The Dream Team
From Mod Mania
The Dream Teams
Francis McArdle s3201069
Have you ever thought that you would be a great AFL coach? There’s no need to imagine such a thing because it’s now possible, even for the average Joe like you or me. The concept of chopping and choosing your own ‘dream team’ based on real time players and competition outcomes have spurred an immense craze in the sporting community. Not only does this occur for Aussie rules but also for American football and Premier League soccer, being even more popular. Open to the online world the AFL Dream Team competition alone has nearly 300,000 teams participating!
Being a participant of the AFL Dream team competition for some years I know the intricate details of how this online phenomenon works. Essentially anyone with access to the internet can apply, the game being located on the official AFL website (there is also an identical game SuperCoach on the Herald Sun website). Once registered the user has a salary cap which they use to buy a list of 30 players; the catch however is that the better (higher scoring) players are more expensive than the rookies, so rationing your money is a key to winning. Once the competition starts players’ prices fluctuate depending on how well they score, so picking a cheap player who starts scoring well means his value will go up. The scoring is based on what happens in the actual matches each week, players stats (kicks, marks, handballs etc.) are worth a certain amount. With your ultimate team you can then have a league of 16 teams, often friends together, and compete as if you were in the AFL competition, with finals and ladder positions. This creates a very competitive atmosphere as there are weekly cash prizes for the highest scoring team in the whole competition and the team with the highest accumulated score at the end of the competition wins a car!
So with an understanding of the game itself, there is perhaps a greater depth in the way people communicate and interact through these ‘Dream Team’ competitions. This type of game actually originated in the US for the NFL, a fantasy football league stemmed from the ideas of a few men. Bill Winkenbach (a limited partner in the Oakland Raiders) could be said to be the origin of fantasy football, as his concept developed on a road trip saw the first fantasy league created. Though that came about around 1962, it was the onset of personal computers in the 1990s which really saw the game take off. Looking at the AFL Dream Team game, it has really developed into a national trend. People around football clubs and games can be heard discussing their current team, trades etc. It has become a different language within the realm of not only AFL but almost all sports which have a fantasy league. Within the league you’re in (for example my league of 16 friends) there is a chance to post messages on a discussion board, often involving banter and sledging (actually only involving that in our case). The hierarchy is simply who ever is on top of the ladder has bragging rights. Picking certain rookies who become successful is also another right to brag to your opposition coaches. And so like the community and culture of footy itself, there is a sense of pride and fun surrounding the game, with successful teams looked upon with loath, but still respect.
The idea that you can ‘mod’ your own team appeals to many people. Many become obsessed with picking the best players. For example in the AFL realm people actually ‘scout’ young players to see who will be good value. There is also something called the AFL Prospectus which is made by Champion Data and retails for around $30. In this there is a lot of statistics and information on each player noting whether they would be a good pick for your team. As ridiculous as that sounds many people buy it! To an outsider of the competition this seems over the top for a game, but in the end you can win prizes. Like any club or community group if you don’t know what you’re talking about your opinions will be dismissed quickly. Likewise for these fantasy games, if you can’t back up your reasoning with your teams’ success then you’re not taken seriously.
With the popularity of these games being seen by many, it’s no surprise that many large companies and groups have jumped onboard. For example the AFL dream team is sponsored by Toyota and the NFL has CNN, ESPN and YAHOO on board to name a few. They have observed the habits of users and used that to further the exposure and popularity of it. For example in order to check your progress score on AFL dream team you had to use a separate site called fanfooty.com.au which gave live scores for each match. But now on the official site it does that for you and also on TV the scores scroll across the screen.
Although it’s hard to classify a sport as a product, it’s clear that there is a definite sense of community when it comes to sport. What’s consistent across all dream team games is that one can create a sense of individuality through their custom players, name and colours and also the accessibility which makes it appealing and easy to use. People now discuss their team selections (or keep them secret) in everyday life; though it’s a ‘fantasy’ game it’s almost become reality for many people. Some of my friends are more worried about their players getting possessions then watching the actual game. This could be a bad thing but the fantasy team will continue to grow and who knows what kind of territory it will move into next.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_football_(American) http://www.afl.com.au
