Stuff I Like: Yahoo Sports

I don't remember when I stopped defaulting to ESPN.com for my sports news, but it has probably been a decade.  My default is Yahoo Sports, and I haven't looked back. I know I'd stopped visiting ESPN.com almost altogether once they made the site so multimedia heavy - how am I supposed to be clandestinely reading about sports at work when videos are automatically starting?

Recently on OKTC, Clay Travis wrote about how Yahoo Sports became ESPN's biggest competitor (HT: Tom Dienhart).  It's an article that's well worth reading (I don't agree that it's ESPN's biggest competitor, but I do think it's ESPN.com's biggest).  Some of his points are right on the money, but he missed one that I'll get to below.

Fantasy sports
On this, he is 100% correct.  The reason Yahoo is in the position its in today is because of Fantasy sports.  All that traffic that Travis talked about?  It comes from Fantasy. I'd like to believe that it's people checking the ladder at Yahoo's Aussie Rules page, but that's not the case. [after living in Australia, I can attest, this is one of the best sites for AFL updates]

Get good writers developing original content
The stories are good (and I do like fellow UMass-alumnus Dan Wetzel), but there are good writers on SI.com and [sorry] ESPN.com too.  Yahoo keeps pace here, but is not a leader. Travis rightly notes that because Yahoo doesn't have broadcast deals or other such interests, it can maintain independence, which does give them an edge in reporting.

Where Yahoo is a leader is in their investigative reporting.  How did this happen? How did Yahoo Sports uncover some of the biggest stories, especially in college sports (e.g., Reggie Bush, UNC, etc)? There is stellar investigative journalism going on over there, and I'm glad that the guys writing the checks are backing expensive work that takes months or years to develop.

Travis also mentions the sport blogs, which are strong. I've already made it known that Matt Hinton is one of the best out there, and the other blogs are enjoyable to read too (e.g., Dirty Tackle, Big League Stew).  And I agree that buying Rivals.com was a great move.

What I think Travis missed was Yahoo's site simplicity.  It is very easy to get the information you want. The site is light weight and streamlined, more HTML than Flash. Sure, there are some design changes that I'd make, but I still prefer it to ESPN.  When I just want a score, it's fastest to go to Yahoo... and then while I'm there I'll check recruiting, read a blog post, etc.  Maybe I'm wrong here, and people would prefer glitz, but I'm too utilitarian. I'm also not as sold as Travis is that radio is the key for the future, but good luck to them.

Keep up the good work, Yahoo.

Fantasy sports and advice for fantasy auction drafts

Guest post. The ending of the NFL lockout was a relief to fantasy football players, who dreaded an Autumn of family time and achievement in the workplace.  Thus, I though it would be an appropriate time to share this post.  This post is part of series of posts written by my sport management students and is cross-posted on the UMass Center for Spectator Sport Research blog. The authors of this post are Cody Chrusciel, Jose Genao, John Halas, Jordan Koren, and Trevor Marshall.

America is becoming addicted to fantasy sports. A Chicago-based outplacement firm estimated that companies lose $7.4 billion during the 17-week NFL season as employees spend an average of 10 minutes of company time each day fidgeting with their teams.

Fantasy sports are big business. While the foundation for early fantasy leagues in the 60s and 70s was laid by a small group of people with an affinity for numbers and a close connection to the game, the industry has expanded from roughly 500,000 players in 1988 to 27 million in 2007.
Of the top five providers of fantasy football leagues (Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, NFL.com, CBS Sports, and Fox Sports), all but one (NFL.com) are among the 500 most visited websites in the United States according to Mintel.

In 2005, the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (which represents 100 industry companies) released the following demographic information about fantasy sports players:

• 92% of fantasy players are male. 77% are married.


• 86% own their homes. 91% are Caucasian.


• 71% have a bachelor's degree. 92% attended college.


• 59% make over $50,000 annually.


• Players spend an average of $493.60 per year on fantasy.

The 29.9 million current fantasy football participants represent 11 percent of the U.S. population – a 69% growth rate from 2003. And due in large part to recent legislation exempting fantasy sports from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, it's safe to assume this industry will continue to rapidly expand in the future.

Fantasy sports are similar to the stock market in the sense that players accumulate points based on on-field performance, strategy is influenced by rules and regulations (set by a league commissioner rather than by the government), and there are different ways to acquire players (a secondary market exists through trades and add/drops). Fittingly, the strategies employed by fantasy sports players are similar to those utilized in finance.

Fantasy auction drafts – in contrast to the alternative "snake" draft – require owners to develop a pre-conceived strategy. Auction drafts are inherently more unpredictable due to the elements of human nature that become apparent during the bidding process. Auction drafts present a high degree of risk, but the potential for higher reward also exists (having the league's top quarterback and runningback on the same fantasy team is possible in an auction draft, only at the expense of rest-of-roster depth).

Here are a few tips to keep in mind heading into this year's auction draft:

• Know your league settings (scoring system, roster spots available, etc.)


• Rank and establish a ceiling for players.


• Utilize tier system at each position. Look to identify the best value within each tier.


• Keep bye weeks in mind (you don’t want to draft two players at the same position who will both be unavailable the same week).


• Remain disciplined. Resist the allure of over-bidding on your favorite players or deviating from your pre-draft strategy.


• Remain cognizant of your and your opponents' rosters and budgets at all times.


• Don't leave money on the table (there is no reward for having extra cap space following the draft).