MWR holds free fantasy football contest

By Tim Hipps
Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command Public Affairs

ALEXANDRIA, Va., (8/23/10) -- Morale, Welfare and Recreation patrons from all five branches of the U.S. military are invited to play in a free fantasy football league with $100,000, a trip to Super Bowl XLV, and championship rings on the line.

Participants can create an account and begin drafting teams to compete in the RapidDraft Fantasy Football League at www.mwrfantasysports.com. Fantasy football revolves around the statistics of players in the National Football League.

Registration and all drafts must be started by Sept. 12 at 8 a.m. EDT. Do not wait until deadline time because draft rooms could be full and computer servers can get overloaded, so draft early.

And draft often. Each player can field as many as 60 teams, each of which will draft and play a full season of fantasy football games against 11 Fantasy Football Professionals, including Joe Namath, MVP of Super Bowl III.

Avatars/cartoon characters are used to represent the pros. Each fantasy pro is a “robotic general manager,” with a draft strategy managed by a real person or team of experienced fantasy professionals. Each pro has defined a unique, professional draft strategy and will create and submit a proprietary, subjective player draft ranking.

The draft rankings or player lists are updated dynamically – often hourly, daily, or weekly – based on subjective analysis, breaking player news and research done by each pro. After creating an account and becoming a World Fantasy Games member, participants may enter the website and sign-up to draft a fantasy football team against the fantasy pros. Members may draft at any time of day or night until the final draft deadline.

The best place to start is by clicking on the official rules tab at the bottom right-hand corner of the page and studying steadfastly. Wily old fantasy football players never seem to know the rules well enough – and even they tend to forget policies and procedures that help ensure the most pleasant gaming experiences.

Your roster will consist of 20 players and defenses in any numerical combination. A starting lineup consists of nine players (QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, TE, Flex – RB, WR or TE, K) and one defense/special team. You must submit a lineup each week and positions left blank will receive zero points. Be forewarned: successful fantasy football playing can be very time consuming. Somewhat like playing golf, success depends on the level at which you aspire to perform.

RapidDraft Fantasy Football is strictly for entertainment purposes and may not be used in connection with any form of gambling. All participants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of their registration and have public or private Internet access as of Sept. 15, 2010.

The league is open to all Active Duty personnel, their Family members, Retirees, Reservists, National Guard, DoD and Coast Guard Civilians.

This is a game of skill, although luck often comes into play. Winners are determined solely based on the objective RapidDraft Fantasy Football scoring system outlined in the official rules.

The overall military winner, based on the accumulation of points throughout the season, will win a trip for two to Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6, 2011, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The winner from each branch of the military – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard – will receive a custom championship ring. All MWR contestants also will compete for the national grand prize of $100,000.

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