The start of the regular NFL season is just over two weeks away and only a few openings remain for FCNews’ annual Fantasy Football for a Cause league. The league combines fun, competition and benevolence, with so many causes benefitting over the last six years. Among the causes that teams have played for include St. Jude, Gary Sinise Foundation, Tunnels to Towers and American Cancer Society as well as local causes such as food banks, children’s shelters, high schools, religious institutions and so much more.
Again, only a few spots remain for individuals and companies to compete against each other for a chance to win $15,000 for their charity or cause of choice. But don’t worry if you are not familiar or adept at Fantasy Football. This year FCNews has arranged for a few experienced fantasy football players to step in and draft/manage any team that needs a general manager. This removes inexperience with fantasy football as a roadblock from anyone participating. After all, it’s all about giving back and having some fun.
The league will be covered in the pages of Floor Covering News throughout the season. As well, each charity/cause will be given coverage at the beginning of the season to highlight what the organization does to make a difference. The idea is that this exposure may generate interest and hopefully contributions.
Here’s how the charity football league works:
- Each team will choose a charity or cause to play for. It could be at the local or national level.
- For each of the first 14 weeks, the highest scoring team will win $500 for their charity while the second highest scoring team will win $250. (In the event of a tie for first, the two teams will split the $750 evenly.) The rest of the prize money will be split as follows, assuming 12 teams participate:
If 12 teams: $15,000 to 1st place team’s charity; $10,000 to 2nd place team’s charity; $7,500 to 3rd place team’s charity; $5,000 to 4th place team’s charity; $3,500 to 5th place team’s charity; $2,000 to the 6th place team’s charity; and $1,000 to all other teams’ charities. *Note: ALL charities will receive a donation through the league, not just the winners.
Each company will receive receipts showing proof of all payments made on their behalf to the respective charities in the amount they won through the season. This is so you see that the exact amount won for your cause is sent to the proper contact.
There will be an online draft on the ESPN site, most likely Sept. 4 or 5 around 5 p.m. Fantasy Football “players” can choose ESPN’s “autopick draft” option to accumulate players based on pre-draft rankings. We will again manage the league using ESPN. All you need to do is log in each week and choose your starting players. There will also be weekly pickups, so teams can be improved throughout the season.
The Fantasy Football league will follow the regular season schedule and end after Week 14. The top six teams will make the playoffs, which are held in weeks 15-17.
Supporting worthy causes
This represents an excellent opportunity to support and create awareness for a meaningful cause and enjoy some friendly competition, so be sure to reserve your spot. To join, send an email to dustin@fcnews.net with the following information: your name, company name and charity or cause of your choosing. We’ll send out payment information once you have expressed interest in joining. The entry fee is $5,000 per fantasy football team.
FCNews’ Fantasy Football for a Cause league is open to floor covering industry members of all experience levels. No fantasy experience is necessary. Every dollar of the proceeds will be donated to charity.
