we have to pay for the meeting room spaces in all three cities. Sorry, but those don't come free and we are taking on that expense, not passing it on to our attendees. We are also paying STATS, Inc., to manage the game, handle customer service, create the web site and everything else that goes into a first-rate event. When you need customer service representative or the site to run well during the season, you'll get first rate service from the NFBC and STATS. Again, stats aren't free.

We are also a licensee of the Major League Baseball Players Association and we pay for that right. The cost of people running drafts in three cities, draft boards, advertising in many fantasy publications and USA Today Sports Weekly, and everything else that goes into promoting and running this event adds up to tens of thousands of dollars. Believe me, there isn't a 25% profit margin on this first time event, but I sure hope that one day there will be.

Everyone can do the math and come up with their own numbers, but trust me when I say we're taking the risk with the $100,000 grand prize and yet we believe at the end of the day there will be money left over for us. How much, I'm not sure right now. But like Chris said, this is going to be a fun, unique event that will attract the best players in the country. If you want to join this exclusive group of die-hard baseball fans, you're welcome to attend. And I'll even buy the first beer with the profits we make.

Keep checking out the site because we'll have some good announcements soon that will prove that we're giving you plenty of value for that $1,250 entry fee. Again, you're just going to have to trust me on that. But I appreciate your opinion and we are greatful for all positive and negative comments about our debut event.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:30 am

Are you saying the $100,000 Grand Prize is guaranteed regardless of number of entries?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:31 am

I guess that when I think it through, the draft day costs will be quite high. Personally, I'd like to see it done a little more low budget and higher prizes. Also, I'd prefer no $100K prize and more put into the league prizes. I would just feel like the $100K is like Lotto and everything would have to fall so ridiculously perfect.

Notwithstanding saying all of that, the $100K and glitzly locale is probably critical from a marketing standpoint so I can't blame you.

The camraderie thing is valid but none of my friends are willing to pony up $1250. So I'd have to stick with my "fun" leagues for camraderie and only do this if I really thought that I could make money. If I need to finish 3rd just to break even (I'm just guessing), it'd be a tough road.

I do wish you great luck and I'll mention it to other people to help you promote it. I also reserve the right to change my mind if you offer a great promotion!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:31 am

The comment about the $100,000 being like the lotto is probably a good analogy. I'm sure you won't or can't change the format at this juncture, but it seems like a smaller grand prize with greater league pay-outs like dropping league prizes to the 5th place level would lead to greater participation. The only thing keeping me back at this point is that if you finish in the top 20% of your league (3rd place)you break even but 4th place is a zero.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:31 am

guess i was wrong 3rd place doesn't break even but is only $750. I think that the format of $3750, 1600, 1250, 600, 300 would be more attractive.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:32 am

Ken, your question about the big grand prize is legitimate as I'm sure many people are wondering if we're just using that as a carrot to attract attendees. First of all, I can guarantee that we won't cancel the event in any of the cities as we already have paid for meeting room space in all three cities plus the stats fees. There's no turning back now and we're happy to report we already have signups for each city.

Is the grand prize guaranteed? I can tell you that we have every intention of keeping the overall prize structure as it is and we believe we will also attract national sponsors who want to showcase their products to what is an ideal demographic for their products. We believe we will attract 300 teams and then some once everything is unveiled. Of course, we have honestly stated that we reserve the right to refund everyone's money if something unforeseen happens. We don't see that happening, but legally we have to put that in print. If we had 45 signups on March 10 like the WCOFB had last year, we'd probably do the same thing they did, which was to allow everyone the right to receive a refund. But that's not going to happen if the early interest in the NFBC is any indication.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:32 am

The simple answer is it's as guaranteed as it can be. Krause Publications is a 51-year-old company that is considered the world's largest hobby publisher and we have spent the last 15 years building our reputation in the fantasy sports industry. We have hosted the last eight Fantasy Sports Trade Conferences (the ninth will be March 17-18 at the Rio) and I am the president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. We are not going to do anything to hurt consumers with this event and in fact we believe we will enhance the entire industry with a first-rate event that attracts mainstream sponsors.

Check out all of the companies who are helping us promote this, who believe in what we're doing and trust we'll run this event in a first-class manner. Then bring your group to Las Vegas and help us make this a historic event with the industry's largest grand prize.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:32 am

Dan and dogface make interesting points about the prize structure, but I've heard similar complaints the other way that the first place prize in each league is too low. Some people would like to see it at $6,000. The bottom line is that if you pay $1,250 and win a 15-team league, we feel you should at least win $5,000 and yet you can still win money by finishing second. We chose to pay through three spots to keep the competition going throughout the year and we'll also have weekly prizes to keep everyone battling for something.

I think most people who enter this contest truly believe they have the skills to beat 299 other die-hard fantasy baseball players and aren't thinking about third or fourth place league money. They want the league title and they want the big prize and I truly believe with our in-season FAAB setup this will be the most competitive league anyone will ever be in. Imagine checking three sets of standings and stats (league, overall and weekly) every single day for 26 straight weeks. Should be intense.

We will certainly take all points into consideration and would love to increase the league prizes somehow. We certainly will not increase the overall prizes, but if interest exceeds expectations maybe we can find ways to add to the league prizes. Thanks for the comments and keep them coming. Constructive criticism or opinions can only make this event better this year and in the future.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:32 am

The $100,000 prize attracted myself and a few friends. Why do something like this if not for the $$$?

I can see it now, while I'm crunching fantasy numbers and doing research, other owners will be thinking about league prize structures, profit margins, etc... Gotta love it!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:33 am

Okay, I though about the profit margin talk for about 30 seconds. 75% is not low for an event like this. Take a look around. What other events offer better? 75% seems like an industry standard. Although Greg has to be diplomatic about his answers, I am not required. This is the big-time now! It's not a bunch of guys drafting out of someone's basement.

Some of the talk on the message board has me licking my chops

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:33 am

Just wondering if you've given any thought to using some kind of modifier for 'league strength' - although Vegas definitely sounds like the most fun place to draft, am I crazy in thinking going head to head with the website and industry experts will provide for harder competition than we might get in NY and Chicago? How about introducing strength of schedule into the mix?

Dave

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:33 am

You make a legit point Dyv. For the overall prizes, however, I believe our totals will be lumped in with the other 299 players, so league strength shouldn't really matter there. Where it matters would be for individual league standings, where one league could be stronger than another.

I may be in the minority here, but my primary fear in regards to competition doesn't come from the "industry experts" or individuals pegged by the websites to be their representatives. The ones that scare me most are the guys like me, who plop down $1,250 of their own money, brave the scorn of their wives or girlfriends, and travel across the country just cause they think they can beat 299 other guys at this stuff. I'd avoid those guys like the plague.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:34 am

Dyv, you bring up a good point, but the short answer is there will be no modifier for league strength. Interestingly, I'm really not sure which city will bring out the strongest players. Those who fly to Las Vegas will obviously be dedicated players and will include some of the industry experts, but it might also produce some guys who are doing this for fun. New York and Chicago will bring out die-hard baseball fans who might have more of an allegience to their favorite teams. So I think the drafts will go differently in each city (won't Derek Jeter go higher in the New York drafts than the Las Vegas drafts?), but one won't be more competitive than the other.

The key for us is to make sure everyone remains competitive throughout the year so that one league isn't easier than the others. The free agent pickups will play a big part in determining the overall champion and we want each league to be competitive. That's why we are going to announce our weekly contest soon so that everyone has something to play for each and every week of the season.

I apologize, but there's no strength of schedule formula and no league strength modifier. In the end, I think you'll see certain leagues take pride in the fact that they have several teams battling for the overall grand prize and the competition will produce pride in your leagues. Again, I'm more interested in the way the different cities will draft, seeing where Sammy Sosa goes in Chicago compared to New York and Las Vegas. Should be fun and hopefully everyone on the boards here will join us for the event.