Thursday morning @FSTA

Many thanks to MyFantasyLeague.com for their sponsorship of the awesome White Sox game last night. FSTAers gathered on the fan deck to enjoy the game, dinner, and drinks and saw the White Sox trounce the Tigers…and then of course to join in on the Blackhawks celebration that grew pretty quickly in downtown Chicago near our hotel.

Today the conference lasts for just half a day and is running on two different tracks for the first time: Technology in one room, Business in the other. Matt Schauf of FantasySportsBusiness.com is covering the Tech track; he’ll post a summary of the conference in the next week or so, but for immediate notes see his Twitter feed.

The first session of the Business track is Raising Capital – a few things of interest:

• Adam Koopersmith (New World Ventures) noted that perhaps the most important thing to bring to the table when looking for investors is to be able to articulate what your company offers that big sites like ESPN and Yahoo! don’t offer. Also, figuring out “how to monetize your customer base” is another way to appeal to investors.
• Ira Weiss (Hyde Park Angels) remarked that the fantasy market is “very, very attractive” but they haven’t moved into that space yet.
• Things to pull together when looking for capital: 1-2 page executive summary and powerpoint presentation – also some general information and data on the industry.

Wednesday afternoon sessions

Lots of good stuff going on here in Chicago. We just wrapped up a highly entertaining session with Mickey Charles, President and CEO of the The Sports Network. I recorded it for the FSTA folks so there’s a good chance it might go up on the FSTA site (pardon any shakiness) and you can all enjoy his commentary – or relive it if you’re sitting right here in the audience.

The afternoon continues with a discussion of the NFL labor issues that are looming ahead for the 2011 season, with thoughts from Andrew Brandt of NationalFootballPost.com and Ian Greengross of Greengross Athletic Management Enterprise. When asked about the likelihood for resolution between the owners and NFLPA by the Super Bowl, Brandt and Greengross put it at 20% and 5-10%, respectively. But by the NFL Draft, the likelihood raised to 40-50% for Brandt and 30-40% for Greengross. They stressed that the time between the Super Bowl and March 1st is really going to be the crunch time. If still unresolved as time goes on, pressure will mount on the players in particular and by training camp 2011, odds of resolution goes up to 90% according to Greengross and Brandt.

Next up we’ve got “elevator pitches” for 8 sites/products. We’ll be recording those pitches, too.

Fantasy sports market research update

As the FSTA Summer Conference kicks off, just a reminder to keep up with the latest via Twitter – the conference tag is #fstachicago2010.

Aaron Amic from Ipsos presented the update on fantasy sports market research since the last meeting. Some interesting things to note:

• In looking at teenagers (ages 12-17), nearly 2 in 10 are playing fantasy sports (higher in male teens)
• Participation in Canada has been growing more steadily than in the U.S.
• Of current fantasy sports players, the average number of teams run upon starting off in fantasy sports is 2.9 teams (though just over half start with just 1 team)
• 1/4 of “quitters” (those who stop playing fantasy sports) “would be likely to play fantasy sports ever again in the future” – note: future likelihoods are typically overstated.
• Only 2% say they’re likely to play fantasy sports in the future for the chance to win money/prizes (52% will play because they enjoy it).

Defenses and kickers

We’re wrapping up the drafts here before too long and I thought it was time to check in on team defenses and kickers – everyone’s favorite, right? The drafts are 15 rounds and the first team D was taken pretty early at the 6.11 spot in the first league (Steelers) and 8.08 spot in the second league (Vikings). Ryan Longwell was the first kicker to go in the first league at the 14.03 spot, while two kickers went in the 12th round of the second draft (Kaeding and Hartley).

How are the unelite TEs faring?

Earlier this week I noted my love for Jermichael Finley in KC Star’s The Top Spin article, so I was eager to see where he would fall tonight. He went at the 6.05 spot in the first league and the 6.08 spot in the second league. So the experts have spoken: Finley is currently worthy of a 6th round pick. I can definitely see myself drafting him ahead of this spot personally, but I’ll try and tame my Finley love come draft day. Also going in the 6th round is Brent Celek (6.08 and 6.11 spots).

2010 QB trends

I’m intrigued with what’s happening with the QBs in these two drafts.

In the first league, QBs felt like they were flying off the board for awhile:

• Aaron Rodgers 2.10, Philip Rivers 3.02, Drew Brees 3.05, Peyton Manning 3.07, Tom Brady 4.01, Tony Romo 4.03, Matt Schaub 5.08, Eli Manning 5.10

In the second league, a couple guys snagged some unbelievable value in getting two incredibly solid QBs in the 4th round:

• Drew Brees 1.10, Peyton Manning 2.08, Aaron Rodgers 4.04, Tom Brady 4.06, Tony Romo 5.12, Philip Rivers 6.02, Matt Schaub 6.05, Matt Ryan 6.10

FSTA expert draft

There are two leagues going here at the FSTA annual expert draft and the first round of picks so far are:

League 1:

1. Chris Johnson
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Maurice Jones-Drew
4. Ray Rice
5. Andre Johnson
6. Larry Fitzgerald
7. Frank Gore
8. Steven Jackson
9. Reggie Wayne
10. Michael Turner
11. Randy Moss
12. Rashard Mendenhall

League 2:

1. Chris Johnson
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Maurice Jones-Drew
4. Andre Johnson
5. Ray Rice
6. Frank Gore
7. Steven Jackson
8. Larry Fitzgerald
9. Michael Turner
10. Drew Brees
11. Rashard Mendenhall
12. DeAngelo Williams

As Matt Schauf of RapidDraft notes, four receivers off the board in the first round of the first league “seems excessive” – gotta say I agree.

Other things to note:

• Identical 1-2-3 picks in both leagues – is this the safe path or consensus path?
• Drew Brees was the first QB to go off the board in the second league, next one to go was Peyton Manning with the 2.08 pick. Meanwhile the first QB to go off the board in the first league was Aaron Rodgers with the 2.10 pick.

More soon!

Preconference events start tonight!

In just a few hours I’ll be on my way to Chicago for the FSTA Summer Conference – I’ve been hearing from all sorts of contacts and characters that are going to be there and it’s sure to be an awesome couple of days. Plus with football season content really starting to gear up now, the conference attendees’ enthusiasm for fantasy football should be rather high, which is exciting for this fantasy football blogger.

Tonight the FSTA expert fantasy football draft will start around 7:30 central time and I’ll be blogging some of the results on this site. There are 3-4 different leagues that will be drafting (such is the excitement for fantasy football!) so there should be some interesting developments to track.

Then tomorrow morning, swing back by for some updates on the morning sessions (for an updated agenda, click here). The morning will bring a look at some market research of the fantasy sports world, a discussion of state gambling laws and fantasy sports, and an update on legal topics in fantasyland. So stay tuned!

New conference tracks

The FSTA is introducing a new feature to this summer’s conference in Chicago next week: two different “tracks” on the second day of the conference. The two tracks offer a new kind of focus for conference goers and I’ll be interested to see if this is something that sticks for future conferences.

The first track entitled “Technology” includes sessions on the following topics:

• Social networking – how can we use social media to promote our businesses and make contacts in the fantasy industry? Earlier this spring I attended the 2010 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and sat in on a Social Media Marketing session. It should be interesting to see how the sessions at the two conferences differ but since the FSTA session is being led by PR experts rather than those who are knee-deep in the tweeting and content for social media, I imagine this could bring a new perspective that I haven’t heard previously.
• Outsourcing – while some businesses can stay in-house with many of their data and tech needs, others are exploring outsourcing options. If you’re wondering about the pluses and minuses associated with outsourcing – or you have some experiences you can share – swing on by this session.
• Mobile technologies – not a ton of details here yet but I’m wondering how much of this might focus on various iPhone apps that are springing around the fantasy landscape (Football Guys and Hatty Waiver Wire Guru for example)
• Hosting – even fewer details here but anyone with hosting questions, issues, or curiosities can head this way.

The second track “Business” includes the following sessions:

• Raising Capital – this seems primarily geared to those who are just starting out on the raising capital path or need a few tweaks to a developing plan; if you fall in that category, take a look at what the experts at this session might be able to share with you.
• World Cup – not very many details yet but with the World Cup starting just days after the conference concludes, you can bet that soccer fever will be running high.
• Advertising/Marketing your site – seems like there could be some overlap between this session and the social networking session noted above, but if you’re up for a bigger picture on the marketing scene, then check this one out.
• Fantasy Advertising in the New Decade – see above
• The Gambling Perception – if your site is fighting a gambling perception, get a little fuel for your fire in fighting that perception by attending this session.

Every good conference starts with a draft

Tomorrow, Monday the 24th, is the last day to secure the conference rate for the FSTA Summer Conference at the Doubletree Hotel Chicago Magnificent Mile. To book your room for $145/night, contact the Doubletree at 312-787-6100 or just book online here.

With the conference just over two weeks away, it’s time to start looking at the agenda items and get ready for all the awesome sessions that await us. I’m fairly excited about the new format on the second day of the conference, but today let’s focus on some of the sessions we’ll hear on Wednesday, June 9th…and of course the expert fantasy football draft on Tuesday, June 8th.

• While I won’t be participating in the expert fantasy football draft, I will be live blogging the results of the first few rounds – and will also check in with some interesting picks, value grabs, or potential sleepers as the draft proceeds. This coverage of the draft might be the most helpful takeaway for those of you who are fantasy football players, but might not be quite as into the industry talk or the content that we cover during the sessions. So stay tuned on the night of 6/8 for the draft highlights.
• One of the sessions that I’m looking forward to the most on Tuesday is a look at the current labor dispute between the NFL and the NFLPA, and its potential repercussions on fantasy sites and games for the 2011 season and beyond. Hearing thoughts on the issue from the fantasy industry should be thought-provoking and insightful.
• My buddy Matt over at FantasySportsBusiness.com and I are both psyched to hear the latest and greatest “Trends in Fantasy Sports” from Rotowire’s Peter Schoenke and Dr. Kim Beason, a familiar face at the FSTA conferences for his fantasy consumer research studies. This time around he’ll be including trends on league management and scoring, which should shine a light on just how many of us are playing in IDP leagues or using team QBs. I’ve long been convinced that participation in IDP leagues is growing – as well as PPR leagues – and I’m quite curious about the information Dr. Beason will present. I can nearly guarantee that if the stats show an uptick in IDP leagues, you’ll soon see fantasy sports sites follow suit with more IDP content. Dr. Beason will also be back later in the afternoon to present more of his consumer research studies.
• There are several other interesting sessions (not to mention a solid number of networking breaks, which are always a great call) and the lunch break includes a screening of the movie Fantasyland. I saw Fantasyland when the director and several subjects of the documentary were in New York City for a screening back in March, and I pleasantly surprised by how entertaining it was. Should be a nice complement to the rest of the conference sessions that day.