Ford, Fantasy Sports Writers Association Extend Fantasy Football Into Post-Season
* Millions of fantasy football fanatics will have the opportunity to extend their season and compete in the Built Ford Tough Fantasy Football World Championship, the largest post-season league in fantasy football history.
* Anyone entering the Built Ford Tough Fantasy Football World Championship at FordFootball.com will be offered the chance to compete for the crown of fantasy football "world champion," -- after a post-season championship pitting the winners of seven fantasy football leagues, a celebrity to be named and two "at large" sweepstakes winners.
* The winner of the Built Ford Tough Fantasy Football World Championship will receive a 2005 Ford Super Duty pickup, the undisputed world champ among full-size pickups.
DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 16 -- Fantasy football enthusiasts will receive a "second life" this season as Ford Motor Company and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) team up to offer the largest post-season league in fantasy football history.
A "world champion" of fantasy football will be crowned -- after a post-season championship pitting against one another the winners of seven fantasy football leagues, a celebrity to be named and two "at large" sweepstakes winners.
The Built Ford Tough Fantasy Football World Championship will offer fantasy fanatics a chance to compete for the crown of fantasy football "world champion," along with a 2005 Ford Super Duty pickup, the undisputed world champ among full-size pickups.
"Ford is entering the fantasy sports realm with the most respected partner in the game," said Rich Stoddart, Ford Division marketing communications manager. "With its goal of promoting journalistic excellence in fantasy sports, the FSWA is the right platform for FordFootball.com to become a prime destination among fantasy football players."
Anyone entering the free league at FordFootball.com through November 30 will be registered automatically for a chance to grab one of two available "at large" spots to compete in the Built Ford Tough Fantasy Football World Championship. The two sweepstakes winners will join the champions of seven major fantasy football leagues, including CBS.SportsLine/NFL.com, Yahoo!Sports, SportingNews/Fox Sports, SI.com, Fanball.com, FantasyFootballMasters.com and the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) in the Built Ford Tough Fantasy Football World Championship.
The FSWA will lend its full endorsement to this contest and will form an exclusive Built Ford Tough Fantasy Football "Experts League" made up of some of the top names in the fantasy industry.
"Ford Motor has created a distinctive online destination for fantasy football fans around the country to compete in the post-season," said Ryan Houston, president of the FSWA. "The Built Ford Tough championship will provide the fantasy football community an opportunity to celebrate their passion for fantasy football beyond the regular season."
Fans entering the free league at FordFootball.com will enjoy the Built Ford Tough Fantasy Football Bowl, a public version of the post-season contest. Fantasy owners can choose to play in a league against a broad spectrum of fantasy players or in a private league among friends. The overall winner of the Built Ford Tough Fantasy Football Bowl will receive an automatic bid into next year's world championship sweepstakes.
Powered by CBS.SportsLine.com, FordFootball.com will offer fantasy players many of the same content elements, including injury reports, fantasy 101, pre-ranked playoff performers based on last year's post-season statistics, a mock draft and weekly player analysis.
The strategy involved in fantasy football has never been more compelling as owners draft their fantasy squad from a player pool of teams competing in the NFL playoffs. A successful strategy will require owners to choose top-performing players from the teams advancing furthest in the NFL post-season, especially as players from eliminated playoff teams will be of little service.
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With more than 327,000 employees worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Credit, Quality Care and Hertz. Ford Motor Company celebrated its 100th anniversary on June 16, 2003. For more information regarding the Built Ford Tough Fantasy Football World Championship, visit www.fordfootball.com.
2005 Ford Super Duty
The 2005 Ford Super Duty gives customers even more capability to get the job done -- delivering unsurpassed gas and diesel power, class-leading towing and payload ratings and useful new features that will make work easier and recreation time more enjoyable. The Super Duty has been featured all over the NFL this season.
Fantasy Sports Writers Association
The FSWA was founded by Houston and treasurer Kirk Bouyleas, both of Asylum Fantasy Sports, LLC. Emil Kadlec and Bob Harris of Fantasy Sports Publications, Inc. are the vice president and secretary, respectively. Scott Engel of ESPN is the Executive Assistant to the President and Mike Beacom of FantasyGms is the Chairman. The board of directors is comprised of representatives from many of the leading companies in the industry, including ESPN.com, SI.com, ESPN.com, Sporting News.com, USA Today.com, Fanball.com, Rotowire.com, CBS Sportsline, Yahoo! and RotoTimes.com. Football fans will see the Super Duty featured all over the NFL this season.
As the fantasy sports industry continues to grow, much of the focus has been on the ever-expanding size of the marketplace. Rarely has the spotlight shined on the individuals who create the opinions, analysis and commentaries that many fantasy players utilize on a daily basis, but as a new organization we are dedicated to changing that. The FSWA is one vital step in legitimizing fantasy sports writing and elevate it more strongly into the public consciousness.
One Goal - "Promoting Journalistic Excellence in Fantasy Sports!"
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