High Stakes Players (1 Viewer)

[David Dodds]

Back in 2004, Footballguys wrote an article that put a spotlight on the high stakes leagues.

Overview to High Stakes Leagues

Sample Writeups

I could use some help putting together a questionairre where I solicit all of the big contests. The goal is to allow each of these contests to put their best sales pitch forward while also answering the key questions people have between the different formats

Here were the questions we asked in 2004:

- Description of Contest

- Contest Summary

- How old is the contest

- Website address

- For more information (FAQ, POC, etc)

- Costs to enter

- Spots available

- Top prize

- Total of all prizes

- Other prizes

- Prizes Guaranteed?

- Prize Payout Percentage

- Prizes Link

- Draft Live or Online?

- If Live, where/when?

- Associated events with Live Draft

- Fantasy League Structure

- Why is your game unique?

- FAQ Link

- Message Board Link

- Final Thoughts

Some other questions that I think need to be added:

- Free Agency Rules

- Satellites Available?

I am going to finalize these questions by Close of Business on June 11th and send these questionairres out to the different leagues. I want to release this article while we are a free site so it benefits the most people.

Thanks in advance,

David

 

[Team Legacy]

Hey David, that about covers it. I think I'd add specifically the individual league prizes as well which online service is used to host the event. Great idea! I wish you'd take the time to interview and write a story about AFFL.

 

[radballs]

I wish you'd take the time to interview and write a story about AFFL.

Wow, I thought they were toast. They still have a website and are apparently taking signups when I visited their site. Are they using this year's entrants' payments to pay last year's unpaid winners? Never been a big fan of pyramid schemes and I know you got burned Legacy.

 

[pizzatyme]

Speaking of the AFFL, I think "guaranteeing" prizes needs to be solidified. I'd put on the questionaire, what steps do you take to secure the prize funds so that they are truly guaranteed?

I like what the FFPC has done in particular and I believe others need to follow their lead.

Also, I'd be more specific on some of the questions:

What kind of draft format? Serpentine, Auction, 3RR KDS, etc.?

How many weeks in your regular season?

How many teams make your league playoffs? Championship Round?

 

[David Dodds]

Speaking of the AFFL, I think "guaranteeing" prizes needs to be solidified. I'd put on the questionaire, what steps do you take to secure the prize funds so that they are truly guaranteed?I like what the FFPC has done in particular and I believe others need to follow their lead.Also, I'd be more specific on some of the questions:What kind of draft format? Serpentine, Auction, 3RR KDS, etc.?How many weeks in your regular season?How many teams make your league playoffs? Championship Round?

Good stuff. This is exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Pictus Cat]

I like two things about the NFFC.

The prize entry contest for $125 to win a $1300 entry. More skilled players without the do can get into the big contest.

The Vegas, New York, Chicago, Orlando/TB drafts give opportunities for a lot of people to go local or travel.

Maybe they would go into some other question category.

 

[fourd]

Speaking of the AFFL, I think "guaranteeing" prizes needs to be solidified. I'd put on the questionaire, what steps do you take to secure the prize funds so that they are truly guaranteed?I like what the FFPC has done in particular and I believe others need to follow their lead.Also, I'd be more specific on some of the questions:What kind of draft format? Serpentine, Auction, 3RR KDS, etc.?How many weeks in your regular season?How many teams make your league playoffs? Championship Round?

Good additions.

 

[fourd]

I like two things about the NFFC.The prize entry contest for $125 to win a $1300 entry. More skilled players without the do can get into the big contest.The Vegas, New York, Chicago, Orlando/TB drafts give opportunities for a lot of people to go local or travel.Maybe they would go into some other question category.

I imagine the first would be covered under satellites and the second under locations. What I find more interesting is the FFPC offering the online ability to play in the big contest. This gives people real options no matter where they live, including the ability to draft more than one main event team.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

Good topic.

On a separate note, has anyone ever heard of this one?

TheFFLeague

Seems brand new and I don't know anything about it (not endorsing it in any way). Anyone ever heard of it????

 

[King of Queens]

Good topic.

On a separate note, has anyone ever heard of this one?

TheFFLeague

Seems brand new and I don't know anything about it (not endorsing it in any way). Anyone ever heard of it????

Fantasy football boutique -- I hear they do great pedicures and facial waxing.

 

[King of Queens]

How many sign-ups do you have at the present moment? Potential customers are very interested in this sort of data -- why board the ship if it's eventually going to hit an iceberg?

Actual names of participants would add further trust.

 

[fourd]

How many sign-ups do you have at the present moment? Potential customers are very interested in this sort of data -- why board the ship if it's eventually going to hit an iceberg?Actual names of participants would add further trust.

I'm having a bit of trouble with both of these, especially the actual names of participants. How would knowing the number of sign-ups in the AFFL have helped? It doesn't seem like that was a problem. And knowing people like Team Legacy were in the contest meant what as far as trust? It ended up meaning I now know people who got screwed. The biggest contest out there - WCOFF -doesn't do either and I don't see anyone having a problem trusting them.

 

[King of Queens]

How many sign-ups do you have at the present moment? Potential customers are very interested in this sort of data -- why board the ship if it's eventually going to hit an iceberg?

Actual names of participants would add further trust.

I'm having a bit of trouble with both of these, especially the actual names of participants. How would knowing the number of sign-ups in the AFFL have helped? It doesn't seem like that was a problem. And knowing people like Team Legacy were in the contest meant what as far as trust? It ended up meaning I now know people who got screwed. The biggest contest out there - WCOFF -doesn't do either and I don't see anyone having a problem trusting them.

The number of sign-ups was EXACTLY the problem with AFFL -- there was no way they could have paid out their Platinum and Gold prize winners without taking a signifcant financial hit. If you had seen the exact numbers in advance of the contest, you would have realized that it was impossible to keep their promises. Yes, they had been in operation for a few years prior to last year's debacle, but 2007 was the first year that they actually had to pay (or were supposed to anyway) the full amount of the grand prize. In years past they scaled down the grand prize to meet the number of participants. Hindsight is 20/20, but if participants had all of the entry data ahead of time, they would have been more clued in that they were being played. Seeing teams being auctioned on eBay probably would have been enough for me to seek a credit card chargeback.Actual names are always reassuring -- ever notice how Testamonials are almost always attached to a name, and usually one of prominence? People like to see names, especially ones they know.

In addition, remember that ALL of the major contests have out-clauses that enables operators to pull the plug on their contests before the season begins for any reason they deem suitable (I would imagine that low participation would rank at the top of that list). With this in mind, it is helpful for last-minute customers to see the number of participants so that they are more certain that operators will not cancel their events.

 

[CommuterMan]

Not that I participate in 'big stakes' leagues but from reading about AFFL another question I would want to ask is how many other leagues are being run in conjunction with this one league? Do you plan to run other leagues at mid-season? I gather from reading that AFFL tried to do this and in became a mess as they tried to raise capital mid-season for a sinking ship.

I have no problem with a site offering multiple leagues - I would just want to know upfront how many and how they function along with the league that I am interested in (ie are all funds kept separate?) - that is if I had the $$ to play

 

[Liquid Tension]

Back in 2004, Footballguys wrote an article that put a spotlight on the high stakes leagues.

Overview to High Stakes Leagues

Sample Writeups

I could use some help putting together a questionairre where I solicit all of the big contests. The goal is to allow each of these contests to put their best sales pitch forward while also answering the key questions people have between the different formats

Here were the questions we asked in 2004:

- Description of Contest

- Contest Summary

- How old is the contest

- Website address

- For more information (FAQ, POC, etc)

- Costs to enter

- Spots available

- Top prize

- Total of all prizes

- Other prizes

- Prizes Guaranteed?

- Prize Payout Percentage

- Prizes Link

- Draft Live or Online?

- If Live, where/when?

- Associated events with Live Draft

- Fantasy League Structure

- Why is your game unique?

- FAQ Link

- Message Board Link

- Final Thoughts

Some other questions that I think need to be added:

- Free Agency Rules

- Satellites Available?

I am going to finalize these questions by Close of Business on June 11th and send these questionairres out to the different leagues. I want to release this article while we are a free site so it benefits the most people.

Thanks in advance,

David

Scoring method and PPR?

 

[fourd]

How many sign-ups do you have at the present moment? Potential customers are very interested in this sort of data -- why board the ship if it's eventually going to hit an iceberg?

Actual names of participants would add further trust.

I'm having a bit of trouble with both of these, especially the actual names of participants. How would knowing the number of sign-ups in the AFFL have helped? It doesn't seem like that was a problem. And knowing people like Team Legacy were in the contest meant what as far as trust? It ended up meaning I now know people who got screwed. The biggest contest out there - WCOFF -doesn't do either and I don't see anyone having a problem trusting them.

The number of sign-ups was EXACTLY the problem with AFFL -- there was no way they could have paid out their Platinum and Gold prize winners without taking a signifcant financial hit. If you had seen the exact numbers in advance of the contest, you would have realized that it was impossible to keep their promises. Yes, they had been in operation for a few years prior to last year's debacle, but 2007 was the first year that they actually had to pay (or were supposed to anyway) the full amount of the grand prize. In years past they scaled down the grand prize to meet the number of participants. Hindsight is 20/20, but if participants had all of the entry data ahead of time, they would have been more clued in that they were being played. Seeing teams being auctioned on eBay probably would have been enough for me to seek a credit card chargeback.Actual names are always reassuring -- ever notice how Testamonials are almost always attached to a name, and usually one of prominence? People like to see names, especially ones they know.

In addition, remember that ALL of the major contests have out-clauses that enables operators to pull the plug on their contests before the season begins for any reason they deem suitable (I would imagine that low participation would rank at the top of that list). With this in mind, it is helpful for last-minute customers to see the number of participants so that they are more certain that operators will not cancel their events.

Really? And my apologies for not really sticking to the true topic here. Some players DID know how many singups there were and played anyway, trusting Neil to keep his promise. And wasn't the bigger problem taking all the winnings and investing it in software, assuring no money for anything? So which names of prominence are ffballers looking for? Who even knows real names in this hobby? MANY a scam artist has used "prominent" names to rip people off so unless that name is guaranteeing the contest I'm missing the connection. As a matter of fact, most names of prominence end up with compenasation for the use of their name. And as I already said, the biggest contest out there doesn't do either and I don't hear the players demanding it.

 

[Andy Herron]

Something we tried for the first time last year was "home field advantage points" for division winners for the playoffs.

A two "five team" division league. Determining the actual number of points was the biggest hangup.

Our commissioner used a formula he drew up that I can't remember. It was well thought out and made sense though.

How many other leagues use this approach, and how do they formulate the number?

 

[King of Queens]

How many sign-ups do you have at the present moment? Potential customers are very interested in this sort of data -- why board the ship if it's eventually going to hit an iceberg?

Actual names of participants would add further trust.

I'm having a bit of trouble with both of these, especially the actual names of participants. How would knowing the number of sign-ups in the AFFL have helped? It doesn't seem like that was a problem. And knowing people like Team Legacy were in the contest meant what as far as trust? It ended up meaning I now know people who got screwed. The biggest contest out there - WCOFF -doesn't do either and I don't see anyone having a problem trusting them.

The number of sign-ups was EXACTLY the problem with AFFL -- there was no way they could have paid out their Platinum and Gold prize winners without taking a signifcant financial hit. If you had seen the exact numbers in advance of the contest, you would have realized that it was impossible to keep their promises. Yes, they had been in operation for a few years prior to last year's debacle, but 2007 was the first year that they actually had to pay (or were supposed to anyway) the full amount of the grand prize. In years past they scaled down the grand prize to meet the number of participants. Hindsight is 20/20, but if participants had all of the entry data ahead of time, they would have been more clued in that they were being played. Seeing teams being auctioned on eBay probably would have been enough for me to seek a credit card chargeback.Actual names are always reassuring -- ever notice how Testamonials are almost always attached to a name, and usually one of prominence? People like to see names, especially ones they know.

In addition, remember that ALL of the major contests have out-clauses that enables operators to pull the plug on their contests before the season begins for any reason they deem suitable (I would imagine that low participation would rank at the top of that list). With this in mind, it is helpful for last-minute customers to see the number of participants so that they are more certain that operators will not cancel their events.

Really? And my apologies for not really sticking to the true topic here. Some players DID know how many singups there were and played anyway, trusting Neil to keep his promise. And wasn't the bigger problem taking all the winnings and investing it in software, assuring no money for anything? So which names of prominence are ffballers looking for? Who even knows real names in this hobby? MANY a scam artist has used "prominent" names to rip people off so unless that name is guaranteeing the contest I'm missing the connection. As a matter of fact, most names of prominence end up with compenasation for the use of their name. And as I already said, the biggest contest out there doesn't do either and I don't hear the players demanding it.

Obviously this is a bigger issue for newer contests, and much less so for WCOFF and NFFC.When you sign-up for an event, you're putting your trust in the owner/operator to:

(1) Actually play out the event

(2) Not run off with the money

You didn't address point (1). If an event's grand prize is structured around having 300 participants, and only gets 150, there is going to be a significant financial loss for the operator. While some new companies might choose to absorb that loss in the first year (hoping for better results in future years), most game operators would choose not to proceed.

This is a critical point: all contests can be cancelled for whatever reason the operator deems necessary. Why would you want to invest valuable preparation time learning the rules for a contest that may or may not proceed? Seeing how many participants an event has could prevent people from getting involved with leagues that, with severe under-enrollment, would never get off the ground.

 

[gordon gekko]

Post AFFL, I think it's reasonable to ask:

1. What is the name and address of the company (or individuals) ultimately responsible for paying out the prizes?

2. Has the company (or individuals) ever declared bankruptcy before?

3. List your company's revenue for each of the last three years.

 

[fourd]

How many sign-ups do you have at the present moment? Potential customers are very interested in this sort of data -- why board the ship if it's eventually going to hit an iceberg?

Actual names of participants would add further trust.

I'm having a bit of trouble with both of these, especially the actual names of participants. How would knowing the number of sign-ups in the AFFL have helped? It doesn't seem like that was a problem. And knowing people like Team Legacy were in the contest meant what as far as trust? It ended up meaning I now know people who got screwed. The biggest contest out there - WCOFF -doesn't do either and I don't see anyone having a problem trusting them.

The number of sign-ups was EXACTLY the problem with AFFL -- there was no way they could have paid out their Platinum and Gold prize winners without taking a signifcant financial hit. If you had seen the exact numbers in advance of the contest, you would have realized that it was impossible to keep their promises. Yes, they had been in operation for a few years prior to last year's debacle, but 2007 was the first year that they actually had to pay (or were supposed to anyway) the full amount of the grand prize. In years past they scaled down the grand prize to meet the number of participants. Hindsight is 20/20, but if participants had all of the entry data ahead of time, they would have been more clued in that they were being played. Seeing teams being auctioned on eBay probably would have been enough for me to seek a credit card chargeback.Actual names are always reassuring -- ever notice how Testamonials are almost always attached to a name, and usually one of prominence? People like to see names, especially ones they know.

In addition, remember that ALL of the major contests have out-clauses that enables operators to pull the plug on their contests before the season begins for any reason they deem suitable (I would imagine that low participation would rank at the top of that list). With this in mind, it is helpful for last-minute customers to see the number of participants so that they are more certain that operators will not cancel their events.

Really? And my apologies for not really sticking to the true topic here. Some players DID know how many singups there were and played anyway, trusting Neil to keep his promise. And wasn't the bigger problem taking all the winnings and investing it in software, assuring no money for anything? So which names of prominence are ffballers looking for? Who even knows real names in this hobby? MANY a scam artist has used "prominent" names to rip people off so unless that name is guaranteeing the contest I'm missing the connection. As a matter of fact, most names of prominence end up with compenasation for the use of their name. And as I already said, the biggest contest out there doesn't do either and I don't hear the players demanding it.

Obviously this is a bigger issue for newer contests, and much less so for WCOFF and NFFC.When you sign-up for an event, you're putting your trust in the owner/operator to:

(1) Actually play out the event

(2) Not run off with the money

You didn't address point (1). If an event's grand prize is structured around having 300 participants, and only gets 150, there is going to be a significant financial loss for the operator. While some new companies might choose to absorb that loss in the first year (hoping for better results in future years), most game operators would choose not to proceed.

This is a critical point: all contests can be cancelled for whatever reason the operator deems necessary. Why would you want to invest valuable preparation time learning the rules for a contest that may or may not proceed? Seeing how many participants an event has could prevent people from getting involved with leagues that, with severe under-enrollment, would never get off the ground.

OK, I have a contest for 300 players. You're thinking of playing and want to know how many entries I have. I tell you 280. You say great, I'm in. Draft spot and league assignment day comes and I cancel because I only have 75 people signed up. How did you "knowing" how many entries I had help you?

 

[King of Queens]

How many sign-ups do you have at the present moment? Potential customers are very interested in this sort of data -- why board the ship if it's eventually going to hit an iceberg?

Actual names of participants would add further trust.

I'm having a bit of trouble with both of these, especially the actual names of participants. How would knowing the number of sign-ups in the AFFL have helped? It doesn't seem like that was a problem. And knowing people like Team Legacy were in the contest meant what as far as trust? It ended up meaning I now know people who got screwed. The biggest contest out there - WCOFF -doesn't do either and I don't see anyone having a problem trusting them.

The number of sign-ups was EXACTLY the problem with AFFL -- there was no way they could have paid out their Platinum and Gold prize winners without taking a signifcant financial hit. If you had seen the exact numbers in advance of the contest, you would have realized that it was impossible to keep their promises. Yes, they had been in operation for a few years prior to last year's debacle, but 2007 was the first year that they actually had to pay (or were supposed to anyway) the full amount of the grand prize. In years past they scaled down the grand prize to meet the number of participants. Hindsight is 20/20, but if participants had all of the entry data ahead of time, they would have been more clued in that they were being played. Seeing teams being auctioned on eBay probably would have been enough for me to seek a credit card chargeback.Actual names are always reassuring -- ever notice how Testamonials are almost always attached to a name, and usually one of prominence? People like to see names, especially ones they know.

In addition, remember that ALL of the major contests have out-clauses that enables operators to pull the plug on their contests before the season begins for any reason they deem suitable (I would imagine that low participation would rank at the top of that list). With this in mind, it is helpful for last-minute customers to see the number of participants so that they are more certain that operators will not cancel their events.

Really? And my apologies for not really sticking to the true topic here. Some players DID know how many singups there were and played anyway, trusting Neil to keep his promise. And wasn't the bigger problem taking all the winnings and investing it in software, assuring no money for anything? So which names of prominence are ffballers looking for? Who even knows real names in this hobby? MANY a scam artist has used "prominent" names to rip people off so unless that name is guaranteeing the contest I'm missing the connection. As a matter of fact, most names of prominence end up with compenasation for the use of their name. And as I already said, the biggest contest out there doesn't do either and I don't hear the players demanding it.

Obviously this is a bigger issue for newer contests, and much less so for WCOFF and NFFC.When you sign-up for an event, you're putting your trust in the owner/operator to:

(1) Actually play out the event

(2) Not run off with the money

You didn't address point (1). If an event's grand prize is structured around having 300 participants, and only gets 150, there is going to be a significant financial loss for the operator. While some new companies might choose to absorb that loss in the first year (hoping for better results in future years), most game operators would choose not to proceed.

This is a critical point: all contests can be cancelled for whatever reason the operator deems necessary. Why would you want to invest valuable preparation time learning the rules for a contest that may or may not proceed? Seeing how many participants an event has could prevent people from getting involved with leagues that, with severe under-enrollment, would never get off the ground.

OK, I have a contest for 300 players. You're thinking of playing and want to know how many entries I have. I tell you 280. You say great, I'm in. Draft spot and league assignment day comes and I cancel because I only have 75 people signed up. How did you "knowing" how many entries I had help you?

If you enter dishonesty into the equation, anything's possible.

 

[gordon gekko]

additional question, what is the last date you can cancel your event(s) for any reason (including not enough sign-ups)?

 

[Leroy's Aces]

additional question, what is the last date you can cancel your event(s) for any reason (including not enough sign-ups)?

This one and the other three you listed are pretty good ones. I am not sure that private companies are obligated to list revenue, but companies proving financial stability is safest for all fantasy players. I refuse to see another AFFL, so some of these are good for protecting the players. As a high stakes player myself, I would like to know some of this information in making my decision of which games I will play this year.

 

[Mike]

Post AFFL, I think it's reasonable to ask:1. What is the name and address of the company (or individuals) ultimately responsible for paying out the prizes? 2. Has the company (or individuals) ever declared bankruptcy before? 3. List your company's revenue for each of the last three years.

Ridiculous to ask these questions, or expect an answer. If you don't trust them, then don't play. If you simply ask are the monies guaranteed and how, and you believe the answer is sufficient, then that is all you need to make your decision.

 

[gordon gekko]

Post AFFL, I think it's reasonable to ask:1. What is the name and address of the company (or individuals) ultimately responsible for paying out the prizes? 2. Has the company (or individuals) ever declared bankruptcy before? 3. List your company's revenue for each of the last three years.

Ridiculous to ask these questions, or expect an answer. If you don't trust them, then don't play. If you simply ask are the monies guaranteed and how, and you believe the answer is sufficient, then that is all you need to make your decision.

Ridiculous to expect an answer????? why? putting 2K+ on the line for an event you never joined before can be a big leap of faith for most people. here's mike's question: Are the monies guaranteed?Company: YesDAH!!! Ya, that really gets a lot of info out of them. i can really tell if that is a "sufficient" answer or not. ask the affl participants how they feel. the more info up front the better. thanks!

 

[Mike]

Is it guaranteed and how is it guaranteed were my questions. If they say yes and nothing else, then sure, maybe that gives you pause.

What if you go contract someone to do some landscaping, and drop a $1 to $2K deposit with them? You think they're obliged to hand over their financial statements? Please...

Listen, you guys want to play in your high stakes leagues thats fine, but you have to realize the risks involved in getting into such a thing. You want to play, you take a risk. Oh sorry, you want a no risk situation? Not going to happen. Pick wisely and hope for the best.

I feel badly for the people who played in AFFL last year and got burned. The guy who ran it, Neil, really took people for a ride for a long time when any reasonable person in Neil's position would have not he was not going to turn it around.

But just because that happened, does not going to mean you are ever going to get 100% assurance of it not happening again, and asking for a full background check on the people running the thing ... if that's what you need to play, maybe you need to find something else to play.

 

[pizzatyme]

Is it guaranteed and how is it guaranteed were my questions. If they say yes and nothing else, then sure, maybe that gives you pause.What if you go contract someone to do some landscaping, and drop a $1 to $2K deposit with them? You think they're obliged to hand over their financial statements? Please... Listen, you guys want to play in your high stakes leagues thats fine, but you have to realize the risks involved in getting into such a thing. You want to play, you take a risk. Oh sorry, you want a no risk situation? Not going to happen. Pick wisely and hope for the best.I feel badly for the people who played in AFFL last year and got burned. The guy who ran it, Neil, really took people for a ride for a long time when any reasonable person in Neil's position would have not he was not going to turn it around.But just because that happened, does not going to mean you are ever going to get 100% assurance of it not happening again, and asking for a full background check on the people running the thing ... if that's what you need to play, maybe you need to find something else to play.

I agree. I think the questions i asked were reasonable. Asking if anyone has ever filed BK is silly. IIRC Donald Trump has declared BK previously. That doesn't mean you can't do business with him now.

 

[gordon gekko]

Asking if anyone has ever filed BK is silly. IIRC Donald Trump has declared BK previously. That doesn't mean you can't do business with him now.

maybe YOU are more careless with your money than me. I CERTAINLY CARE whether an operator has filed bankruptcy. the only thing silly, is your post. i wouldn't even be surprised if you are somehow "in the industry" and would like very much for this question to go away

 

[gordon gekko]

Is it guaranteed and how is it guaranteed were my questions. If they say yes and nothing else, then sure, maybe that gives you pause.What if you go contract someone to do some landscaping, and drop a $1 to $2K deposit with them? You think they're obliged to hand over their financial statements? Please... Listen, you guys want to play in your high stakes leagues thats fine, but you have to realize the risks involved in getting into such a thing. You want to play, you take a risk. Oh sorry, you want a no risk situation? Not going to happen. Pick wisely and hope for the best.I feel badly for the people who played in AFFL last year and got burned. The guy who ran it, Neil, really took people for a ride for a long time when any reasonable person in Neil's position would have not he was not going to turn it around.But just because that happened, does not going to mean you are ever going to get 100% assurance of it not happening again, and asking for a full background check on the people running the thing ... if that's what you need to play, maybe you need to find something else to play.

you clearly have no idea what you are talking about. Also, your post implies that you do NOT play in high stakes league. if true, please remove yourself from the thread and leave the heavy lifting to folks that DO play in high stakes leagues (like me). thanks!

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

Is it guaranteed and how is it guaranteed were my questions. If they say yes and nothing else, then sure, maybe that gives you pause.What if you go contract someone to do some landscaping, and drop a $1 to $2K deposit with them? You think they're obliged to hand over their financial statements? Please... Listen, you guys want to play in your high stakes leagues thats fine, but you have to realize the risks involved in getting into such a thing. You want to play, you take a risk. Oh sorry, you want a no risk situation? Not going to happen. Pick wisely and hope for the best.I feel badly for the people who played in AFFL last year and got burned. The guy who ran it, Neil, really took people for a ride for a long time when any reasonable person in Neil's position would have not he was not going to turn it around.But just because that happened, does not going to mean you are ever going to get 100% assurance of it not happening again, and asking for a full background check on the people running the thing ... if that's what you need to play, maybe you need to find something else to play.

you clearly have no idea what you are talking about. Also, your post implies that you do NOT play in high stakes league. if true, please remove yourself from the thread and leave the heavy lifting to folks that DO play in high stakes leagues (like me). thanks!

Hi gg,This is not the other leagues' forums. Be more respectful of others opinions please.If you want to bash on other people's posts, that won't be happening in the Shark Pool. OTherwise we'll do some heavy lifting and remove your comments from the thread.TIA.

 

[Bri]

Good topic.

On a separate note, has anyone ever heard of this one?

TheFFLeague

Seems brand new and I don't know anything about it (not endorsing it in any way). Anyone ever heard of it????

This says Adam Grossman owns it. (name doesn't ring a bell)http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/resu...theffleague.com

Did I read that right and it costs 20k to participate?

 

[Mike]

Is it guaranteed and how is it guaranteed were my questions. If they say yes and nothing else, then sure, maybe that gives you pause.What if you go contract someone to do some landscaping, and drop a $1 to $2K deposit with them? You think they're obliged to hand over their financial statements? Please... Listen, you guys want to play in your high stakes leagues thats fine, but you have to realize the risks involved in getting into such a thing. You want to play, you take a risk. Oh sorry, you want a no risk situation? Not going to happen. Pick wisely and hope for the best.I feel badly for the people who played in AFFL last year and got burned. The guy who ran it, Neil, really took people for a ride for a long time when any reasonable person in Neil's position would have not he was not going to turn it around.But just because that happened, does not going to mean you are ever going to get 100% assurance of it not happening again, and asking for a full background check on the people running the thing ... if that's what you need to play, maybe you need to find something else to play.

you clearly have no idea what you are talking about. Also, your post implies that you do NOT play in high stakes league. if true, please remove yourself from the thread and leave the heavy lifting to folks that DO play in high stakes leagues (like me). thanks!

Oh yeah, clearly. Clearly we disagree so I must not know what I'm talking about. FWIW, I've played in WCOFF before, the first two years I think. Played in RotoBowl last year. Does that count? I considered AFFL last year and went with RotoBowl because, among other things, it was affiliated with FHM mag. I was less concerned about getting stiffed in that case even given AFFL's history. I used the information available to make my decision. I suppose I could have asked all your questions to Neil to do more due diligence on AFFL before deciding, but honestly, who am I to ask that much personal information of a person to choose to use their service or not? And would it really have helped? I think not.

 

[David Dodds]

Everyone,

I posted this so that people could suggest questions that we ask the different high stakes leagues. Please keep this to topic.

 

[Mike]

Dear [High Stakes League], No doubt you are aware of the issues that plagued the AFFL and its players for the 2007 season. What assurances can you give that an incident like this or something similar will not happen to [High Stakes League] and its players for the 2008 season?

 

[gordon gekko]

To clarify my earlier questions (since we've had some overly "trust-worthy" posters in this thread IMO), post AFFL, I thinks it's important to exercise due diligence in checking out companies/individuals offering high stakes events. It seems like every year, I hear of a company offering a grand prize of 1 million dollars, only to find out later in the year that the event never happened. These fly-by-night operations exist and dupe owners into giving them money, as well as personal information. Asking the questions I posted will HELP owners make an informed decision. And btw, when I see someone has declared bankruptcy, that shows me that either that person has some extraordinarily bad luck or, THE MORE LIKELY CASE, that they are poor when it comes to running "financials". In either case, with all else being equal, I'd much rather give my money to someone without a bankruptcy on their record.

Additional questions...

What date did you BEGIN issuing prize money checks to participants that won money playing in your contest during the 2007 fantasy football season?

What date did you END issuing prize money checks to participants that won money playing in your contest during the 2007 fantasy football season?

 

[Leroy's Aces]

To go along with GG's post, do you have a set date when you will be paying your players this year and when is it? For which leagues?

 

[fourd]

Have you/will you discount entry fees for your event for any reason?

If yes, under what conditions?

 

[Leroy's Aces]

Good topic.

On a separate note, has anyone ever heard of this one?

TheFFLeague

Seems brand new and I don't know anything about it (not endorsing it in any way). Anyone ever heard of it????

The entry payment is $20,000 per team.Now that's what I'm talking about!

Yes, please note two things at the bottom the "The League's home page"1. Participants join at there own financial risk.

Comment: That is pretty scary. Risk - not good in fantasy football, given the 4 letter word known as A***. (You know what it is)

2. Participants join at there own financial risk.

Comment: Umm, the correct word is "their" not "there". That, also, is scary, given the cost of the league. Proof it next time, por favor.