Play Fantasy Premier League to win a free jersey!
Fantasy Premier League season is upon us and I’m happy to announce that everyone who joins the ThroughBall.com fantasy football league before noon (CDT) on August 3, 2007 is eligible for the grand prize—a free Premiership jersey of their choice! (*See the fine print below) At 12:01 PM, I’m going to close the league to new registrations to prevent late arrivers from staking a bogus claim to the jersey.
No catches here, folks. ThroughBall.com is not a cash cow but it earns enough to justify spending on the people who make it interesting—you! So, if you win the ThroughBall.com fantasy football league, you’ll get a Premiership jersey of your choice.
*Here are the qualifiers:
- The jersey, with accoutrements (number, name, etc.), must cost less than $100 U.S. I’ve found that you can get almost any jersey for $90 U.S. or so.
- This is all subject to availability of the jersey; if you win and I can’t find the particular jersey you’re longing for, I’ll ask you to find it. If you can’t find it either, you’ll need to choose one that I can find.
- You can get a jersey printed with your favorite player’s name or, if you choose, with your name (even though that’s kind of lame).
- Don’t be a cheater. The league is open to one team per person. So, if your little brother or live-in mother-in-law wants in, that’s fine. Just try not to be a jerk by picking the team and making the moves for them.
- I hate being a hardass, but if I or other league members suspect cheating, I’ll investigate and act accordingly, including suspension from the league. Once suspended, you cannot win the jersey.
Edit: One more:
- I’m only going to spring for shipping the jersey to a U.S. address (the lower 48, that is). If you live somewhere other than the contiguous U.S., I’ll ask you to make up the difference in shipping costs. Alternatively, I can order from a retailer in your country or we can work something out that is mutually agreeable.
Enough of that stuff. At the time of writing, there are only 12 teams in the league. Your chances of winning are outstanding. Sign up today!
9 comments
Exciting! That’s a great idea, Josh, and a generous one.
So, are ThroughBall.com administrators and their family members allowed to win?
Now, speaking as a soccer newbie (and one who still doesn’t have cable TV), it occured to me that this is a fantastic way of promoting for soccer in general. I came to this conclusion by thinking about what I would do if I won, being unfamiliar with most things soccer. I’d have to find a player I’d be comfortable with latching onto and rooting for, and then once I had the jersey and started wearing it, I’d feel obliged to follow the player and his team(s)—in other words, simply receiving something soccer-related for free could push a marginal fan into something more involved. Freebies won’t necessarily get brand new fans, but this contest made me realize that perhaps they are a good way to pull in the undecided crowd (and I suspect that in the U.S. that crowd is large, if quiet).
So, are ThroughBall.com administrators and their family members allowed to win?
That’s a great question and, actually, one that I had not considered.
Honestly, when I first had the idea, I thought, “if I win, I can finally get that [undisclosed] jersey.” In other words, I just assumed that I was eligible and further assumed that I would win in order to justify such unreasonable spending.
Moreover, since this is not like a random drawing where all participants have the same chance of winning but is, rather, a game involving at least some degree of skill (or diligence, at least) with rules that all participants agree to ahead of time, I’m inclined to say that ThroughBall.com administrators and family members are eligible.
But I’m willing to be convinced otherwise.
This is a great idea, Josh. I’ve been doing the London Times fantasy league since 2000. It’s a perfect way to learn more about soccer, all the players, and the league–great for people like Jeremy who are newcomers. Jeremy, it’s more fun if you have cable. Then you can watch the matches and find yourself rooting for some obscure guy to score a goal because you have him on your team. As you can see, it’s a little too easy to take seriously!
But I’m willing to be convinced otherwise.
You won’t hear (or read) any convincing from me. I just always see that “employees and their relatives not eligible” clause in sweepstakes rules, and thought of it. Frankly, I think you have a good point about it being skill-based.
Not to mention that it’s an added incentive for the rest of us to beat the host. We’re certainly not going to stand by and watch you buy yourself a jersey! (Unless maybe you bought one for the boy… then we’d probably just say, “Aww.”)
Jeremy, it’s more fun if you have cable.
I can imagine. Perhaps you’re willing to sponsor my soccer fandom?
“Sponsoring soccer fandom”–that’s a terrific idea. I don’t think I can help you, though. Maybe we could get the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to ditch the computers in libraries thing and see to it that every American has cable. Anything to help the soccer cause…
I have joined to allow the vast majority of you to feel good about yourselves by being able to say “Well, at least I beat Wolfrum.”
–WKW
I have joined to allow the vast majority of you to feel good about yourselves by being able to say “Well, at least I beat Wolfrum.”
I fully expect to have a “Wolfrum Award” next year, to be awarded to the lowest point-getter.
[...] Cruzeiro EC is skillfully managed by William Wolfrum. Bill joined the league with the stated goal of making the rest of us feel better. If this were a not a fantasy league, Bill might start to worry about relegation. [...]
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