 |
|
Latest Articles
Online Casinos
Casinos
Las Vegas
Online Gambling
Sports Betting
Blackjack
Poker
Sports
From The Frontlines
Feedback
FAQ
About Us
Links
Banners
Free Games
Forum
Guestbook
Webmasters
Site Map
Article Map
News
Newsletter
Search
Photo Gallery
Quick Find
Login
PDA & Palm Version
Category Feeds
|
|
|
|
Where Did Fantasy Sports Come From?
Sports
Jul 28, 2001, 12:36
By Roy De Caro http://www.gamblingonlinemagazine.com
|
|
The Fantasy Sports Players Association, a non-profit trade orgainization, was founded for the "Betterment of the Fantasy sports industry and to encourage participation in Fantasy Sports Leagues. The Fantasy Players Association will look to protect the commercial and consumer rights of individual players and business owners, and address regulations as the unified voice of the Fantasy Sports Industry." This my fellow sports fans, is the mission statement for the Fantasy Sports Players Association (FSPA),
In the past we have examined the different games that we have access to through various fantasy sports leagues. We have looked at how these games are run, and how you can win cash prizes. Whether your preference is coaching Tiger Woods through the 18th hole, stepping into the ring with Mike Tyson or Lenox Lewis, or being on center ice as Chris Pronger gets ready to face off, you can do it. Is this amazing? The answer is yes, ladies and gentleman, it is truly amazing. There is a fantasy league or sport out there for everyone.
In the ever changing world of cyber-gaming we have seen time and time again that our most difficult issue to overcome its credibility. People need to feel comfortable with who they are dealing with and understand what exactly they are signing on for. Well, I want to show you today how to do this. I want to share with you some ways that we can build trust and credibility, which leads to relaxed gaming and fun and profitability for all those involved.
Fantasy Sports Players Association (FSPA) has established some sort of a history. FSPA is showing us a code of ethics. FSPA is sponsoring major events and conventions that allow us to put a face with the names we read about. They are also doing something a little by honoring their roots. They understand that this is not a new idea and they have started a hall of fame that is giving credit to those individuals who saw a need and filled it in 1979.
In 1998 during the Fantasy Insights Fantasy Football Convention there was a meeting of the true players in fantasy sports. James Serra of Fantasy Insights, Scott Higgins of EA Sports, Christina Schellhardt of The Sporting News, Charlie Wiegert of CDM Sports, and Carl foster of USFANS decided that this was an idea that people loved and it nedded to grow. And soon after the founding 12 members of the FSPA held the first ever experts baseball draft. In June of 1999 FSPA held a board meeting in Philadelphia as part of Krause Publication's "SportsFest." Soon after in August the first ever experts football draft was held in Chicago with Dick Butkus.
This was a game that was getting some recognition now, and there was no stopping it. We witnessed Board meetings every four months or so partnered with events. But in March of 2000 the FSPA really put things together in Orlando, Florida. There were industry speakers and seminars, as well as panel discussions. This was the birth of the FSPA hall of fame, as well as the 1st Freedom Golf Celebrity Golf Challenge. They voted in eight new board members and released the very first Fantasy research study by Harris Interactive/Fanball.com.
Honesty is the the first very basic, but very important rule to be followed. Members of FSPA are held to a level of honesty. Advertisements should only state things that have actually been documented to have happened in the past years. Rules and regulations should be clear and fully disclosed before people's entrance fees are accepted. There are often times very misleading ads on the Internet when we look around.
These ads may promise you the world, but not be there a week later. The FSPA board of directors is there to oversee these isuues and look out for companies that want to promote their league with ads promising big payouts based on large participation. Or ads that only compare their strongest areas and do not give you the complete picture.
Integrity is the second principal to which members of FSPA are held. This basically tells us that there is a higher authority to watch that if we are promised something it is delivered. That all rules are created equal for all players, and that prizes are paid by the date that is published on their site. This is also a safeguard against insiders playing on their own sites and winning prizes.
Credibility is the third principle that the FSPA has in their code of ethics. This is to suggest that all official licenses be in place when operating a game. These licenses are obtained through the Player Association. They want to see that any statement made by a game operator is always followed through to completion. Credibility cries for accuracy, and this will shine through in the statistical arena which is so very important for quality fantasy sports. These three words are often times kept out of the gambling and gaming world, but they should go hand in hand. Together these three qualities can help to provide a level of comfort for us to concentrate on the game at hand and not the minutia that we can find ourselves bogged down with.
The internet has given us tools to do many things, but many ideas come from years back. In the Fantasy Sports Trade conference in Orlando we saw the founding fathers of fantasy sports inducted into the Hall of Fame. Daniel Okrent and Glen Waggoner, who started Rotisserie Baseball in 1979, had this honor. Waggoner came to the conference to be honored. He talked about the fun that they had at the drafts that they ran over 20 years ago.
Waggoner had been the editor for the Rotisserie League Baseball books which really gave this industry the jump start that it needed in the 1980's. This event was bridging an important gap, and bringing the credibility that it needs by a union of the founding fathers, with the innovating fathers.
The FSPA is an example of a site that is not perfect by any means, but moving in the right direction. Some of the fundamental policies that they are adopting are the ethics that will drive the onlinegaming industry in the right direction. Sites that do the right thing and look long term will be around for years to come, and these are the sites that we want to inform our readers about.
The FSPA will accept applications for sole proprietors, partnerships, and companies. Any of these entities with revenue less than $1m will pay $250. Any entities with revenue exceeding $1m will have to pay $500 as a yearly fee.
Fantasy sports is something that provides entertainment to millions. If the sites are reputable, and provide accurate information then the games can go back to their purest form...they can continue to be games.
So look for the site that best fits all of your needs and play ball!
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
|
|
|
|
