THE NFBC WE STARTED WITH!

Walla Walla · Post by **Walla Walla** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:18 am

There was at one time a great idea. A single day live draft for the best in the land. Many flocked to Las Vegas, Chicago and New York. There were a couple of auction leagues AL/NL but the Main show was the 15 man straight draft. Other auctions were added as the years rolled on. But it was still the main event! But than the idea started to get lost.

Internet games became the focus. A new company took over. From that point on the main event on a single day became history. Ah the great idea died.

The Mighty Men · Post by **The Mighty Men** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:36 am

Why are you still hanging around? You were going away, REMEMBER?

CC's Desperados · Post by **CC's Desperados** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:36 am

Originally posted by Walla Walla:

There was at one time a great idea. A single day live draft for the best in the land. Many flocked to Las Vegas, Chicago and New York. There were a couple of auction leagues AL/NL but the Main show was the 15 man straight draft. Other auctions were added as the years rolled on. But it was still the main event! But than the idea started to get lost.

Internet games became the focus. A new company took over. From that point on the main event on a single day became history. Ah the great idea died. They can't sell what we won't buy!

When are you getting into Vegas? I owe you a first class hooker!

Walla Walla · Post by **Walla Walla** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:44 am

Shawn, Shame on you! I got so confused by all the games that I gave up. Are you shilling for Greg this year or the WCOFB???

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 12:55 pm

John, we can't recapture the past.

Some things evolve well. Remember when we got our ice from ice trays and changed our own channels on tv?

Some things don't evolve well like Mom and Pop stores falling by the wayside when franchises and big business flex their muscle. Like Fanball.

The old NFBC is gone. It is time to move on.

Embrace it. Railing against it does little good. We all wish for the old days.

But, they're gone. We have what we have. In any form, it is still fantasy baseball with the best players in the world. And that, hasn't changed.

KJ Duke · Post by **KJ Duke** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 1:12 pm

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Some things evolve well. Remember when we got our ice from ice trays and changed our own channels on tv? I remember when people used to write checks to each other, and then even worse mail them if they weren't there in person ... instead of just clicking a paypal button online and having it delivered instantly.

Quahogs · Post by **Quahogs** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 1:22 pm

now who's long and strong ??

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 1:34 pm

Originally posted by Walla Walla:

There was at one time a great idea. A single day live draft for the best in the land. Many flocked to Las Vegas, Chicago and New York. There were a couple of auction leagues AL/NL but the Main show was the 15 man straight draft. Other auctions were added as the years rolled on. But it was still the main event! But than the idea started to get lost.

Internet games became the focus. A new company took over. From that point on the main event on a single day became history. Ah the great idea died. John, if you think you've seen change in this fantasy sports industry to date, you haven't seen anything yet. If the NFL does have a lockout, you will see a shakeout like we've never seen before. And even if that doesn't happen, the good ol' days of the fantasy sports industry are already long gone and soon to be ruled by much bigger companies than Fanball or even Liberty Media.

NOTHING ever stays the same and this industry is no different. There is a seismic shift taking place right now that is changing the industry forever. You are seeing companies like NFL.com that has free commissioner service and includes video of your players. They don't need to make money on each league they service, they just want eyeballs, eyeballs, and more eyeballs. And in turn they sell advertising. ESPN.com does it too and so does Yahoo. How do you think that affects the mom and pops who first built pay commissioner services and are now fighting for their lives? Their customers wish for the good ol' days, too.

I could go on and on with changes that are happening and will happen in this industry but we'll all see them first-hand soon enough. And we're not alone. In the sports card industry, the good ol' days from the 1970s quickly gave way to multiple card companies beyond Topps in the 1980s and eventually to league-sponsored companies like NBA Hoops and Pro Set. The industry went from $70 million in sales in 1979 to $1.6 billion in 1992. Think of that explosion once. Now the industry is probably back to pre-1989 levels before Upper Deck transformed everything. Oh, Upper Deck is bankrupt.

I'm not sure what the good ol' days were like for you guys, but it's tough to make money without adding to your list of products. I suppose John doesn't want the Ultimates, Supers or Diamonds either to keep us in nostalgic days, but guess what? The customers asked for them and we filled them. To not host online leagues in the 21st century would be, well, curmudgeon, if you will. And really, not very smart from a business perspective. And believe me, if we didn't offer them someone else would. Competition doesn't let you relive the good ol' days.

I can't change progress John. I wish we were back to the days when you hated STATS and hated MDC.com and wished for new owners. Maybe even back when I brought Napoleon McCallum to speak at our debut NFFC draft and introduced him to you so that you could get his autograph on your Navy hat. THOSE were the good ol' days. But we lost a ton of money that first season, so good ol' days to you weren't such good ol' days to my former employer, who, remember, sold us before folding my former sports division.

Change sucks. So does progress sometimes. But you either live in the past and get run over by progress or adjust to it. Hopefully we're trying to do the latter the best we can.

TOXIC ASSETS · Post by **TOXIC ASSETS** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:53 pm

Interesting topic. I've railed against Fanball's business mentality on these boards from time to time as well -- and understand where you are cmoing from, Walla. But if NFBC didn't start offering the internet slow drafts, I probably wouldn't even play. Change is a constant....accept it.

TOXIC ASSETS · Post by **TOXIC ASSETS** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:55 pm

Interesting topic. I've railed against Fanball's big business mentality on these boards from time to time as well -- and understand where you are coming from, Walla. But if NFBC didn't start offering the internet slow drafts, I probably wouldn't even play. Change is a constant....accept it.

Edwards Kings · Post by **Edwards Kings** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 11:21 pm

Penicillin...schmenicillin!! In my day we ate dirt to cure infections!

The Mighty Men · Post by **The Mighty Men** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:54 am

Originally posted by Walla Walla:

There was at one time a great idea. A single day live draft for the best in the land. Many flocked to Las Vegas, Chicago and New York. There were a couple of auction leagues AL/NL but the Main show was the 15 man straight draft. Other auctions were added as the years rolled on. But it was still the main event! But than the idea started to get lost.

Internet games became the focus. A new company took over. From that point on the main event on a single day became history. Ah the great idea died. Here you go, Waila Waila, now you don't have to wail any longer.

http://nffcboards.fanball.com/cgi-bin/u ... 1;t=006082

Raskol · Post by **Raskol** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:57 am

Originally posted by The Mighty Men:

quote:Originally posted by Walla Walla:

There was at one time a great idea. A single day live draft for the best in the land. Many flocked to Las Vegas, Chicago and New York. There were a couple of auction leagues AL/NL but the Main show was the 15 man straight draft. Other auctions were added as the years rolled on. But it was still the main event! But than the idea started to get lost.

Internet games became the focus. A new company took over. From that point on the main event on a single day became history. Ah the great idea died. Here you go, Waila Waila, now you don't have to wail any longer.

http://nffcboards.fanball.com/cgi-bin/u ... 1;t=006082 [/QUOTE]Yikes!

JamesH · Post by **JamesH** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 5:13 am

Wow. Greg, do you have any idea what this means for the 2011 NFBC? Or are you in the dark as well?