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Fans Choose A New Football Team's Plays With Their Smartphones (slate.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the quarterback-apps dept.

A new arena-league football team plays on a 50-yard field and uses a mobile app that allows fans to vote on the team's next play. An anonymous reader writes: Slate describes a receiver tackled for a short gain after the audience instructed the quarterback to throw a quick pass -- as "shouts and cheers exploded from the stands, with phones raised triumphantly in the air." The quarterback is informed of the chosen plays through an earphone in his helmet, and after one touchdown, one of the players even thanked a fan in the seats for picking a good play. "Then noses immediately returned to screens...the coach and QB were antsy, peering upward, waiting for the fans' next call as the play clock ticked down again..." The team eventually lost 78-47, but to at least make things more interactive, the players all have their Twitter handles sewn on the backs of their jerseys.
Fans can also be "virtual general managers" for a small fee, dialing in to a weekly phone call to give feedback to the team's president, and fans also selected the team's head coach from online resumes and some YouTube videos of interviews. In fact, the article says the fans even picked the team's name, with the name "Screaming Eagles" finally winning out over "Teamy McTeamface" and "Spaghetti Monsters."

47 comments

  1. Don't get on my bad side... by ERJ · · Score: 1

    Fake punt Fake punt Fake punt QB sneak Double reverse Fake punt (Yes, I know there is a limited selection of plays to choose from...really the more amazing thing is they got a first down on 3x fake punts and a QB sneak)

    1. Re: Don't get on my bad side... by bondsbw · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is why the ability to direct activities should require users to have a stake in the team or at least in the outcome of the game.

      Invite large numbers of random people with no stake to vote on things, and you will inevitably get Teamy McTeamface.

      --
      All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
    2. Re: Don't get on my bad side... by drew_kime · · Score: 1

      Invite large numbers of random people with no stake to vote on things, and you will inevitably get Teamy McTeamface.

      Then let the guys who actually own everything have a veto and you get Screaming Eagles.

      --
      Nope, no sig
    3. Re: Don't get on my bad side... by bondsbw · · Score: 1

      A veto would only really help in extreme cases.

      Or, it wouldn't really be a veto... if the coach vetos a random pass play because he thinks running the ball is the better decision, that's no longer democracy.

      --
      All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
    4. Re:Don't get on my bad side... by sjritt00 · · Score: 1

      Hi Jeff Fisher! I wondered where you went after the Rams fired you.

    5. Re: Don't get on my bad side... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's pretty obvious that Screaming Eagles did not beat Teamy McTeamFace.

      My guess is fans are given the illusion of play selecting.

    6. Re:Don't get on my bad side... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I see you also play Madden '98

    7. Re: Don't get on my bad side... by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 1

      None of us are as dumb as all of us.

    8. Re:Don't get on my bad side... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wish this worked with Twitter and presidents.
      Just tweet to Trump: "You're doing a terrible job and you should let someone else be president. There is no fake news."
      Then he'd just blindly do that, because the majority of America agrees.

  2. and their thermostats choose Player mc Playerface by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... because thermostats are smart

  3. It's a game by tomhath · · Score: 4, Funny

    Kudos for getting the fans involved, but I'm waiting for this in ice hockey -- "Throw your gloves down! Pull his jersey off! Punch him in the shoulder pads!"

    1. Re:It's a game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "You do that, you go to the box, you know. Two minutes by yourself and...you feel shame, you know. And then you get free."

    2. Re:It's a game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "You do that, you go to the box, you know. Two minutes by yourself and...you feel shame, you know. And then you get free."

      Go, Chiefs,, Go!

    3. Re:It's a game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      when they replace the players with robots, the fights just won't be the same without some teeth flying and blood spraying.

  4. Extend technology to eliminate CEOs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is an intriguing idea, I wonder if this technology could be extended to the corporate world to allow employees to collectively decide on major business decisions and eliminate the extremely overpaid CEO position? Potential hundreds of millions of dollars a year in savings, and possibly more focus on good long term decisions than shortsighted ones that provide a quick share price boost for their stock options.

    1. Re:Extend technology to eliminate CEOs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you not see the part where the team taking play advice from fans lost? Or maybe your intention is to see all corporations die due to idiotic management decisions.

    2. Re:Extend technology to eliminate CEOs by NotInHere · · Score: 2

      CEOs aren't really overpaid. The amount they get paid seems large compared to normal employees, but it still pales in comparison to the money the actual owners make on it. I mean the CEO is a hired manager to be a replacement for the leadership of the owner(s) (for convenience reasons and because possibly the ownership is shared between multiple parties, some of whom may not possess the skills to lead the company). As such, the CEO needs many of the skills the founders possessed, and therefore its justified to set the salary closer to that amount. Especially, one has always to consider what happens if the CEO instead of leading the company starts their own. So unless you dislike the very foundations of how capitalism works, which I hope you do not, CEOs are paid fairly.

    3. Re:Extend technology to eliminate CEOs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      unless you dislike the very foundations of how capitalism works, which I hope you do not

      The foundations of capitalism include social inequality, unfair distribution of wealth and power, greed, materialism, oppression of workers and sometimes straight up slavery. There's plenty to dislike.

    4. Re:Extend technology to eliminate CEOs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think it's totally unfair that some people are liked more than me. I want to punch them in the face and sometimes do. I want to be liked more

    5. Re:Extend technology to eliminate CEOs by Imrik · · Score: 1

      That doesn't necessarily mean that the play calling was bad. A score of 78-47 implies serious problems with both team's defense and the article mentions problems with the Eagles' offensive line.

    6. Re:Extend technology to eliminate CEOs by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      It's not proper football. I mean even if it was proper football it wouldn't be proper football, but I digress.

      Anyway, the field is only the size of a tennis court, it's not hard to score.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    7. Re:Extend technology to eliminate CEOs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think it's totally unfair that some people are liked more than me. I want to punch them in the face and sometimes do. I want to be liked more

      Yes, that is the gist of capitalism. A bunch of whiny, attention-seeking assholes only looking out for themselves and who value money more than lives or the environment.

  5. Fantastic! by nospam007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Somebody found a way to get money from millions of armchair coaches.

    I applaud you, Sir.

    1. Re:Fantastic! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It was the Japanese.

  6. I call shenanigans by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In fact, the article says the fans even picked the team's name, with the name "Screaming Eagles" finally winning out over "Teamy McTeamface" and "Spaghetti Monsters."

    In other words, their whole thing is an act, and they have someone fiddling with the vote totals to get the result they want. You can vote, but it's rigged (hopefully by someone who's a competent football mind)

    There is no other possible explanation for how "Screaming Eagles" could possibly win that three-way race in an open poll on the internet.

  7. Fans under surveillance choose concussion stunts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fans under mobile behavioral surveillance choose how brain concussion stunts are performed.

    There, fixed that for you.

  8. And I didnt think it was possible.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ....for American football to get any more boring......

    But I was wrong.

    1. Re:And I didnt think it was possible.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's boring and gay as fuck no matter if it's real football or American football.

  9. the mob and betting! by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 2

    the mob and betting! seems like a way for games to be fixed.

  10. Yes and No by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The salesman in me says it's brilliant.
    The strategist in me says it's idiotic.

  11. Mob Rule by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First thought was that's awesome. Then I remembered how many trolls there are out there as the first poster illuminated. Just a matter of time before the crowd turns against them and completely screws them over. The mob is not always right or has your best interest at heart.

  12. The team eventually lost 78-47... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Proof that armchair quarterbacking really isn't the best strategy in the long run.

  13. Finally, something to do by trawg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Something for people watching American football to do in between the vast amounts of waiting to see people actually playing football.

    Apparently the latest Superbowl had only 16 minutes of the ball being in play.

    I used to enjoy watching the game - and I see this as an Australian who never grew up watching it. I am not sure if I just finally lost patience with the downtime or if it actually changed and they started ad-stuffing like crazy.

    1. Re: Finally, something to do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some of both if my rather dispassionate occasional viewing of games over the years is any indication, the increased ad-stuffing being common throughout American television for decades. Surprising you took a liking to it as an Australian; as an American I find your Aussie rules variant far more interesting to watch, and that's not even getting into rugby! Playing rugby in highschool totally ruined me on American football, due to the latter's unbearable stop-start mechanism. (Ironically I prefer turn-based to real-time strategy video games)

    2. Re:Finally, something to do by rockout · · Score: 1

      16 minutes of exciting action is still better than 90 minutes of watching guys kick a ball back and forth to earn a 0-0 tie.

      --
      I've learned that they're worthless, so I don't read AC comments anymore.
    3. Re:Finally, something to do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't care about sports, but at least I can understand the rules in soccer.

      American Football has a whole five seconds (if that) of playtime until the referee cuts the game and I honestly cannot grasp the point of the game from those five seconds, no matter how many five-second intervals I watch.

    4. Re:Finally, something to do by trawg · · Score: 1

      Is it though?

      In any case, as I said, I'm Australian and we have a totally different kind of football - Australian Rules - that we [of course] feel is superior in terms of action, physical ability and strategy.

      But then we'll happily kick back for five days to watch cricket so YMMV.

    5. Re: Finally, something to do by trawg · · Score: 1

      Yeh, Aussie Rules and rugby are much more interesting!

      I spent a year in the US when I was a kid - I lived in SF the year the 49ers won the Superbowl. So I had exposure to it at an early age and got caught up in the excitement of our American-living family & friends, which lasted for several years.

      I stopped watching it for a while - mostly because of time differences and difficulty getting access to games. I moved to the US for two years recently and was looking forward to keeping up with it, especially while in a big college football town (Columbus OH). I went to one game and left at 3/4 time because I couldn't stand it any long; we were there for like 3 hours, it was something like 40-0, and just unwatchable. Atmosphere was amazing through with so many people.

    6. Re:Finally, something to do by RivenAleem · · Score: 1

      This reminds me of that southpark episode Where they are voting for the Turd Sandwich vs. Giant Douche. I'd love to see where this argument about which is better, Soccer or Football, goes. It seems that even more than sports, the world's greatest pastime is arguing over who's pastime is better.

    7. Re:Finally, something to do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The whole 0-0 thing does happen, but isn't terribly common. A few minutes of digging reveals:

      Last NFL season, average touchdowns per game: 4.8
      Last Premiership season, average goals per game: 2.8

      I actually watched the Superbowl this year, and timed it: every minute of clock time had more than a minute of standing about. That's just regular play, not including breaks. It was still an exciting game, but personally, I'd rather watch them shift it back and forth between scoring events than watch them just standing around waiting. Or you could just watch a proper sport, like rugby.

    8. Re:Finally, something to do by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      Think of it as the difference between turn-based strategy and real-time strategy. Both, when done well, are great. Foreigners who can't get into American football are like Starcraft players who think Europa Universalis is booooooorrrrrrrrrrriiiiinnnnnggg.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    9. Re:Finally, something to do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Futurama is here with bells on! And that's NOT good....

  14. This has happened before, and will happen again by SuperKendall · · Score: 0

    uses a mobile app that allows fans to vote on the team's next play...shouts and cheers exploded from the stands, with phones raised triumphantly in the air.....The team eventually lost 78-47

    Hmm, totally data driven, cheers meaningless victories that mean nothing to the end game, massive loss as a result. Why, it's the Democratic Party revisited!

    Missing from the story is how after the game the losing side insisted they bought more merch from vendors, and then burned all of the cars the winning teams families came in in protest.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:This has happened before, and will happen again by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      This post is proof that being a sore loser isn't as bad as being a sore winner.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  15. It's all fake anyway... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So why not let spectators make the calls? Then they can remove all the coaches and make even more money from their 13 billion+ per year revenue

  16. Bread and Circuses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I see your Circus but where is my Bread?

    1. Re:Bread and Circuses by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      I see your Circus but where is my Bread?

      Thanks for taking a break from finding a cure for cancer to let us plebs know how superior you are.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it