FAQ
How does it work?
Last year’s game was hilariously lo-tech. I kept everyone’s scores in an Excel spreadsheet and posted a new leaderboard every week. It was, to say the least, less than ideal.
During our off-season, I spent some money on a programmer who has whipped up an honest-to-goodness automated version of the game. Users will be able to log in and see on their profile page real time scores and headlines… and they’ll even be able to drop and add players on their own. Overall it should be a much more attractive game to play.
Just click the Sign-Up/Log-In button on the right to get started.
How much does it cost to join?
Absolutely nothing, though we are toying with implementing an option that would allow users to pay a few bucks to have more waiver moves. But the base game will always be free.
Is it just football? Why not other sports?
Yes, we are only using the NFL this season. We have plans to roll out the game for other sports if there is demand for such a thing—though it should be noted that the NFL has no rival when it comes to its athletes begin mistake-prone.
How many of these Frequently Asked Questions have really been asked frequently?
Almost none of them.
When does the season start?
July 1st, 2010 is when points will begin accruing. But anyone can join at any time, right up until (and including) the final day of our season—Super Bowl Sunday 2011. The nature of our game means that a late-joining member can—with the right picks—still contend if their roster is filled with players who then screw up a lot.
Who decides what events earn points?
The things that players and coaches do that earn you points are called Infractions (or PQE’s, short for Point Qualifying Events). The Commissioner of Fantasy UnSports (that’s me) has the ultimate authority to determine what real-life events will be deemed Infractions. The very nature of this game means that there will be events throughout our season that weren’t on our Infraction list—you never know what an NFL player will get arrested for, and it’s impossible to predict everything. When this happens, the Commissioner will post a public message about the new Infraction and its point value moving forward.
What about coaches? Can we earn points for a coach (either from our “entire team roster” selection or individual players)?
Yes. Coaches and their off-field antics count. If the coach of the team you choose the entire roster of does something stupid off the field… you will earn points. If you want to choose a coach or two in your 10-individual-players selection… that’s fine too.
What’s the prize?
Last year it was an official NFL jersey of the winner’s choosing. We had about 200 players. This year, we’re going with a sliding scale of prizes. The more players we get to join out little game, the bigger the prize will be. We may have to tolerate a sponsorship or something once we get into the thousands of users, to help us in securing a major prize. Right now, I’m thinking something like this:
Up to 500 players: Official NFL Jersey
Over 1000 players: A new HD TV
Over 10,000 players: A Full Home Theater set up (TV, Surround Sound, BluRay player,etc.)
Something like that. I’m flexible. Basically… if we get enough players, I’ll do what I can to make the prize mindblowing. I will probably need to sell some t-shirts or ads or something to help me afford it… but I will not go overboard with that stuff.
What are the odds I can actually win this thing?
Probably about 1 in “however many players we have”, but I’m no mathematician. The odds definitely go down as more people join. But… that also means the prizes get cooler, so… you have that going for you.
