So the big question here is what is the NFL afraid of?  Users getting play by play via Twitter?  Users getting some insight behind the NFL’s iron curtain?  Players actually being personable and not just a face behind a helmet? My guess is the first one is the most frightening as any replacement of TV and radio could cost the NFL and it’s partners some significant advertising dollars.  But as evidenced by the futile attempt of the music and TV industries to delay the impact of technology on their respective businesses, the NFL’s best course of action is to figure out how to work with social media rather than ban it.  The NHL has done a decent job with that already and has shown the willingness to continue to embrace social media going forward.  I realize the NFL has significantly more at stake here since it’s revenues and power dwarf that of the NHL, but that means it can take more of a leadership role in ushering in new business models.  I think eventually they’ll get there…kicking and screaming maybe (see music industry reference)…but they’ll get there.

The $20K Football Challenge is a salary cap style game that allows users to play in a variety of fantasy football pools by purchasing virtual currency via our partnerships with TrialPay and Peanut Labs.  At the same time, the game is unique because it also allows those same users to win real cash prizes in certain pools.  The lead game is a tournament that gives user the opportunity to walk away with $20,000.

The game is definitely one of a kind on Facebook as there are no other virtual currency fantasy football games on the platform.  And the tournament is a completely new take on the standard salary cap pool with users duking it out in 32 individual 200 person pools with the winner advancing to bracket play against other pool winners.  Each pool is named after an NFL team, so football fans get the added benefit of representing their favorite team in the FanSection Bowl bracket.

Green is to St. Patrick’s Day as your school colors are to: ____?

Correct Answer: College Colors Day!

The Collegiate Licensing Company, or CLC, is running a promotion called “College Colors Day 2009″ on September 4, which they want to transform into the next big holiday. The goal of College Colors Day is to get current students and alumni to wear and promote their college colors/logos. In order to help make this day more successful, FanSection is working with the licensing company to create fan photo contests for 45 college football or basketball teams. Though winners from each participating team will win an online Champs Sports coupon (Champs is involved because they will be providing some of the funding for College Colors Day and running promotions in their retail stores), all entries will be combined, and the top three overall winners will also receive a Champs Gift Card in the amounts of $250, $150, and $100, respectively.

After only 24 hours, we received well over 400 submissions. Now, we’re up to nearly 1,100 submissions, and that number is constantly growing!

Watercooler, Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of FanSection Fantasy Football 2009!  Sponsored by Coors Light, this league-based head-to-head commissioner-style game will bring a new social aspect to the 30 million Facebook users that play social games monthly.  And, unlike other fantasy sports offerings, FanSection will open up the game to a user’s entire social graph by giving players the opportunity to invite their friends to play or simply participate as a spectator, as well as talk smack to one another and contribute to communal polls and trivia.

“We’ve spent the past few years building up a strong user base that speaks to what fans want to see as part of their social experience with sports,” said Bryan Bennett, VP of marketing and GM of fantasy sports for Watercooler. “Now that we’ve established that relationship with fans, we feel we’re well-equipped with the feedback and backend tools to provide them with the best fantasy football game play possible.”

While fans can sign up for and create a league within this application without charge, they can also choose to upgrade to premium features, including live scoring and custom reports.  Other complimentary features include breaking team and player news, video content and a draft kit, all from partner CBSSports.com.

Check it out now at: http://apps.facebook.com/fansectiongames/commish/nfl/

“We have been overwhelmed by the positive response since our initial announcement to form the NASCAR Citizen Journalist Media Corps last month,” said NASCAR managing director of corporate communications Ramsey Poston. “More voices speaking about NASCAR is good for the sport and is fan-friendly. We intend to make the most of the changing media landscape.”

Regardless of whether or not the writers in question are professional writers or not, it’s great to see  a large sports organization, especially and old-school media machine like NASCAR, embrace the blogosphere and social media.  This comes on the heels of a recent announcement by Bleacher Report that 16 of it’s writers will be covering NFL teams for CBSSports.com.  That was originally supposed to be 32 writers to cover all NFL teams, but something happened along the way where that number was cut in half.   You can read one candidates take on the ensuing drama over not being selected here.

Ostrow also mentioned that professional sports leagues need to get a handle on how their players are going to be using Twitter and social media.  We’ve already seen the NBA crack down on it’s use during games, while other sports are embracing the tools.  Lance Armstrong is getting some decent press and attention for tweeting updates during his quest for a record seventh Tour de France title.

The use of Twitter and Facebook to connect with fans is absolutely the right way to go for athletes.  They have long had to rely on publicists and the media to get their story out, and the ability to remove the middleman and talk directly to fans is a huge leap forward for them.  I don’t necessarily agree with Johnson’s TD celebration intentions simply because it’s further proof of his “me-first” attitude that I find incredibly irritating.  But I do like the fact that he’s embracing social media in a very real way which is something more and more NFL players are likely to do this year.

How, you may ask, can you relate this seemingly dissimilar news to your alma mater?  I’ll spoon feed it to you: Tim Floyd interviewed for the Arizona job on U of A’s campus before returning to L.A. and turning it down. His reasoning?

“I am at a point where I want to do something really special and I feel like I needed to go look at an elite program. But there is something really special about building your own traditions, your own histories and doing it with a group of guys that you love… I have never been more excited to be a Trojan.”

Then, only two months later, he turns around and announces his retirement, claiming he no longer has the required enthusiasm for the job. Um, does anyone else smell something fishy? Or should I say, does anyone think this announcement reeks of Mayo?

While he has been a tremendous asset to USC basketball, with three Big Dance appearances in his four years with the team, we all know that Floyd is also plagued with allegations that he paid $1,000 in cash to an O.J. Mayo handler to help persuade the Ohio native to play for USC. Even though Mayo has since moved on (he’s now a guard for the Memphis Grizzlies and was the runner-up for the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year Award), the NCAA’s investigation into what really happened continues. According to ESPN, a guilty verdict would be considered a major violation that could result in forfeiting victories, as well as recruiting restrictions and loss of scholarships.  Ouch.

Alas, I am getting way too on-topic here, so let me wrap up my digression. With such a big cloud over the team’s future, I’m very thankful that Floyd and his players’ only association with the University of Arizona is their shared presence in the Pac-10.  However, if current USC recruit Lamont “MoMo” Jones wants to come play for us, I might be willing to make an exception…

It wasn’t until the next morning that I got the news I’d been waiting for: The Santa Clara City Council had approved financing plans for a $937 million stadium for the San Francisco 49ers! Though there is still a long road ahead (think environmental impact reports, a citywide ballot that needs to be approved, potential legal action from the owner of Great America, term sheets…), it is the first big step towards giving one of the oldest professional sports teams on the West Coast the stadium they deserve.

To be fair, despite being old and rather run down, I do think Candlestick is a lovely stadium. I have many fond memories of watching the 49ers play while snuggling up with my friends/family to stay warm against the cool ocean breeze and just… being content. As a diehard fan, I know that nostalgia won’t ever go away.

Having said that, it’s an absolute mess to get there, park, and leave in a timely manner. There is no public transit nearby to alleviate these problems. Also, the residential area surrounding the stadium has bars over every window, which definitely does not inspire feelings of safety. It is for these reasons - coupled with the fact that I know they won’t change the name of the franchise to the Santa Clara 49ers (more about that in a moment) - that makes me think the idea of moving the team south is a good one.

I should note that I live in the South Bay and their moving would make games much more accessible for me, but bias aside, I think the move would benefit everyone else, as well… from the fans (who deserve the best stadium) to the corporate office (located in Santa Clara) to the players (many of whom live in the South Bay), it just makes sense.

And speaking of the fans, one reminds us that it is common for professional sports teams to play in stadiums that are not in their namesake city: “The Cowboys play in Arlington. The Cardinals play in Glendale. The Patriots play in Foxborough. Hell, the Jets and Giants play in a different STATE entirely (New Jersey).”

Another fan adds, “The team worked with the city for a decade trying to get this done and nothing became of it. Right now, the city of San Francisco is refusing to put up the money to keep Candlestick running that they are CONTRACTED to pay already. If there was a workable option in SF, the 49ers would be all over it.”

However, it seems as though many Bay Area residents strongly disagree. When we asked members of our San Francisco 49ers Fans application whether or not the stadium should be moved to Santa Clara, the majority voted against the move:

I do feel very strongly about this issue, yet the journalism major in me wants to be fair and balanced, so here are a few snippets, taken directly from the community, of arguments for the team to stay in San Francisco:

“Green Bay has got Lambeau, and we have The Stick. When you take your children to games, you will have memories to share - You can tell them where you where sitting when Rice made the one-hander in the back of the end zone. Have you been on the field and stood in the exact spot Clark came down with the clincher? I want my kids to be able to stand in that spot, which is not in Santa Clara!”

“I don’t see any reason to move, especially since Santa Clara is being asked to pay part of the cost. No other industry gets taxpayers to pay for their facilities.”

It seems as though the jury is out – The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports that their online polls show that 58 percent of respondents said they support the deal – so it seems as though only time will bring us our final answer.

What do you think?

(For more information on the potential move, check out: http://www.supportourniners.com/)

The complete details can be found at NewTeeVee, but here’s the net of it.  In order to stream the games online, users must be a Cablevision broadband or cable TV subscriber in the NY area, and must have the appropriate package that includes the YES Network, the Yankees broadcasting network.  But wait, there’s more.  Users will also have to pay a premium subscription for the online games, although it’s not yet known how much.  If you’re interested in additional analysis, you can also find a great summary of the deal at PaidContent.

So to sum it up, the Yankees are breaking new ground by offering in-market live streaming, but are making it incredibly painful on viewers to actually take advantage of it.  Because of the double billing issue, it will be interesting to see what kind of take rate they get.  Then again, if Yankees fans are willing to plunk down $1000 for a random Wednesday night game, maybe they’ll be interested in double paying to watch a game online.