With the return of sports this week, every current FanDuel customer with a daily fantasy sports account and/or an online sportsbook account is today waking up to an extra $10 site credit in their account to celebrate the return of sports. Whether a customer signed up today or in 2015, more than $80 million in site credits has been distributed to FanDuel customers to use for daily fantasy contests and legal sports bets as the NBA, NHL and MLB return to action after a long layoff.
“We are excited for the return of sports and wanted to give all of our customers a chance to get in on the action for free,” said Mike Raffensperger, CMO of FanDuel Group. “Putting more than $80 million in site credits into our customers’ accounts to enter DFS contests or to make legal sports bets is a thank you to our customers for their loyalty during this long stretch without the NBA, NHL and MLB.”
As America’s #1 Sportsbook app and an official partner of the NBA, MLB and NHL, FanDuel leads the industry in customer friendly promotions. FanDuel was the first legal U.S. sports betting operator to offer early payouts for futures wagers, the first to offer Spread the Love where the line was moved in the customer’s favor for every 2500 bets placed on a particular market, the first to offer a Bad Beat Refund as well as daily generous super odds boosts and promotions. To celebrate the Return of Sports, FanDuel is also offering up to a day of risk free betting up to $100 for all users on their first day back to the site from 7/21-8/2.
The more than $80 million site credit giveaway will be accompanied by an advertising campaign with a new television commercial beginning July 22. The $10 provided to customers will be in the form of either FanDuel DFS site credit or FanDuel Sportsbook site credit. There are no state restrictions and the special offer is available to new and current customers. Customers will need to use the $10 by August 2 or the site credit will be voided.
Ask a pre-teen what they job ambitions are and they’ll often look up at you from the ass-groove they’ve worn into the sofa and reply, ‘I’m probably going to be a ‘YouTuber’.
The streaming gamer is the modern-day pop star or footballer – it’s a common aspiration among the youth of today and the superstar celebrities of tomorrow. But how realistic is it to be a YouTuber for your profession.
In Fortnite, for example, one of the most popular players in the game is Tyler Blevins, a.k.a. ‘Ninja’. The blue-haired gaming hero has 23.9 million subscribers and for every video he releases on the video-sharing website, he’ll typically get upwards of 250,000 views after just 24 hours.
Those are some incredible numbers to be able to call upon but building such a Fortnite fanbase takes time. How can you even try to scale the heights of such an ambition? Let’s revive your hopes, load up your load-out and send in a supply drop to your map co-ordinates.
In a shock move, Watford Football Club controversially sacked manager Nigel Pearson after The Hornets 3-1 defeat at West Ham United yesterday.
In a culling virtually no sportsbettors could have seen coming, a Premier League manager being sacked shortly before the penultimate fixture of the football league season would be surprising enough. But for Pearson to be given his marching orders with Watford balanced precariously above the relegation zone is incredible and has not been seen in the English Premier League for years.
Watford (15/2) face Manchester City (4/11) tonight at Vicarage Road, but while they might have been looking to get after a Citizens side beaten on the road in three of their last four Premier League games, as well as in the F.A. Cup semi-final at the weekend against Arsenal, instead they will be shell-shocked.
As you can probably imagine, the betting market for who will inherit one of the hottest managerial seats in English football (none of their last half-dozen managers have lasted more than 56 games) is wide open.
Over the weekend, a number of football players took to Twitter to voice their concerns over what they viewed as a lack of action on the part of the NFL to implement policies to protect them from the coronavirus. Frustrations have been mounting because training camps are set to get underway as early as this week, and there has yet to be a solid COVID-19 policy put in place. The players wanted the public to know that, should they collectively decide to sit out of the regular season, blame could squarely be placed on the shoulders of league brass. Seemingly in response to the outcry, the NFL has made a little progress, but not necessarily in a way football fans would want to see. There’s a possibility that there will now be no preseason games as the league tries to figure out how to proceed.
First, the Hall of Fame game was canceled. Then, the number of preseason games for each team was cut from four to two. That was at the beginning of this month and, although the league has had ample time to react to the coronavirus pandemic, it appears to still be dragging its feet. This is despite the fact that it brought in a handful of doctors to establish protocols for players – suggestions the NFL has still been reluctant to implement.
Players had suggested eliminating all preseason games, but the league didn’t want to accept the change. It countered with a one-game possibility, which has been rejected by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). The union made it clear yesterday when it met with league personnel that there was no way preseason games could be held, and the NFL was forced to respond.
Per the NFL collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the league can mandate the number of preseason games and could have forced the issue with players. However, it would have been a losing battle – players would have simply gone on strike. As a result, and to save face, the NFL “proactively” made the decision to call off all preseason games.
Major League Baseball’s gaming partnership with casino operator MGM Resorts is rolling out a free-play pseudo-betting product that will invariably spark cries to the heavens about corrupting America’s youth.
On Monday, MLB unveiled its new free-play prediction games, which are “presented” by BetMGM, the customer-facing brand of the joint venture of MGM and UK-listed gambling giant GVC Holdings. MGM became MLB’s first official gaming partner in late-2018.
The Rally apps allows players to earn points by predicting both the outcomes of games, the margin of victory and well as in-play game elements such as whether a batter will strike out, get on base or hit a homer. Accrue enough points over the duration of each contest – be it a single game or the entire season – and you can win prizes, including cold hard cash.
MLB insists that its app won’t connect to a BetMGM real-money sportsbook but this is ‘Murica, and so the boo-birds are already out in force decrying this apparent grooming of children for actual betting once they attain the age of majority in whatever state they call home.
On the night of March 11, MVP candidate LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were the betting favorites to win the NBA’s Western Conference title, and MVP favorite Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks were favored to come out of the East. Things haven’t changed, with the Lakers at +135 to win the West and the Bucks -185 in the East.
Yet, of course, everything has changed since that March night as when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus, the NBA immediately shut down and every other North American sports league followed suit.
While the 2020 NBA postseason will feature the standard eight teams from each conference, the playoffs will be unlike any in history. Every game will be at a neutral site from the ESPN World Wide of Sports Complex in Orlando, thus no home-court advantage for anyone, and it’s simply a fact that teams are going to lose players because they have tested positive for COVID-19 – in addition, some players already voluntarily opted-out of the rest of the season.
With the return of the National Football League, NFL players have been using the hashtag #WeWantToPlay over the weekend to explain why they are frustrated with some medical protocols not being in place. They don’t feel safe, and they’re letting the fans know. The blow-up is already huge but may yet see huge problems envelop the return of one of the biggest sportsbetting events of the year.
It’s clear that players are angry, and Watt’s Twitter status on Sunday night showed as much in an extremely frank way.
Once again in the interest of keeping everyone (players & fans) as informed as possible, here is an updated list of what we as players know and don’t know as the first group gets set to report to training camp tomorrow.#WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/xQcjs33zgM
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 19, 2020https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Sporting glory is down to the margins, and in the history of Super Bowl that piece of magical will be defined by one moment, a tale so great that it adds a few feet to that white whale. The crux of any great Super Bowl is the half-time show. When Tampa Bay was announced as the location of the 2021 event, there’s been speculation over who’ll be leading the halftime extravaganza. The half-time show has been the place where some musical careers have put out to pasture.
J-Lo and Shakira took out the honour in 2019 and before the world has been forced to endure Maroon Five singer Adam Levine, who gave us twice as many nipples as Janet Jackson. Before Justin Timberlake got his sexy back, he infamously ended the career of Janet Jackson with one swipe.
The word is that Rhianna has already said no, in protest over the NFL’s treatment of Colin Kapernick. But before the NFL dusts off Madonna, there are some other contenders who’ve shown some promise.
Every teenage girl at one point at has been musically connected to Taylor Swift. Unless Taylor decides to marry Joe Alwyn in a secret pre-Super Bowl wedding, the gig is hers to lose. Tay Tay is a solid bet, she’s consistently in the public eye and is the musical equivalent of Tom Brady at Superbowl.
The NRL coaching circus continued with Cowboys coach Paul Green becoming latest NRL coach to be sacked. Green is the third coach to be sacked since the competition restart, joining Stephen Kearney and Dean Pay on the sidelines. The well-respected mentor isn’t expected without a job for long, with Green immediately firming as the man most likely to take the Brisbane Broncos jobs, should they decide to part ways with current boss Anthony Seibold.
Green is the longest-serving coach in Cowboys history, boasting a premiership and two Grand Final appearances for the club in seven years. The Cowboys had slumped to a 3-7 record this season, and the club’s hierarchy informed Green that they would be taking a new direction in 2021.
Green was informed of the decision midweek, rather than immediately walk the Cowboys boss coached the side for the final time on the weekend against the Panthers. “I was pretty adamant about coaching Sunday,” Green said. “I was glad I did, I was proud of the way the boys played even though we lost yesterday. In saying that I think the club is well placed given some of the young talent coming through. Hopefully, by making this decision now it will allow those guys to get on with it and improve.”
The former Cowboys boss told media that he was adamant that his coaching career was far from over. “I will use this next period to freshen up, spend some time with my family and assess options before moving on to my next coaching role. While my time as a Cowboys coach has come to an end, my time as a head coach has not,” Green said.
The NFL hopes to get the regular season started on September 10, a goal it has had for the past several months. The only way that can happen, per NFL regulations, is for training camps to start no later than July 28 – just barely a week from now. However, despite the impending deadline, the league still has not informed players and teams how it plans on protecting everyone amid the coronavirus pandemic, and concerns about the NFL being able to adhere to its schedule are mounting. In order to let the league know how they feel, a number of players launched a coordinated verbal “attack” on the NFL yesterday on Twitter, hoping to force the league into action.
The tweets, most of which were accompanied by the hashtag “#WeWantToPlay,” were designed to stress upon NFL leaders the necessity of providing guidelines expeditiously or risk a halt to pro football. According to ESPN, the idea started with Bryon Jones of the Miami Dolphins, who suggested during a player call that everyone start tweeting their frustration. Among those who participated were Dree Brees of the New Orleans Saints, Todd Gurley II of the Atlanta Falcons, Myles Garrett and Jarvice Juice Landry of the Cleveland Browns, and others.
The idea was to put pressure on the league’s leaders, as well as to show the general public that any delay or cancelation would be strictly because of the NFL’s inaction. Brees said in his tweet, “We need Football! We need sports! We need hope! The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of their own medical experts will prevent that…” Garrett added, “If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple.”
The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) president, JC Tretter, explained in one of his tweets after the campaign began, “What you are seeing today is our guys standing up for each other and for the work their union leadership has done to keep everyone as safe as possible. The NFL needs to listen to our union and adopt the experts’ recommendations #wewanttoplay.”
A clear pattern is starting to build with Washington’s football team: If you want any serious change with the organization, you need a massive backlash to the franchise’s behavior. First there was years of pressure to change the team’s name. Now, a focus on an alleged history of sexual misbehavior in the back office. And if neither of those are enough to get you upset, there’s a growing history of just not being good at football.
[Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]
Sexual Harassment Allegations and Fallout
The bombshell scandal that revealed itself on Thursday revealed Dan Snyder’s football organization turned a blind eye to years of sexual harassment, alleged by 15 female employees, from top figures in the organization. While Snyder himself wasn’t implicated, that he somehow didn’t know any of this was happening is just as bad.
After a season that has been interrupted by the Coronavirus and a row with one of his best players, Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid have been crowned La Liga champions for a record 34th time.
Since the global COVID-19 lockdown, the most decorated club in domestic Spanish football history added the latest La Liga title to their collection after 10 straight victories gave them the title, eclipsing a stuttering Barcelona side for whom Lionel Messi may have scored his 700th career goal but as a team looked light in certain areas of the pitch at crucial moments.
Madrid’s victory is all the more impressive given Barcelona’s recent dominance. In the 30 years since 1990, Los Blancos have won only nine title including this latest win, paling into insignificance when cast against the luminous 16 titles that have gone the way of their Catalan rivals.
Zidane’s side, however, have been imperious, building on a phenomenal defensive record of conceding just 23 goals compared to the 46 they shipped last season with one game to go.
An incredible weekend of F.A. Cup action saw the record winners and their long-time London rivals both reach the F.A. Cup Final that will prove who is the only club in London to win a trophy this season. But how did it happen? Let’s take a look back at a fantastic two days of cup football.
Arsenal 2-0 Manchester City
The Gunners were only fancied for defeat by most heading into the game, with some bookmakers having the North London side, the most decorated in F.A. Cup history as 8/1 shots.
Despite that, David Luiz led the side into a performance of obduracy and huge patience as Mikel Arteta got his first win against his former colleague. Pep Guardiola has suffered a number of high-profile semi-finals in recent memory, with many of the defeats coming in the Champions League, but this loss will smart just as much.
Online sports betting pioneers Betcris have become the latest operator to sign an official partnership with Major League Baseball.
On Thursday, the Costa Rica-based, Malta-licensed Betcris announced that it was the new Official Wagering Partner of MLB in Latin America. The ‘multi-year international partnership’ gives Betcris access to official league data for betting purposes, as well as trademark access for wagering platforms and a new free-play mobile app that Betcris is developing.
Betcris CEO JD Duarte said his company “share a vision with MLB to deliver fun and exciting content to our audiences,” that is, assuming the league actually gets around to playing games in this pandemic year. Striking an optimistic tone, Duarte said the deal “could not come at a better time” and would give Betcris “a great competitive edge.”
MLB’s VP of gaming & new business ventures Kenny Gersh logrolled back, saying Betcris was “the right gaming operator” to both cater to Latin America’s existing baseball fans and to bring new fans into the fold. Gersh said Betcris had “taken great strides in recent years to listen to their users” and the company’s vast experience would “further elevate the engagement opportunities” for MLB’s LatAm audience.
Break-ups are always hard and in the world of rugby with broadcast deals on the line, it’s serious business. New Zealand Rugby officially announced that they were saying goodbye to South African Super Rugby sides. The COVID pandemic has forced Super Rugby into a major rethink with New Zealand announcement of a potential new competition.
New Zealand Rugby announced that they would be looking at developing a new competition, with the involvement of Australia and Pacific Island teams on the cards. New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson confirmed in a statement that NZ Rugby would be pursuing a new direction:
“The look and shape and feel of how this competition may be owned or run is still to be determined and the way it connects to Sanzaar is yet to be determined. But the reality is that the impact of COVID has been so significant that we’ve had to look at alternatives and a new direction here.”
New Zealand Rugby have proposed a competition that includes all five Super Rugby teams from New Zealand with a potential team from the Pacific Islands. New Zealand have opened up the competition from bids from Rugby Australia.
For Soccer Ventures (FSV), the recently launched investment team focused on the growth and long-term development of American soccer, today announced the launch of a podcast network dedicated to aggregating the best and most diverse voices in the sport of soccer in America, and a “Preferred Partnership” with Girls Soccer Network – that will see the two companies collaborate on content, production and commercial opportunities.
The first original shows to launch on the FSV network will include “Orange Slices,” hosted by former U.S. Men’s National Team star Heath Pearce and rising American star Mark McKenzie of the Philadelphia Union, as well as the reintroduction of “The Best Soccer Show,” with Sirius XM’s Jason Davis and Jared DuBois.
“There are many diverse voices in American soccer who deserve a new platform to discuss their experiences throughout the vast soccer community. Podcasting has emerged as a megaphone for storytelling, and we’ve recognized that there is no better way to invest in elevating the American soccer story than to give its future leaders the mic,” stated Philadelphia Union Investor and FSV Principal Richie Graham.
“The next decade of soccer in the U.S. will be transformative. Both fans and players alike will be protagonists in leading the growth of the sport throughout this period, and we believe Orange Slices and The Best Soccer Show provide each their space,” said Pearce, Chief Creative Officer at For Soccer Ventures. “Our network will add new, like-minded partners, such as Girls Soccer Network and additional shows launched in the coming months, as we look to celebrate the extraordinary efforts of those who’ve gotten us here, while shining a light on our path forward as a soccer nation.”
The breakdown of the launch shows include:
ORANGE SLICES: Connecting the past, present, and future generations of U.S. internationals around our collective soccer story. The show will be hosted by former US international and Major League Soccer All-Star Heath Pearce and emerging U.S. international Mark McKenzie of Philadelphia Union, this cross-generational variety show will celebrate the past, present, and future of American soccer. Part nostalgia and history, part support for the future of the game, each episode will feature guests from different generations of American soccer sharing stories, insights, and commentary on their soccer experiences. Through rotating segments, the show will take us on a journey through our uniquely American soccer culture, from the muddy fields and halftime orange slices of youth soccer to the biggest games won and lost on the world’s stage.
BEST SOCCER SHOW: Hosted by Sirius XM’s Jason Davis and American soccer devotee Jared DuBois, “Best Soccer Show” is an original blend of entertaining storytelling, quick quips, and sharp commentary that captures the spirit of American soccer fandom. Beloved for its balance of thoughtful insight and humorous candor, each episode explores American soccer’s biggest stories while celebrating our uniquely American brand of the game. From the ups and downs of our national teams to the state of MLS, UEFA and NWSL, the hosts drive dynamic conversations through rotating segments, call-ins from real fans, and interviews with some of the biggest names in the game. Down to Earth and with a big heart, it’s simply America’s Best Soccer Show.
You can download the shows on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and iTunes.
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: Girls Soccer Network (GSN) is a vibrant community for girls and women who love the game of soccer beyond the sidelines of the pitch. Through their digital platform (girlssoccernetwork.com) and social media, the GSN team focuses on creating engaging, empowering and inspirational content that feeds the soccer soul and brings together a culture of “Socceristas” that is positive and unapologetically themselves.
“We’re thrilled to partner with For Soccer Ventures. The leadership team recognizes the enormous opportunity to help support all the thriving women’s soccer communities across the country and to grow the game for future generations.” Said Jen Gruskoff, Founder and Editor-in-Chief @ GSN, “We’ve only scratched the surface from a content and commercial development perspective, and this partnership will help us supercharge our efforts to connect with brands and develop game-changing content platforms”
Just because baseball fans aren’t allowed to attend MLB games in person doesn’t mean they still can’t be seen at the games. Because of the coronavirus, MLB, and all other sports leagues, have decided that allowing fans to grab a seat at the games wouldn’t be a smart idea. This means considerable losses in revenue, as on-field advertising loses its purpose and concessionaires can’t sell their goods. However, teams across the MLB have come up with a novel, out-of-the-box solution that will allow fans to be seen at the games while, at the same time, recovering some of the lost revenue. Welcome to the world of fan cutouts.
The idea emerged earlier this month and has since caught the attention of several teams, including the San Francisco Giants, the LA Dodgers, the Milwaukee Brewers and more. The concept is simple – fans can submit a picture, pay a fee and the team will build a cardboard cutout of the fan to be placed in a seat during games. Each team has its own procedures and policies, but, for some fans, they will even be able to keep their cutouts and, should their virtual self be hit by a foul ball, will be sent a game ball as a keepsake.
Prices range drastically, some as low as $49 and some as high as $299. Just like with most ballparks, the difference in price depends on where the fan wants to be seated. Other clubs are restricting the sales to only season-ticket holders. The money generated from the sales could be substantial, too. The response has already high and, to use Oracle Park as an example, the return could be substantial. The home of the Giants has 41,915 seats; if it sold half of these at $50 (season-ticket holders get them for free), it could pick up over $1.04 million. That certainly isn’t enough to offset all the losses incurred by the lack of having beer-guzzling, popcorn-munching fans in the stands, but it’s better than nothing.
The Brewers are taking a slightly different approach. The team will place two-foot images of fans together with the “Last Row” statue of Bob Uecker located at the top of Miller Park. Uecker has been a game-caller for the club for 50 years and has been around baseball almost as long as the game itself. The cutouts cost $50, and the promotion sold out almost as soon as it was launched.
Big news appears to be on the way for Dan Snyder and his Washington Football Team. As sports bettors have given a firm vote of confidence to what they think the team’s new name will be, rumors are starting to swirl that a huge expose is on the way that will rock the organization to its foundations.
Dan Snyder started to trend on Twitter on Thursday morning, and those deep into the team’s gossip have some suspicion as to why. Rumors have it that the Washington Post is working on a piece that will expose a huge scandal that could force Snyder into selling the team:
Anybody wanna buy a football team? Dan Snyder pic.twitter.com/4tJzbv6NAL
— Biracial Brother (@Jonesdc) July 16, 2020https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The latest Esports partnership that will be looked at towards making both a team and the overall game better has been confirmed as between Swedish Esports team Ninjas in Pyjamas and the game data analysis firm Esports Charts.
Swedish team ‘Ninjas’ have had a long and complex history, with their initial formation coming as a Counter-Strike team in 2000, before its abrupt ending in 2007. The team returned in 2012, however, and as a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) team, under the management of Robin Jedhammar and the captaincy of ‘hampus’, have gone from strength to strength.
To date, Ninjas have won just under $3 million in prize winnings and in order to improve, they will be powered by data provided by Esports Charts, who already provide teams such as Astralis Group, Natus Vincere and Alliance with analytical data and statistics for events there to help the team compete to an even better level in the future.
Esports Charts’ CEO said in a statement: “Seemingly invisible and stealthy “ninjas” are the deadly rivals for every team in every discipline, wherever they participate. They, more than anyone else, clearly know their goals and move towards victory. Esports Charts, using ninja reflexes, will promptly and surgically react to the changing trends of the esports market and fully support Ninjas in Pyjamas with their data.”
Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich’s two-run home run in the fourth inning was one of five circuit clouts in the game as the National League topped the American, 7-2, in Strat-O-Matic’s simulation of the All-Star Game Tuesday night. TV host Drew Carey (American) and musician Slim Jim Phantom (National) managed the teams during a live video stream on Wizard World Virtual Experiences.
Fans can watch a replay of the contest on Twitch, Facebook or YouTube.
Yelich’s shot gave the N.L. a 2-0 lead. One out later, Matt Carpenter of St. Louis followed with another blast for a 3-0 edge for Phantom’s squad.
Carey’s Junior Circuit team pulled to within 3-2 in the sixth, but three runs in the bottom of the frame put the game out of reach.
“It’s just great to be part of this,” said Phantom, an avid baseball and Strat-O-Matic fan who hosts a fantasy baseball show on SiriusXM Radio, following the victory. “It’s keeping baseball going. We were all going crazy, and Strat-O-Matic was so helpful, we’ve been able to play fantasy ball all year. The same thing I love about Strat-O-Matic when I was a kid I love about it now.”
“I’ve been playing this game since the ’70s,” added Carey, a member of several Strat-O-Matic leagues, including one with Phantom. “I used to play my brother all the time, some of my fondest memories of growing up and always loved the game.”
Max Scherzer of Washington earned the win with a scoreless inning. Gerrit Cole of the Yankees gave up the three fourth-inning runs and took the loss.
Strat-O-Matic will continue its simulation of the regular season until the teams return to action on the field. Fans can follow the action, updated daily at 2 p.m. ET, at https://www.strat-o-matic.com/2020-season-simulation/.
