I fully expect to have a “Wolfrum Award” next year, to be awarded to the lowest point-getter.

–WKW

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?

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.

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).