🏈 A Dynamic Spectacle Where Fans Call The Shots

A new, innovative football league is here, and it’s all about the fan experience. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: Fan Controlled Football aims to be a dynamic spectacle where fans call the shots ... we take a look at the Gonzaga Bulldogs and if this is the year Mark Few’s team can cut down the nets ... and we check out the latest edition of the FOX Sports College Basketball Newsletter. Remember those times you’ve yelled at the screen of a pro or college football game, lamenting the choice of play call, condemning the refusal to go for two, cursing at the offensive coordinator and wondering why did (or didn’t) they settle for a field goal? If so, FCF – short for Fan Controlled Football – could be the solution to those eternal weekend gridiron frustrations, offering, as the name plainly suggests, the chance for armchair aficionados to dictate how the game is played. It is a clever concept that has a futuristic feel to it, and before it even begins this Saturday, the idea has a certain level of intrigue, the kind of spark that inspired several NFL players, rappers and a pro wrestler to join as partial owners and Johnny Manziel to resurface and play quarterback for a team called the Zappers. [STORY IMAGE 1] “It is super cool and it is a way to reinvent sports for the digital age,” social media influencer Josh Richards told me via telephone. Richards, who has 38 Million followers across social media platforms and has vowed to become the first influencer billionaire, is on board as an investor and tapping into his following, as well as that of his content partner Griffin Johnson, who is a key part of FCF’s strategy. “It brings a whole new light to football,” Johnson, like Richards a member of the “Sway House” influencer collective, added. “It is a new way to look at the game and to truly be a part of it.” Richards and Johnson will serve as creative directors and ambassadors to the league. FCF isn’t trying, like the XFL and the Alliance of American Football before it, to directly go after the National Football League’s base followers with something that looks roughly the same. Both those leagues folded swiftly, the AAF beset by overwhelming costs and the XFL undone by COVID’s timing. For a start, FCF is indoor and features 7-on-7 teams on a 50-yard field. According to CEO Sohrob Farudi, it is not trying to build something you just watch, but something you play. [STORY IMAGE 2] The interactive element comes on each down, as coaching staffs narrow down the choices to four running and four passing options for the users to choose from on the app. When signing up to support the league, you pick a team – Glacier Boyz, Beasts, Wild Aces and Zappers – and the most upvoted selection for a play will be the one used. It aims to be a dynamic spectacle, with 25 foot LED screens lighting up the action and the players introduced like WWE superstars, with commentary and delivery that borrows heavily from eSports. The goal is to reach a new age fan base that enjoys football but perhaps likes video games even more. The matchups will be streamed on Twitch and everything about it, from the look to the colors to the broadcast is designed more for Generation Z than the traditionalists. “A lot of people might think ‘oh, for the third year in a row there is a new football league launching after the Super Bowl’ and that’s a narrative we want to kill,” Farudi told me. “This is unlike what you’ve seen before. It is a new brand of football, really feeding into the video game community in an authentic way. “We are creating something that is as much linked to gaming as it is hard hitting football. Fans draft the players, they call the plays, they basically get to be involved in the whole thing.” [STORY IMAGE 3] Yet football diehards have had their interest piqued too. Richard Sherman, Marshawn Lynch and Austin Ekeler are team owners, along with hip hop star Quavo, New York Mets pitcher Trevor May and WNBA champion Renee Montgomery. Fans can also buy a stake in their favorite team for as little as $150. There is a natural skepticism about any new football launch, but FCF is determined to keep things financially stable. Teams are not location specific and with all games to be played at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Georgia, there are no travel costs. Manziel was directly recruited by his friend and golf buddy Bob Menery, whose viral sports commentaries have earned him a large following. The former Texas A&M star isn’t looking for career redemption after his much-publicized series of setbacks, and players in the FCF aren’t going to get rich off it – with paychecks set at up to $750 per game. “Johnny wants to come in and help some of these other guys get noticed,” Farudi added. “For them it is a big chance. Johnny knows he didn’t take advantage of his chance in the NFL. But if he can enjoy football again, bring some excitement and exposure - and because of it a couple of guys into the NFL – he’d be very happy.” [STORY IMAGE 4] Perhaps the thinking has been wrong. There has long been the desire and ambition to fill the months without football, with … football. Yet the NFL is so powerful, so ingrained in the culture, that anything attempting to directly fill its place is going to come off as a lower rent knock off. By going in a totally different direction, the FCF, especially with its unique twist, might be giving itself a real shot at sticking around and gaining some traction. “It will be good football, real action, good players who care about winning,” Farudi said. “But at the heart of it, were not losing sight of what matters. The experience has to be fun.” [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Daniel Kaplan, The Athletic: “Professional sports has been losing younger fans to video games for years, with insiders long worried about Generation Z types growing up without affinity for traditional teams and home markets. What can stop the erosion? What about a merger of the video game world with real-life sports? That’s the vision and hope of Fan Controlled Football.” Gee Scott, KIRO Radio: “This is going to be a little bit different, and this is going to be something where it’s going to be where fans get to kind of take ownership, if you will. And it is something that some of the young guys put together.” Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder: “This is just the start, especially when you consider sports is the one sector of entertainment where social media is not a substitute but actually an enhancement to the content.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has still not been traded, and that has people antsy. [ESPN staff writer Tim McManus]( explains why the time is now for the Eagles to make a deal. - Mark Few has built a major program at a small school but has yet to win the big one. [Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop]( takes a look at if Few’s current squad could be the one that does it. - The Seattle Seahawks enter 2021 at a crossroads, with a new offensive coordinator and a quarterback who doesn’t seem afraid to voice his frustrations. Can Seattle fix its issues and get back on top? [The Ringer’s Kaelen Jones]( explains what Russell Wilson can learn from Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay triumph. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( When Mark Titus produces a good newsletter, we like to feature it. When Mark Titus produces a GREAT newsletter … well, we make sure to give it a little extra attention. Check out this week’s FOX Sports College Basketball Newsletter, where Titus went through the 13 winningest programs in Division I history (who are all currently unraked in the AP Top 25 poll) and assessed the current state of each program. We love all of Mark’s work, but this is hands-down one of the most entertaining reads of this year’s college basketball season. And as always, [you can subscribe to the newsletter here](. Enjoy! [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Oregon at Arizona State (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET) Chris Duarte and the Oregon Ducks take on Josh Christopher and the Arizona State Sun Devils in a Pac-12 matchup. Philadelphia 76ers at Portland Trail Blazers (TNT, 10 p.m. ESPN) Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers battle Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. UCLA at Washington State (FS1, 11 p.m. ET) Tyger Campbell and the UCLA Bruins go up against Issac Bonton and the Washington State Cougars. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( UCLA at Washington State: UCLA -4 The UCLA Bruins are quietly enjoying a really good season, sitting at 13-4 overall and tied for first place in the Pac-12 with a 9-2 mark in conference play. The Bruins host a Washington State team that has been about as hot-and-cold as any team in the nation. The Cougars jumped out to an 8-0 start this season before dropping six in a row in the month of January. These two teams met back in mid-January with UCLA cruising to an impressive 91-61 win. This one will likely be closer but taking the Bruins at -4 sure looks like a nice bet. [WHAT THEY SAID] “Success comes in a lot of ways, but it doesn't come with money and it doesn't come with fame. It comes from having a meaning in your life, doing what you love and being passionate about what you do.” — Tim Tebow [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2021 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900