NFL orders clubs: Show fantasy stats at stadiums this year (1 Viewer)

[Steve in Minneapolis]

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NFL orders clubs: Show fantasy stats at stadiums this year

By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY

Updated 15m ago

A dream come true for fantasy football players attending live NFL games? Or a sell-out move that could tick off sports purists?

Starting with tonight's Green Bay Packers-New Orleans Saints season opener, the NFL is directing all 32 clubs to display real-time fantasy football stats at all home games for the new 2011 season, says league spokesman Brian McCarthy.

Previously, it was up to individual clubs to decide if they wanted to show player stats from out-of-town games on their scoreboards rather than focusing on their own. Not any more.

The NFL is reaching out to millions of fantasy players who feel somewhat cut off while attending live games. Many fantasy players already use mobile devices to keep in touch with how their players and teams are doing.

But the NFL wants fans at live games to feel as plugged in as they would be on their couch at home. So NFL headquarters will be shooting all teams real-time fantasy stats -- and directing them to post on video boards for fans in the stands.

The reason is simple: In today's struggling economy, the NFL is worried fans will watch games for free at home rather shelling out cash for tickets, parking, food and beers at stadiums.

"We know we have to continue to do more to keep fans coming to our games.," McCarthy says. "We're looking at ways to further replicate the at-home experience in the stadium."

The NFL's paid regular season attendance has slid three seasons in a row as fans struggle to pay for game tickets and PSL's in the economic recession. The league drew overall attendance of 16,569,514 in 2010. That was down a fraction from 2009, off 1.7% from 2008 and a 4.5% drop from the record year of 2007.

The NFL's average ticket prices rose 4.5% to $76.47 in 2010, according to Team Marketing Report. The New England Patriots charged the highest average ticket price at $117.84; the Cleveland Browns the cheapest at $54.51.

It's estimated over 20 million Americans, mostly males, play fantasy football. Fantasy sports overall have grown over 60% the last four years to over 32 million players in the U.S. and Canada, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.

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It is about time that the NFL figured this out...even if it is five (ten?) years later than it should have been. I have turned down free tickets to see games simply because the in-game experience for a fantasy player is BRUTAL, and trying to use your phone to stay on top of things is brutal (at best)because there are thousands of people all doing the same thing and it crushes the mobile network.

It is really compelling to see the NFL say "We're looking at ways to further replicate the at-home experience"

 

[BroadwayG]

"We're looking at ways to further replicate the at-home experience in the stadium."

cellphones eliminate the need for stats. They're about 10 years behind the curve.If you want to replicate my at home experience, take out every other seat so I don't have to wrestle with Mr. 450 lb. obese guy's thigh fat to fit my nachos on my lap.

 

[DaveGrumbles]

Why not over/unders and point spreads then?

Don't get me wrong, I love fantasy football but the hobby has always been a well packaged, disney version of gambling on games. Not much difference to me. I also don't see this as being that great for players and fans to be so interconnected in the stadium on the statistical ramifications for each and every offensive player on the field. I imagine 'fans' booing a run by the fullback when MJD might need 2 yards for a 100 yard fantasy bonus or something along those lines. Equivalent to the obnoxious 'we want tacos!' chant at NBA games (although those are still kinda funny to me...easily amused I guess). Aww...I'm probably just having a case of cranky's today...or maybe I've just always been annoyed with the 'breaking of the 4th wall' thing.

 

[azgroover]

This is a good thing. It's crazy how tough it is to get fantasy stats sometimes at stadiums. They only show limited out of town highlights and with so many people in such a small area, cellular coverage seems to jam up.

I just looked at stubhub for the Panthers/Cards game this weekend. The get-in price is only $9.99/seat.

I'll wait and see if the prices drop even more. My only qualm is that it's still 100+ degrees here, so tailgating sucks until about October. Much more enjoyable to watch at home at this point.

 

[Addai's Adidas]

Good. Lions games were so boring; no cheerleaders, no scoring, crappy fight song when they do score. The most exciting thing is the pee wee football at halftime. At least now there will be a distraction.

 

[Chase Stuart]

I wonder if this rule changes in weeks 16 and 17, when teams often instruct the scoreboard operators not to show certain games.

 

[Limp Ditka]

"We're looking at ways to further replicate the at-home experience in the stadium."

cellphones eliminate the need for stats. They're about 10 years behind the curve.If you want to replicate my at home experience, take out every other seat so I don't have to wrestle with Mr. 450 lb. obese guy's thigh fat to fit my nachos on my lap.

Cell phones? When you're packed in with 40,000 to 60,000 other fans, cell phones aren't very reliable.I know AT&T service at Soldier Field flat out sucks. I have, at best, a 5% success rate of getting any data feed on my phone during the game.

 

[dgreen]

Not sure how well this work. I care about MY fantasy game, not every player in the league. If I don't have Arian Foster and my opponent doesn't have Arian Foster, putting up "Arian Foster 45 yard TD run" means absolutely nothing to me. Also, the main thing I care about with MY game is the score of MY game. So maybe I see some stats for some of my players and some of my opponents. I guess I could calculate a basic score in my head and conclude that I'm down 10 points based only on the couple players I happened to see on their display.

I attend a few games a year. Not once have I thought, "If only they'd tell me how my players are doing, then I'd be having more fun!" I'm not sure why the NFL can't realize that their main problem is ticket price.

 

[beaux]

Stupid idea.

 

[footballnerd]

Be interesting to see how teams decide to show stats. I think a half time/intermission on the big screen is better than a constant ticker streaming on the sidelines. Doesn't take away from the game and you dont have zombies standing in your way as they go back to their seats. I'd rather have them looking at their phones in their seats as the game is playing. Regardless, its nice, but Im not sure this affect more ticket sales.

 

[Winning IS Everything]

"We're looking at ways to further replicate the at-home experience in the stadium."

cellphones eliminate the need for stats. They're about 10 years behind the curve.If you want to replicate my at home experience, take out every other seat so I don't have to wrestle with Mr. 450 lb. obese guy's thigh fat to fit my nachos on my lap.

Amen, brother. Add to that my "at home experience" does not include walking 1/4 mile to the bathroom or refreshment stands or paying for 1 BEER what I can pay for a 12 pack at home...............

 

[dgreen]

Be interesting to see how teams decide to show stats.

Exactly. I can't think of a way for them to use scoreboards or other electronic message boards in the stadium that would come close providing what people want (can get at home with their laptop). For a few years, the Redskins have offered some type of handheld device for watching out of town games. Can't remember what it was called and I'm not sure they do it anymore. I think it was fairly expensive (shocking, I know) and I never saw anyone using one.I get texts from MFL with my game score a few times a day. I wish they sent texts more often (every 15 minutes or so during the 1 PM games). That would be more than enough for me while at a game.

 

[belljr]

Cut out commercials to make the in stadium game better.

Sounds weird right but this is my biggest complaint.

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

Good. Lions games were so boring; no cheerleaders, no scoring, crappy fight song when they do score. The most exciting thing is the pee wee football at halftime. At least now there will be a distraction.

X

'Forward down the Field' is a great fight song as far as NFL fight songs go. And there are cheerleaders at Lions games, just not 'official'/team ones. IIRC they bring in about 4 local High Schol squads per game and let them act as the cheerleaders (which is a nice combination of awesome and creepy depending on how drunk the guys around you are...

 

[Fireman Ed]

Not sure how well this work. I care about MY fantasy game, not every player in the league. If I don't have Arian Foster and my opponent doesn't have Arian Foster, putting up "Arian Foster 45 yard TD run" means absolutely nothing to me. Also, the main thing I care about with MY game is the score of MY game. So maybe I see some stats for some of my players and some of my opponents. I guess I could calculate a basic score in my head and conclude that I'm down 10 points based only on the couple players I happened to see on their display.

I attend a few games a year. Not once have I thought, "If only they'd tell me how my players are doing, then I'd be having more fun!" I'm not sure why the NFL can't realize that their main problem is ticket price.

oh they realize it. They just would rather try to throw trinkets out there instead of hurting the revenues. If they realized it and cared then why are they still charging full price for 4 JV games each year?

 

[azgroover]

Cut out commercials to make the in stadium game better. Sounds weird right but this is my biggest complaint.

Way too much noticeable downtime when you're at the stadium. Luckily, there are always drunks nearby to play the role of jester.

 

[dgreen]

Cut out commercials to make the in stadium game better. Sounds weird right but this is my biggest complaint.

Way too much noticeable downtime when you're at the stadium. Luckily, there are always drunks nearby to play the role of jester.

It's not just the tv timeouts. Those don't bother me. It's the in-stadium commercials on the big screens during tv timeouts. The Redskins have improved this a little the last couple years, but every break used to be filled with the same 4 or 5 commercials for years. And I used to sit right under a speakers and literally couldn't hear the person next to me during the commercials.The team has a freaking band in the stadium but they replay the same freaking Fed Ex commercial over and over and over and over. Yeah, "French benefits", really funny guys.

 

[dgreen]

Not sure how well this work. I care about MY fantasy game, not every player in the league. If I don't have Arian Foster and my opponent doesn't have Arian Foster, putting up "Arian Foster 45 yard TD run" means absolutely nothing to me. Also, the main thing I care about with MY game is the score of MY game. So maybe I see some stats for some of my players and some of my opponents. I guess I could calculate a basic score in my head and conclude that I'm down 10 points based only on the couple players I happened to see on their display.

I attend a few games a year. Not once have I thought, "If only they'd tell me how my players are doing, then I'd be having more fun!" I'm not sure why the NFL can't realize that their main problem is ticket price.

oh they realize it. They just would rather try to throw trinkets out there instead of hurting the revenues. If they realized it and cared then why are they still charging full price for 4 JV games each year?

This is why I don't think they get it. They think they have a "duplicate the at-home experience" issue. They need to drop that. They CAN'T duplicate the at-home experience. It's just not possible.

 

[GregR]

"We're looking at ways to further replicate the at-home experience in the stadium."

cellphones eliminate the need for stats. They're about 10 years behind the curve.If you want to replicate my at home experience, take out every other seat so I don't have to wrestle with Mr. 450 lb. obese guy's thigh fat to fit my nachos on my lap.

Amen, brother. Add to that my "at home experience" does not include walking 1/4 mile to the bathroom or refreshment stands or paying for 1 BEER what I can pay for a 12 pack at home...............

I don't really have the walk 1/4 mile complaint. Bathrooms and concessions stands are about 30 feet from my seats.You guys already hit two of my big three for improving the experience for me though. More elbow room, lower concession prices, and stop making me buy - or at least pay full price - for preseason games.

 

[belljr]

Cut out commercials to make the in stadium game better. Sounds weird right but this is my biggest complaint.

Way too much noticeable downtime when you're at the stadium. Luckily, there are always drunks nearby to play the role of jester.

It's not just the tv timeouts. Those don't bother me. It's the in-stadium commercials on the big screens during tv timeouts. The Redskins have improved this a little the last couple years, but every break used to be filled with the same 4 or 5 commercials for years. And I used to sit right under a speakers and literally couldn't hear the person next to me during the commercials.The team has a freaking band in the stadium but they replay the same freaking Fed Ex commercial over and over and over and over. Yeah, "French benefits", really funny guys.

Nah you really notice the break in flow with the big oranged glove guy standing on the field waiting to give the "go ahead tv is ready signal".Score, commercial, kickoff commercial, punt commercial. You really notice the downtime more because you aren't flipping the channel.

 

[dgreen]

lower concession prices

Yeah, I rarely ever eat a full meal at the stadium. And, I'm really glad I don't drink, since a bottle of beer is $9. Seriously, I can't fathom people liking a Bud Light that much. $9!

 

[GregR]

Cut out commercials to make the in stadium game better. Sounds weird right but this is my biggest complaint.

Way too much noticeable downtime when you're at the stadium. Luckily, there are always drunks nearby to play the role of jester.

It's not just the tv timeouts. Those don't bother me. It's the in-stadium commercials on the big screens during tv timeouts. The Redskins have improved this a little the last couple years, but every break used to be filled with the same 4 or 5 commercials for years. And I used to sit right under a speakers and literally couldn't hear the person next to me during the commercials.The team has a freaking band in the stadium but they replay the same freaking Fed Ex commercial over and over and over and over. Yeah, "French benefits", really funny guys.

Wow, they show regular commercials during TV timeouts??????That blows. Texans don't generally do that. Downtime like that is filled with a new video made by the mascot for each opponent, or a meet the players segment, or games on the video screen where you pick the car that will win the race or try to keep track of the helmet that has the football in it as they mix it up. Or fan cams as they play music to get the kids to dance and get on the big screen. Or introduction of a stand out member of the community who is in the armed forces. Stuff like that.At most they might advertise some of their own things like the pre-game buffet they have in the practice bubble, but those aren't the norm. What they have is geared at keeping the crowd active and fired up for coming out of the time out.

 

[Apple Jack]

This is a stupid idea.

 

[dgreen]

Cut out commercials to make the in stadium game better. Sounds weird right but this is my biggest complaint.

Way too much noticeable downtime when you're at the stadium. Luckily, there are always drunks nearby to play the role of jester.

It's not just the tv timeouts. Those don't bother me. It's the in-stadium commercials on the big screens during tv timeouts. The Redskins have improved this a little the last couple years, but every break used to be filled with the same 4 or 5 commercials for years. And I used to sit right under a speakers and literally couldn't hear the person next to me during the commercials.The team has a freaking band in the stadium but they replay the same freaking Fed Ex commercial over and over and over and over. Yeah, "French benefits", really funny guys.

Wow, they show regular commercials during TV timeouts??????That blows. Texans don't generally do that. Downtime like that is filled with a new video made by the mascot for each opponent, or a meet the players segment, or games on the video screen where you pick the car that will win the race or try to keep track of the helmet that has the football in it as they mix it up. Or fan cams as they play music to get the kids to dance and get on the big screen. Or introduction of a stand out member of the community who is in the armed forces. Stuff like that.At most they might advertise some of their own things like the pre-game buffet they have in the practice bubble, but those aren't the norm. What they have is geared at keeping the crowd active and fired up for coming out of the time out.

They've improved some, but, yeah, I'd say it used to be that just about every tv timeout had at least one 30-second regular commercial on the big screen. Usually it was Fed Ex (in Fed Ex Field), so maybe that was part of the naming rights agreement? Then they do things like the StubHub Move of the Game where they tell you about someone who moved from their upper level seats down to the Dream Seats (first three rows). They show them on the big screen holding up StubHub Move of the Game t-shirts and nobody applauds because we don't really care. Some games (follow the ball under the moving cups) and fan cams are thrown in here and there and the occasional honoring of a soldier or local law enforcement person, but nothing that adds to the gameday experience, IMO.

 

[Phil Elliott]

Great - Another diversion for the players on the field. It use to be they would watch the video replay after each down.

 

[Card Trader]

"We're looking at ways to further replicate the at-home experience in the stadium."

cellphones eliminate the need for stats. They're about 10 years behind the curve.If you want to replicate my at home experience, take out every other seat so I don't have to wrestle with Mr. 450 lb. obese guy's thigh fat to fit my nachos on my lap.

Cell phones? When you're packed in with 40,000 to 60,000 other fans, cell phones aren't very reliable.I know AT&T service at Soldier Field flat out sucks. I have, at best, a 5% success rate of getting any data feed on my phone during the game.

Verizon sucks inside UoP during games too, sometimes I'll have full service and other times nothing.

 

[footballnerd]

Can't wait for the "Fantasy Fan Closeup" where they show a clip on the big screen of one lucky fan with a message to a player on the field about how many more yards they need the player to pick up to help his fantasy team win. Yes, this could include you too Foster!

 

[Limp Ditka]

Great - Another diversion for the players on the field. It use to be they would watch the video replay after each down.

so stupid

 

[dino259]

Now if only they passed this same message on to FOX TV. I would rather watch CBS but the packers are on FOX more often.

This reminds me of the highlight show quite a few years ago that when Mark May was doing his segement, he wouldn't let them run player stats on the crawl.

 

[RUSF18]

Outside of what you guys already mentioned, one of the biggest downfalls of going to a game isn't necessarily the game itself...but getting to the game and leaving the game, and having that take up your entire day. You're not just missing the action in other games while you're sitting in the stadium (if watching at home, can follow other games online, flip to the other network game or Red Zone), but you're missing any games shown earlier or later because it takes forever to get out of stadiums and back to where you need to go. And that's just talking about football...you're screwed if your kids have soccer or football practice early on.

 

[Phil Elliott]

Great - Another diversion for the players on the field. It use to be they would watch the video replay after each down.

so stupid

Just relax.

 

[Donny Loved Bowling]

Not sure why more teams don't offer the FanVision System to their fans. The Eagles were one of the first teams to use these devices last season. Slightly larger than a PSP, this portable screen device has realtime access to scores and stats of all NFL games. You can watch RedZone Channel, or select from eight different camera angles to watch game action or replays at the stadium. You can also input your fantasy team into the device and keep track of your players' statistics. The FanVision was developed by a company run by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, and the device was given free of charge to Eagles season ticketholders last season. I believe this season there will be a per-game charge to access the programming for the device.