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A lot of people get excited about the thought of drafts being carried on radio or tv. They liken fantasy drafts to poker. That watching Steve Jupinka or lindy drafting would be as exciting as watching Doyle Brunson play a poker hand.
I'm having a hard time seeing it. A poker hand can go a million ways. The way to play each poker hand can go more than a million ways. The game is being played before our eyes. There will be winners and losers. We'll see the thrill of the win and the agony of defeat.

A fantasy draft does not provide any of these things. As a drafter, most drafts don't interest me unless I am involved.
I don't care if there is $20,000 put up by each team. I figure that if they can put up $20,000, then they can afford to lose that $20,000. Because these folks put more money into an event, does not make that event more interesting to me.
Truth is, I would rather play a five dollar limit poker game than watch a draft in which each player has put in a lot of money.

Although there are many comments that will state, 'Man, that draft should be something!', the truth is most drafts have a sameness to them, no matter the money. This is why the Contracts League is so revered and treasured by those that play in it.
Truly, in the Contracts League, most players do not know or can even fathom the next player drafted.

The sameness of most snake drafts, I feel, would just be dull on television. The stars would not be the drafters. The stars would be the broadcasters. It would be there job to make the draft interesting. Because whether it is Jupinka, or Childs, or the Yahoo Kid drafting, their only contribution is stating the name of a player. That is as exciting as watching a digital clock move from 4:58 to 4:59.
At auctions, I never hear is Zola going to be drafting? Jupinka? Childs?
Nope, all I hear is if Brady Tinker will be there. He is the auctioneer.

Like everybody else, I like the whole idea of fantasy getting even more publicity. I've already tired of most radio talk shows concerning fantasy. It's not their fault. I have become a full fledged NFBC guy and play within those rules. These radio talk guys have to guide players from all aspects. Whether Jay Bruce is a fair trade for Shelby Miller and Russell Martin has me changing the channel.

Years ago, I would have thought that ANY publicity for fantasy sports was a good thing. My views on that are starting to change. If anything, over saturation has begun. Fantasy, never mentioned during a baseball or football game years ago is now mentioned nearly every game. NFL bottom lines are made to order for the fantasy fan, not the football fan.

In the end, I don't think that televising drafts will make a star of Jupinka, Lindy or any of our drafters. Instead, I think it could make a star out of a guy like Mike The Mouth.
These drafts are going to need an 'in your face' type broadcaster. A guy who can elevate a mundane draft into an event. The drafters have no chance of doing this. A guy like Mike the Mouth could carry such an event.
Maybe even with 'in draft' interviews...

Jupinka: I'll take Yu Darvish.

MTM: Steve, really dude?! You're taking a pitcher in the second round? No offense, but do you know what the hell you're doing here? A pitcher? You know there's no 'do overs' in drafting, right?

Jupinka: Shut up and go away, Mike!

MTM: There you have it, folks! Sounds like Jupinka is surly over that questionable pick!

This kind of scenario would have fantasy folks watching. Our game is not played out in the draft. It is merely the building block of our team. There are no winners and losers on draft day. We can talk as if there in one, but nobody really knows.
Watching players build teams could be watchable for maybe a first round. After that, viewers will want to go on with their lives.
It'll take a guy like Mike The Mouth to truly make these drafts entertaining. It'll have to be infused with something more catchy than a mere draft provides. No matter the money, no matter the players.

Doughy, I think the biggest difference between watching a Poker event vs. a fantasy baseball draft is that you get to see the result of an All-in poker hand by the end of the hand. Noone will know who won a fantasy baseball draft for a good 6 months.

In an instant gratification society, that might be tough odds to buck. We need to know the winner and we need to know now.

Glenneration X wrote:Doughy, I think the biggest difference between watching a Poker event vs. a fantasy baseball draft is that you get to see the result of an All-in poker hand by the end of the hand. Noone will know who won a fantasy baseball draft for a good 6 months.

In an instant gratification society, that might be tough odds to buck. We need to know the winner and we need to know now.

Exactly right. I was trying to say that in a lot of words and they probably got lost. The game is just beginning with our draft. In poker, the game starts with a hand and ends with a hand.

And....exactly why the broadcaster will be the star. Nobody will remember Jupinka or who he drafted. But they will take away from the draft, the entertainment value of the broadcaster. In my mind, he'd have to be 'in your face' and controversial, not an 'analyst', which would just make the draft that much more boring....

DOUGHBOYS wrote:

Glenneration X wrote:Doughy, I think the biggest difference between watching a Poker event vs. a fantasy baseball draft is that you get to see the result of an All-in poker hand by the end of the hand. Noone will know who won a fantasy baseball draft for a good 6 months.

In an instant gratification society, that might be tough odds to buck. We need to know the winner and we need to know now.

Exactly right. I was trying to say that in a lot of words and they probably got lost. The game is just beginning with our draft. In poker, the game starts with a hand and ends with a hand.

Yes, I do see that now. Sorry for missing that point the first time Doughy.

I really do like the idea of Massotto disturbing Juprinka's focus during the draft though!!!!

I agree with you 100% Dan, including that MtM could be their savior!!

The shows that could be interesting would be Live Scoring shows at the end of the season where championships are on the line. A type of highlights and impact show on all of the overall contests. Ultimately I'm for anything that brings new players into our game.

I'm pretty certain that they'll have a big focus on the daily games as well. The instant gratification that Glenn speaks to will be on display in that arena.

I'm going to have to disagree with you gentleman.

Who would have thought that people want to watch information about the weather? It's hot in Florida. It's cold in Alaska. It's raining in Seattle. This is broadcast on TV 24/7? How exciting is that?

How about if we have a show dedicated just to food. Who is going to watch THAT? Millions of people do watch carrots being cut up and thrown into a pot of boiling water. They love it. They eat it up. No pun intended.

C-SPAN? Come on! Watching politicians talk. Probably considered the world most boring network. People can't get enough C-SPAN because it's expanded. Now there's C-SPAN1, C-SPAN2, and C-SPAN3....

I wouldn't compare a fantasy baseball draft to watching poker. Somewhat similar but really two different animals.

A better comparison would be something like the NBA/NFL drafts held every year.
We know the all the teams. We even know the players that will be drafted. Heck, some of us even know what player will go to what team based on team need. But people still watch the draft for 6-12 hours a day, and the picks are like 10 minutes long. But fans love watching the drama unfold.

This concept could work for fantasy baseball. But they have need to get it right the first time or it will turn a lot of people off. This could really be something. The announcers are one part but it's the personalities at the table that will get people interested. Fans want to know more, they want their story. If you build it, they will come.

Krys

When it reaches 100,000 per team I'd pay to watch the owners shaking in their boots as they try to decide if it's time to pick Jonathan Lucroy at Catcher! It's not about the win or loss with Poker on TV. It's watching how they react to the pressure.

Walla Walla wrote:When it reaches 100,000 per team I'd pay to watch the owners shaking in their boots as they try to decide if it's time to pick Jonathan Lucroy at Catcher! It's not about the win or loss with Poker on TV. It's watching how they react to the pressure.

I suppose there's no pressure at all at $20K per entry?

Sure there is. If your a middle income smuck like me. But for TV it takes the million jackpot to draw the viewers.

ikenbaseball wrote:I'm going to have to disagree with you gentleman.

Who would have thought that people want to watch information about the weather? It's hot in Florida. It's cold in Alaska. It's raining in Seattle. This is broadcast on TV 24/7? How exciting is that?

How about if we have a show dedicated just to food. Who is going to watch THAT? Millions of people do watch carrots being cut up and thrown into a pot of boiling water. They love it. They eat it up. No pun intended.

C-SPAN? Come on! Watching politicians talk. Probably considered the world most boring network. People can't get enough C-SPAN because it's expanded. Now there's C-SPAN1, C-SPAN2, and C-SPAN3....

I wouldn't compare a fantasy baseball draft to watching poker. Somewhat similar but really two different animals.

A better comparison would be something like the NBA/NFL drafts held every year.
We know the all the teams. We even know the players that will be drafted. Heck, some of us even know what player will go to what team based on team need. But people still watch the draft for 6-12 hours a day, and the picks are like 10 minutes long. But fans love watching the drama unfold.
This concept could work for fantasy baseball. But they have need to get it right the first time or it will turn a lot of people off. This could really be something. The announcers are one part but it's the personalities at the table that will get people interested. Fans want to know more, they want their story. If you build it, they will come.

Krys

I find myself in complete agreement. I'm not sure of the masses, but I'd probably watch the Platinum or Diamond leagues draft on TV, or any of the auctions, or the recent contract league draft. I could see getting tired of it if there was overkill, but for a few leagues I think it'd be pretty cool. Except for live sporting events, most of the stuff on TV now is complete crap. Not sure how this would work, but it'd be interesting to see the participants do taped interviews outlining their strategies and plans before the draft and then see whether or not things went according to plan. It also would be cool to see an informal draft, without a super short clock, where the participants - some of the NFBC larger personalities - sit around a table and just bust each other's balls and talk trash (if they could do it without playing to the cameras). Could this really be worse than the reality TV enjoyed by the masses?

Mike

The must watch Fantasy baseball draft show would be where the have the draft and then have the 15 player live in one house for 6 months for the baseball season and watch all the games together. Big Brother fantasy baseball for a 1 million dollar first place. 15 die hard player battling it out and living together and getting on each other nerves 24/7. this would be a classic. then for fun every 3rd week the last place team has to leave the house and not be eligible for any prize. How long would it be before MTM got hog-tied ?

The snake format wouldn't be exciting but I personally would love to see a live fantasy auction with some money on the line. Just think if the owners would have to physically put up the cash each time they win a bid. Lets say each team starts with $5,200...If Trout is only sitting at $700 it would be fun to see who is willing to price enforce with having to put the money on the table.

I thought about this many times, put a group of crazy, fanatic Fantasy baseball players in one house for the whole season
kind of like what they did with the MLB Mancave the first Year... Have a format like
like the Show Big Brother. Play H2H each week make the losers do dishes clean the house ... Have a huge OA Prize and have Tv's all around the house catching the Fantasy players reactions with a million dollar prize on the line...
have 12 Tv's so all game will be on live updated stats.... that would be the best show ever... You get the right 15 guys and that would be a blast.. Losers you can't hide....

jdryan wrote:I thought about this many times, put a group of crazy, fanatic Fantasy baseball players in one house for the whole season
kind of like what they did with the MLB Mancave the first Year... Have a format like
like the Show Big Brother. Play H2H each week make the losers do dishes clean the house ... Have a huge OA Prize and have Tv's all around the house catching the Fantasy players reactions with a million dollar prize on the line...
have 12 Tv's so all game will be on live updated stats.... that would be the best show ever... You get the right 15 guys and that would be a blast.. Losers you can't hide....

Might be entertaining. Unfortunately, the best players around are mostly guys that have a life and career outside of FB. Getting a bunch of idiots, losers and actor wannabes together (with some hot girls thrown in) probably makes for better TV ... but then the fantasy element of the show becomes relatively inconsequential.

Now, on second thought ... if you're putting up a few million in prize money for the league winners, you might be able to shake some of these guys away from their career and families for a 6-month sabbatical. Even then, you'll need to develop a novel league structure that creates ongoing drama ... Hmmm, maybe I could come up with something there.

KJ Duke wrote: Might be entertaining. Unfortunately, the best players around are mostly guys that have a life and career outside of FB. Getting a bunch of idiots, losers and actor wannabes together (with some hot girls thrown in) probably makes for better TV ... but then the fantasy element of the show becomes relatively inconsequential.

for a reality show, the viewing audience doesn't care if they are the best fantasy players.

Take for instance Survivor. It isnt played by Navy Seals (the best of the best). it's played by contestants who will produce controversy/good ratings.

I think a fantasy football reality show makes a lot more sense than fantasy baseball, but in either case, you aint making it on a reality show unless you are (1) controversial (2) very attractive

Gekko wrote:I think a fantasy football reality show makes a lot more sense than fantasy baseball, but in either case, you aint making it on a reality show unless you are (1) controversial (2) very attractive

1. No
2. No
Damn.
OUT!

Gekko wrote: but in either case, you aint making it on a reality show unless you are (1) controversial (2) very attractive

Agreed. So there goes my shot at getting cast for a spot. But perhaps there's still room for my or Gekko's suggestions for the role of my love interest.





Maybe there's even room for both? I'd watch. It wouldn't even have to be a Fantasy Sports show.

Glenn, tell your Dad, he's on the clock...

Gekko wrote:

KJ Duke wrote: Might be entertaining. Unfortunately, the best players around are mostly guys that have a life and career outside of FB. Getting a bunch of idiots, losers and actor wannabes together (with some hot girls thrown in) probably makes for better TV ... but then the fantasy element of the show becomes relatively inconsequential.

for a reality show, the viewing audience doesn't care if they are the best fantasy players.

Take for instance Survivor. It isnt played by Navy Seals (the best of the best). it's played by contestants who will produce controversy/good ratings.

I think a fantasy football reality show makes a lot more sense than fantasy baseball, but in either case, you aint making it on a reality show unless you are (1) controversial (2) very attractive

Disagree. You need different types of people that are interesting .... Dan would fit into an ensemble just fine; or course you need some hot girls and some controversial figures too. If only good-looking people were on TV Steve Buschemi would not be in front of a camera.

KJ Duke wrote:
Disagree. You need different types of people that are interesting .... Dan would fit into an ensemble just fine; or course you need some hot girls and some controversial figures too. If only good-looking people were on TV Steve Buschemi would not be in front of a camera.

Haha! Ya right. Which reality shows can we see Steve in?

Gekko wrote:

KJ Duke wrote:
Disagree. You need different types of people that are interesting .... Dan would fit into an ensemble just fine; or course you need some hot girls and some controversial figures too. If only good-looking people were on TV Steve Buschemi would not be in front of a camera.

Haha! Ya right. Which reality shows can we see Steve in?

If he was willing, any and every reality show. He's a helluva lot more interesting than all of the other yahoos with shows combined.

I'm in and game for just about all of what you wrote and suggested, Dough. And Roy, some version of the reality show idea with a huge prize at the end and a Survivor-like format/competition would be great. There would need to serious bucks put up for this one to work, but it could, especially with the right mix or personalities involved. Please have someone contact my agent.