RotoHog
Encyclopedia
RotoHog is the consumer facing Fantasy Sports website for Fastpoint Games
, a digital platform developer that designs, implements and markets fantasy services for media and advertising partners. The company builds, delivers and manages co-branded fantasy sports games for major media companies, sports companies and professional sports leagues.
Their signature stock exchange game is a budget-based, high-roster-turnover style fantasy sports game that combines traditional fantasy scoring with a stock market-style trading floor for baseball
, basketball
, American football
, and Association Football (soccer). The company also delivers traditional commissioner and pick-em style fantasy sports games.
RotoHog has also branched out to entertainment games with the Rose Ceremony game for the Reality TV show The Bachelor and the Us Weekly
Celebrity Fantasy League .
game. In 2009, RotoHog began to provide games for Fox Sports en Español and the AVP
Pro Beach Volleyball tour.
In June 2009, RotoHog closed a multi-year deal with Sporting News to power the sports media company's suite of fantasy sports games. Sporting News VP Jeff Gerttula commented, “In order to take our games to the next level, we wanted to align with somebody intensely focused on the space, was committed to a strong [business-to-business] solution, and wasn’t satisfied with developing the same old off-the-shelf products,”
In March 2010, RotoHog began powering the MySpace Bracket Challenge for the 2010 NCAA college basketball tournament. At the same time, the company announced that it would be launching its first commissioner-style baseball game on its own site.
Like most fantasy sports games, the core elements of RotoHog's flagship stock exchange game involve building a team and setting a line-up to earning points. To this traditional core game, RotoHog adds a liquid market
for players that all team managers use to trade players. Players can be traded at almost any time and player prices reflect up-to-the minute supply and demand. This trading system removes many of the problems with unfair trades or collusion between managers that can occur in traditional fantasy games.
RotoHog also provides a social networking platform that allows users to compete in unlimited size leagues grouped by location, team allegiance, company affiliations, or local watering holes in addition to smaller traditional private leagues made up of a dozen or so friends. This social networking platform allows diverse groups to create custom leagues for their members. For example, the non-profit group Hire-a-Hero used RotoHog as a way to help military veterans connect with each other and transition back to civilian life. RotoHog have agreed to donate a portion of the advertisement revenue
received from the Military Fantasy Football League (MFFL) to the Hire-a-Hero program. They have also decided to donate the $10 received for their premium statistical service, with which users can register to receive the latest news, injury reports and scouting reports from the site.
The owner of the second place Football team won $25,000, and third place $10,000. The remaining top 100 finishers also earned cash prizes.
RotoHog differs from fantasy sports stock simulations in that the goal of the game is to score the most fantasy points by fielding the best team of players. Stock simulation games focus on increasing your portfolio
value by anticipating price movements of players.
and Wharton Business School Professor Kent Smetters
in 2006 and is based in Inglewood, California. Kelly Perdew
, winner of The Apprentice Season 2, was named CEO in May 2008.
The company raised $6 million in its first venture round
in August 2007. This funding was raised via DFJ DragonFund China and Mission Ventures, with additional investment coming from Allen & Co. and SCP Worldwide. StubHub
, an online marketplace
, co-founder Jeff Fluhr also invested in the online firm.
The company raised an additional $2 million in March 2009. The round was led by Mission Ventures and DFJ Dragon.
The company's board of directors includes Leo Spiegel of Mission Ventures and Andy Tang of DFJ DragonFund China.
Sports Composite DE, Inc. earns revenues from advertising and optional statistical packages. RotoHog leagues and competitions have been sponsored by ex-American football player Marshall Faulk
and hall of fame
baseball players Fred Lynn
, Wade Boggs
, and Ozzie Smith
.
In December 2008, RotoHog along with domain name company, GoDaddy.com, launched an NFL Playoff
Game on Facebook
. RotoHog used the game to entice users to play other its other games, while GoDaddy used the game to gain exposure to the RotoHog and Facebook communities while supporting its Super Bowl
ad campaign.
In April 2009, RotoHog developed an exclusive partnership with RazorGator that will allow RotoHog users to purchase tickets to live events through the global ticket reseller.
Fastpoint Games
Fastpoint Games is a developer of data-driven games for businesses in the fortune 500, and is the parent company of fantasy sports developer, RotoHog...
, a digital platform developer that designs, implements and markets fantasy services for media and advertising partners. The company builds, delivers and manages co-branded fantasy sports games for major media companies, sports companies and professional sports leagues.
Their signature stock exchange game is a budget-based, high-roster-turnover style fantasy sports game that combines traditional fantasy scoring with a stock market-style trading floor for baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and Association Football (soccer). The company also delivers traditional commissioner and pick-em style fantasy sports games.
RotoHog has also branched out to entertainment games with the Rose Ceremony game for the Reality TV show The Bachelor and the Us Weekly
Us Weekly
Us Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment...
Celebrity Fantasy League .
Fantasy Game Platform
RotoHog is also the provider of nba.com's NBA Stock Exchange and commissioner games and Brazilian media company Grupo RBS's first ever Fantasy SoccerFantasy football (soccer)
Fantasy football is a game in which participants assemble an imaginary team of real life footballers and score points based on those players' actual statistical performance or their perceived contribution on the field of play. Usually players are selected from one specific division in a particular...
game. In 2009, RotoHog began to provide games for Fox Sports en Español and the AVP
Association of Volleyball Professionals
The Association of Volleyball Professionals, or AVP, is a beach volleyball tour which takes place throughout the United States. The summer tour starts in April and continues almost every weekend until the end of October....
Pro Beach Volleyball tour.
In June 2009, RotoHog closed a multi-year deal with Sporting News to power the sports media company's suite of fantasy sports games. Sporting News VP Jeff Gerttula commented, “In order to take our games to the next level, we wanted to align with somebody intensely focused on the space, was committed to a strong [business-to-business] solution, and wasn’t satisfied with developing the same old off-the-shelf products,”
In March 2010, RotoHog began powering the MySpace Bracket Challenge for the 2010 NCAA college basketball tournament. At the same time, the company announced that it would be launching its first commissioner-style baseball game on its own site.
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
for players that all team managers use to trade players. Players can be traded at almost any time and player prices reflect up-to-the minute supply and demand. This trading system removes many of the problems with unfair trades or collusion between managers that can occur in traditional fantasy games.
RotoHog also provides a social networking platform that allows users to compete in unlimited size leagues grouped by location, team allegiance, company affiliations, or local watering holes in addition to smaller traditional private leagues made up of a dozen or so friends. This social networking platform allows diverse groups to create custom leagues for their members. For example, the non-profit group Hire-a-Hero used RotoHog as a way to help military veterans connect with each other and transition back to civilian life. RotoHog have agreed to donate a portion of the advertisement revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
received from the Military Fantasy Football League (MFFL) to the Hire-a-Hero program. They have also decided to donate the $10 received for their premium statistical service, with which users can register to receive the latest news, injury reports and scouting reports from the site.
Prizes
RotoHog has awarded various prizes include cash to the top teams in weekly, monthly and season long contests. The 2007 Baseball and Football champions won $100,000 each.The owner of the second place Football team won $25,000, and third place $10,000. The remaining top 100 finishers also earned cash prizes.
Strategy
RotoHog-specific game strategies used by some players include the following:- Make money trading on fluctuations on player prices early in the season then use the extra cash then play the best players later in the season.
- Play hunches on undervalued players based on scouting and analysis of team match-ups.
- Rely on ability to make real time trades to make daily roster adjustments
Comparisons with other Fantasy Sports games
RotoHog differs from other fantasy sports games in several ways:- Player trading floor prices continuously change based on the buying and selling behavior of team managers. Pricing in other games is either set by the game provider or is based directly on the on field performance of the players.
- Team managers can increase their initial budget by purchasing players who they think will appreciate in value and selling them for a profit. Traditional salary capSalary capIn professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
games do not allow managers to profit from transactions. - Team managers have an unlimited number of transactions and can make rosterRosterA roster is a list of names of people involved with an organization of some kind.A roster can be a list of people and the times when they are required to work or a list of students in a classroom....
changes up until just before games start. Traditional games only allow managers to make a few trades per season and often require managers to set their line-ups a week at a time.
RotoHog differs from fantasy sports stock simulations in that the goal of the game is to score the most fantasy points by fielding the best team of players. Stock simulation games focus on increasing your portfolio
Portfolio (finance)
Portfolio is a financial term denoting a collection of investments held by an investment company, hedge fund, financial institution or individual.-Definition:The term portfolio refers to any collection of financial assets such as stocks, bonds and cash...
value by anticipating price movements of players.
Criticisms
As a hybrid between traditional fantasy sports games and fantasy sports stock simulations, there are many predictable ways for team managers to increase their budgets through day trading. These managers can then assemble teams with essentially no budget constraint. This gives managers with the time to play the market a financial edge over managers who do not.Company, financing and sponsorship
Sports Composite DE, Inc., the company that operates the RotoHog website, was founded by entrepreneur David WuDavid Wu (entrepreneur)
David Wu is co-founder and President of Sports Composite DE, Inc, which launched the online fantasy sports website RotoHog in February 2007...
and Wharton Business School Professor Kent Smetters
Kent Smetters
-Early years:Smetters was raised in Ohio. He received his bachelor's degrees in Economics and Computer Science from the Ohio State University in 1990, and Master and PhD degrees in Economics from Harvard University in 1992 and 1995 respectively.- Academics :...
in 2006 and is based in Inglewood, California. Kelly Perdew
Kelly Perdew
Kelly Crawford Perdew of Carlsbad, California was the winner of The Apprentice 2.-Before The Apprentice:Perdew was born in Lexington, Kentucky and was raised in Florida and Wyoming...
, winner of The Apprentice Season 2, was named CEO in May 2008.
The company raised $6 million in its first venture round
Venture round
A venture round is a type of funding round used for venture capital financing, by which startup companies obtain investment, generally from venture capitalists and other institutional investors. The availability of venture funding is among the primary stimuli for the development of new companies...
in August 2007. This funding was raised via DFJ DragonFund China and Mission Ventures, with additional investment coming from Allen & Co. and SCP Worldwide. StubHub
Stubhub
StubHub is an online marketplace owned by eBay, which provides services for buyers and sellers of tickets for sports, concerts, theater and other live entertainment events....
, an online marketplace
Online marketplace
Online marketplace refers to a type of ecommerce site where product and inventory information is provided by multiple third parties, whereas transactions are processes by the marketplace operator. Online marketplaces have become a driver of new business for online merchants that leverage them as...
, co-founder Jeff Fluhr also invested in the online firm.
The company raised an additional $2 million in March 2009. The round was led by Mission Ventures and DFJ Dragon.
The company's board of directors includes Leo Spiegel of Mission Ventures and Andy Tang of DFJ DragonFund China.
Sports Composite DE, Inc. earns revenues from advertising and optional statistical packages. RotoHog leagues and competitions have been sponsored by ex-American football player Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
and hall of fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
baseball players Fred Lynn
Fred Lynn
Fredric Michael "Fred" Lynn is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles , Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres .Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame...
, Wade Boggs
Wade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
, and Ozzie Smith
Ozzie Smith
Osborne Earl "Ozzie" Smith is an American former baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals from 1978 to 1996...
.
In December 2008, RotoHog along with domain name company, GoDaddy.com, launched an NFL Playoff
NFL playoffs, 2008–09
The National Football League playoffs for the 2008 season began on January 3, 2009 and led up to Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.-NFC: Arizona Cardinals 30, Atlanta Falcons 24:...
Game on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. RotoHog used the game to entice users to play other its other games, while GoDaddy used the game to gain exposure to the RotoHog and Facebook communities while supporting its Super Bowl
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
ad campaign.
In April 2009, RotoHog developed an exclusive partnership with RazorGator that will allow RotoHog users to purchase tickets to live events through the global ticket reseller.
Awards
RotoHog has been the recipient of the following industry honors:- 2009 Fantasy Sports Trade AssociationFantasy Sports Trade AssociationThe Fantasy Sports Trade Association is the largest and oldest trade group representing the fantasy sports industry with over 120 members, including Matt ranging from small startups to large media corporations...
Baseball Stats Projection Accuracy Award - 2009 Fantasy Sports Trade AssociationFantasy Sports Trade AssociationThe Fantasy Sports Trade Association is the largest and oldest trade group representing the fantasy sports industry with over 120 members, including Matt ranging from small startups to large media corporations...
Football Stats Projection Accuracy Award - 2009 AlwaysOn OnHollywood Top 100 Media and Entertainment Companies: Enabling Technology category Winner
- 2009 Tech Industry Awards: Entertainment & Gaming category finalist along side Future Ads, and category winner Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.Blizzard EntertainmentBlizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
See also
- Fantasy Sports
- Fantasy Sports stock simulation
- Fantasy BaseballFantasy baseballFantasy baseball is a game where participants manage an imaginary roster of real Major League baseball players. The participants compete against one another using those players' real life statistics to score points...
- Fantasy BasketballFantasy basketballFantasy basketball was inspired by fantasy baseball. Originally played by keeping track of stats by hand, it was popularized during the 1990s after the advent of the Internet. Those who play this game are sometimes referred to as General Managers , who draft actual NBA players and compute their...
- Fantasy Football (American)Fantasy football (American)Fantasy football is an interactive, virtual competition in which people manage professional football players versus one another and that allows people to act as general managers of a pseudo-football team. The players that an individual is able to manage are professional American Football players...
- Fantasy Football (Soccer)Fantasy football (soccer)Fantasy football is a game in which participants assemble an imaginary team of real life footballers and score points based on those players' actual statistical performance or their perceived contribution on the field of play. Usually players are selected from one specific division in a particular...