We are 10 days away (less than a fortnight!) from the start of the games, and Olympic coverage is kicking into gear. All this has me thinking about some of the best moments from past games.
When I think "Great Moments," I answer yes to the question, "Do you believe in miracles!?!"
What are your favorite moments? The Dream Team? Women's gymnastics gold? Michael Johnson? Phelps? They're all nicely compiled here:
And, of course, there are the great ads. Can you beat the Dan vs. Dave ads that Reebok created?
[Clip via CNBC.com SportsBiz blog, which has a new interview with the guys.]
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Fantasy Olympics 101
Since almost everyone is new to the Fantasy Olympics, I thought it might be helpful to dish out some advice before your drafts. Hopefully everyone has received the "Athlete Spreadsheet" I sent out to participants. My suggestion is that you use that as a guide if you don't have time to do your own research, but I strongly recommend that you at least Google somebody before you pick them so that you don't end up with an athlete who just withdrew from the games or didn't qualify in all his events. And feel free to go with someone not on the list. That's the beauty of the Olympics. You never know who's going to win.
Now, a few words on strategy:
1. The biggest consideration on every pick is achieving a careful balance between the number of events and the medal potential. There is obviously a premium on athletes with more than one event because that means they have more opportunities to win medals. But be careful... speed skater Halie Kim and skier Bode Miller were both first round picks in 2006 because they were in four and five events respectively, but both came up with nothing. Meanwhile, the winning team in 2006 was powered by three snowboarders who only had one event each, but combined for 8 points. It's a careful balance.
Beyond the obvious strategy of picking athletes who are likely to medal in multiple events (I'm talking about you, Michael Phelps), my advice is to use your early picks on athletes in multiple events with at least some medal potential. Swimmers are a great place to start, as are gymnasts and to a lesser degree, track athletes. You can always pick up a "guaranteed" medal later (i.e. Women's basketball or soccer), but you'll only get one. Wait until the late rounds to take a flier on your favorite equestrian star.
2. Because of everything mentioned above, Michael Phelps (who might win as many as 8 gold medals this year) should be the consensus No. 1 pick. While that gives the person with the No. 1 pick a huge advantage, it's not a guarantee. Remember: Anything can happen at the Olympics. While none of us wish injury on Phelps, he could pull a muscle just like anybody else. You also never know what newcomer might emerge in the pool to challenge him.
That being said, there are also some ways to combat the Phelps advantage if you are not lucky enough to get the first pick. Start by trying to land some of his teammates on the relay teams. That will allow you to ride his wave of success and negate some of the points earned by the person in your league who has Phelps. But remember, don't waste an early pick just to get guaranteed points. Pick someone early who has a chance to come close to Phelps' medal count (for example, gymnast Shawn Johnson, who is projected by some to win at least four medals), and save your swimmer for a later round. Remember, there are three other men on each of Phelps' relay teams. Plenty of medals to go around.
3. Lastly, have fun with this... it's not like there's money on the line. If you really love gymnastics, try to get a gymnast. If you are an avid fencer, grab a fencer in a late round. The point is to make the Games fun to watch and give you a stake in the competition. Just make sure you do your homework and know who has a legitimate chance to medal in that sport. There are some events where the U.S. team has not medaled in decades. There's no point in wasting a pick on someone who is going to finish 52nd. For further details, ask Dark Cloud about its 2006 strategy of drafting biathletes and cross country skiers.
Got more insights for this year's competitors? Put them in the comments
Now, a few words on strategy:
1. The biggest consideration on every pick is achieving a careful balance between the number of events and the medal potential. There is obviously a premium on athletes with more than one event because that means they have more opportunities to win medals. But be careful... speed skater Halie Kim and skier Bode Miller were both first round picks in 2006 because they were in four and five events respectively, but both came up with nothing. Meanwhile, the winning team in 2006 was powered by three snowboarders who only had one event each, but combined for 8 points. It's a careful balance.
Beyond the obvious strategy of picking athletes who are likely to medal in multiple events (I'm talking about you, Michael Phelps), my advice is to use your early picks on athletes in multiple events with at least some medal potential. Swimmers are a great place to start, as are gymnasts and to a lesser degree, track athletes. You can always pick up a "guaranteed" medal later (i.e. Women's basketball or soccer), but you'll only get one. Wait until the late rounds to take a flier on your favorite equestrian star.
2. Because of everything mentioned above, Michael Phelps (who might win as many as 8 gold medals this year) should be the consensus No. 1 pick. While that gives the person with the No. 1 pick a huge advantage, it's not a guarantee. Remember: Anything can happen at the Olympics. While none of us wish injury on Phelps, he could pull a muscle just like anybody else. You also never know what newcomer might emerge in the pool to challenge him.
That being said, there are also some ways to combat the Phelps advantage if you are not lucky enough to get the first pick. Start by trying to land some of his teammates on the relay teams. That will allow you to ride his wave of success and negate some of the points earned by the person in your league who has Phelps. But remember, don't waste an early pick just to get guaranteed points. Pick someone early who has a chance to come close to Phelps' medal count (for example, gymnast Shawn Johnson, who is projected by some to win at least four medals), and save your swimmer for a later round. Remember, there are three other men on each of Phelps' relay teams. Plenty of medals to go around.
3. Lastly, have fun with this... it's not like there's money on the line. If you really love gymnastics, try to get a gymnast. If you are an avid fencer, grab a fencer in a late round. The point is to make the Games fun to watch and give you a stake in the competition. Just make sure you do your homework and know who has a legitimate chance to medal in that sport. There are some events where the U.S. team has not medaled in decades. There's no point in wasting a pick on someone who is going to finish 52nd. For further details, ask Dark Cloud about its 2006 strategy of drafting biathletes and cross country skiers.
Got more insights for this year's competitors? Put them in the comments
Friday, July 18, 2008
Fantasy Olympics Announcements
With the Games just 20 days, 16 hours and 35 minutes away (thanks NBC), there are a few things to announce.
1. Draft orders have been posted. The drawings were done randomly from a hat by a disinterested third party. The Administrators did not pick their own draft orders (though you might be suspicious if you see who is picking No. 1 and No. 2 in the Carl Lewis Division). Take a look at your league page for the draft order so you can plan accordingly.
2. Per the suggestions in the original rules post, we have adopted one rule change. Team sports can only be chosen by one person per league. For example, someone pinning their medal hopes on USA Basketball should choose the team, not LeBron James. After that team is chosen, no one else can choose that team. However, anyone who also competes in an individual sport (i.e. swimmers, runners) should be chosen individually and their relay medals will count toward your total.
3. We looked into weighting certain sports to avoid the obvious advantage for the first overall pick, but we just haven't been able to implement it this year. Maybe in the future. But for now, congrats to those teams who won the Michael Phelps lottery.
4. In light of the fact that some drafts are taking place soon and there are few publications out, we will be sending out a list of American athletes later today, roughly ordered by how many events they will be in and their likelihood of success. It will be a very rough estimation, so feel free to rely on this in your draft, or go with your own list. Just thought it would be helpful.
1. Draft orders have been posted. The drawings were done randomly from a hat by a disinterested third party. The Administrators did not pick their own draft orders (though you might be suspicious if you see who is picking No. 1 and No. 2 in the Carl Lewis Division). Take a look at your league page for the draft order so you can plan accordingly.
2. Per the suggestions in the original rules post, we have adopted one rule change. Team sports can only be chosen by one person per league. For example, someone pinning their medal hopes on USA Basketball should choose the team, not LeBron James. After that team is chosen, no one else can choose that team. However, anyone who also competes in an individual sport (i.e. swimmers, runners) should be chosen individually and their relay medals will count toward your total.
3. We looked into weighting certain sports to avoid the obvious advantage for the first overall pick, but we just haven't been able to implement it this year. Maybe in the future. But for now, congrats to those teams who won the Michael Phelps lottery.
4. In light of the fact that some drafts are taking place soon and there are few publications out, we will be sending out a list of American athletes later today, roughly ordered by how many events they will be in and their likelihood of success. It will be a very rough estimation, so feel free to rely on this in your draft, or go with your own list. Just thought it would be helpful.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Carl Lewis' Finest Moment
Lea posted this video in the Carl Lewis Division, and on her own blog, but I had to move it onto the main page.
Thanks for finding this, the best thing Carl Lewis has ever done.
Thanks for finding this, the best thing Carl Lewis has ever done.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Olympics Fantasy
See what I did there? I reversed the name of this site and made it a sexy headline.
Speaking of that, if anyone is fretting about their picks, perhaps you can just pick an Olympian by their cover. Gawker.com picked their Top 25: http://gawker.com/5025316/glory-of-the-games-25-olympic-hotties
Any votes for/against? Because you could pretty much add all the swimmers to the list. Any more? Leave 'em in the comments.
Also check out the Athletes to Watch Widget... now part of the sidebar on each league page.
Olympics athlete news at NBC Olympics.com!
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Full House
Thanks everyone for the great response. I'm officially declaring us to be at full capacity, with 21 participants spread over 3 different leagues. If you have signed up to play, keep an eye on your e-mail over the next couple days for further information about leagues, drafts, etc. Looking forward to a great competition!
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