Subscription Offerings For 2006

- footballinjuries.com subscription for one year at $39.95.

Here's a small sampling of the content you'll receive when you become a subscriber to footballinjuries.com:

Preseason Fantasy Information

- Over 400 players (rookies and veterans) profiles and analysis have been added so far this year to our player database so be sure to check out our fantasy roster feature especially if you're drafting soon. Our player database actually started in 2004 and we have over 1,500 player profiles and analysis available.

- Cheat sheets with analysis updated weekly beginning in mid-July until one week before the regular season starts. We get you ready for your draft, telling you why players are rising and falling on our draft boards in a few types (performance, dynasty/keeper league, and TD only) of leagues.
    
- Complete team-by-team pre-training camp previews written in late July. We take you deep inside each team's depth chart to see who the fantasy stars of the present and future will be. We also take a detailed look at all of the defenses around the league. A must to get you ready for training camps!
    
- Overall top-125 players (QB, RB, WR, TE, D) with brief analysis. We take a look at who the top players are overall so that you can get an idea of what players should be drafted and where.
    
- Defensive player rankings and analysis along with pre-season projections. Editor Adam Caplan who has played in leagues with defensive players for over 15 years will provide our 2006 defensive player rankings and analysis. Caplan has provided Fantasy Football Pro Forecast Magazine with their defensive player rankings and analysis for the past seven years.
    
- Offensive depth charts with key backups for every NFL team. We challenge you to find more accurate depth charts.

- Draft strategy with detailed analysis. We explain how to prepare for various types of leagues (performance, keeper, defensive) and how to manage your teams through out the season.
    
- Rookie profiles and analysis (QB, RB, WR, TE, WR, K, DL, LB, DB) for over 350 players.
    
- Free agent signings (QB, RB, WR, TE, DL, LB, DB) with analysis for over 150 players and how those players fit in from an NFL and fantasy perspective for 2006. 
    
- Sleepers and busts along with undervalued and overvalued players (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, D, DL, LB, DB). We take a detailed look at which players to keep an eye on and which players to avoid as well as which players are going later than they should and which players are going to early in drafts.
    
- Subscriber email bag. We take the best subscriber email questions periodically and post the answers to them in our subscriber area.
    
- Rookie rankings and analysis. We take a look at the top rookies (QB, RB, WR, TE) and let you know what to expect this season.
    
- Keeper rankings and brief analysis. We take a look at the players (QB, RB, WR, TE) that you should key on not only this season but for a few seasons down the line.
    
- Expert draft results and analysis. We'll post every experts draft that we will be participating in along with analysis of everyone of our selections. In some instances, we'll review each round and what the good/bad value selections were from each participant.
    
- Daily training camp news and analysis. We start delivering training camp news on a daily basis (Monday-Friday) starting when camps open in late July and end with our last report in late August. We not only tell you how players are performing but what the coaches and our sources are saying. We give you the 411 on what you need to know! We challenge you to find a service that provides better training camp updates.

- Training camp interviews with analysis. During our training camp visits, we talk to the coaches and players that will have an impact on your fantasy teams this year and we analyze what they're saying.
    
- Fantasy chats every Wednesday evening July-August. Here's your chance to go one on one with our service and to pick our brain on any of your players. We'll also post the transcript shortly after the chat ends. We start our chats in the "off-season" in May on a bi-weekly basis.

This is a just a sampling of what we offer during the pre-season for our subscribers.

To get everything we offer, click here.

***********
Information Courtesy of The Fantasy Sports Trade Conference


Fantasy Sports Business Update August Part Two

CBC IS GRANTED SUMMARY JUDGEMENT IN MLBAM SUIT

United States Magistrate Judge Mary Ann L. Medler gave a strong opinion in the CBC vs. MLBAM lawsuit, siding strongly with CBC on every point about the players' rights of publicity. The decision strongly states that major league players do not have a right of publicity in their names and playing records as it pertains to fantasy games and that CBC did not violate the players' rights of publicity. The decision will likely have an impact in other fantasy sports beyond baseball.
The judge's conclusion that was filed today is as follows:

The court finds that the undisputed facts establish that the players do not have a right of publicity in their names and playing records as used in CBC's fantasy games and that CBC has not violated the players' claimed right of publicity. The court further finds, alternatively, that even if the players have a claimed right of publicity, the First Amendment takes precedence over such a right. The court further finds that the undisputed facts establish that the names and playing records of Major League baseball players as used in CBC's fantasy games are not copyrightable and, therefore, federal copyright law does not preempt the players' claimed right of publicity. Additionally, the court finds that the no-challenge provision of the 2002 Agreement between CBC and the Players' Association and the provision of this Agreement which prohibits CBC from using players' names and playing records after the expiration of the Agreement are unenforceable based on public policy considerations. The court finds, therefore, that declaratory judgment should issue in CBC's favor. As such, the court will order the Players' Association and Advanced Media to refrain from interfering with CBC's fantasy games in the manner proscribed by this court's decision.

Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that CBC's Motions for Summary Judgment are GRANTED;
[Doc. 72, Doc.107]
Case 4:05-cv-00252-MLM Document 131 Filed 08/08/2006 Page 47 of 49
40 The court clarifies that this Memorandum Opinion only applies to those aspects of
CBC's website which are before the court.
48
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Players' Association and Advanced Media not
interfere with CBC's using players' names and playing records on its website and in its fantasy baseball games in the manner presented in this case;40 [Doc. 1]
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by the Players' Association is DENIED; [Doc. 44]
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Advanced
Media is DENIED; [Doc.87]
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the counterclaims filed by Advanced Media are
DISMISSED; [Doc. 7]
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the counterclaims filed by the Players' Association are DISMISSED; [Doc. 26]
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a separate judgment shall be entered which incorporates by reference this Memorandum Opinion.
/s/Mary Ann L. Medler
MARY ANN L. MEDLER
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
Officials at CBC were ecstatic with  the decision and feel that 18 months of fighting for their survival has been justified not only for themselves but for the entire industry.
"The defining moment in the fantasy sports industry has been decided in favor of the fantasy player," said Charlie Wiegert, a principal owner of CDM Fantasy Sports. "It's a huge win for the fantasy industry."
MLBAM could appeal the decision, but Wiegert said this "is a pretty strong precedent."
This decision will be discussed at length at the 14th Fantasy Sports Trade Conference in Las Vegas and will now be the lead panel on Wednesday, Aug. 30th starting at 1 p.m. Mike Torrence and Wiegert will headline this panel along with Bill Heberer and Glenn Colton. To sign up for the conference, go to www.fantasysportstradeconference.com.


GEORGE KLIAVKOFF LEAVES MLBAM FOR NBC UNIVERSAL

George Kliavkoff, the executive vice president, business of Major League Baseball Advance Media (MLBAM), has been named as NBC Universal's first Chief Digital Officer. Kliavkoff was responsible for MLBAM's New Media licensing business and for all business development related to baseball's interactive media unit, including the licensing of fantasy baseball companies. Kliavkoff will now be responsible for furthering NBC Universal's digital media strategy and developing new business models and markets. He will also oversee the operations of new broadband and wireless efforts as well as digital innovation and product development, portal and partner relationships, and the Digital Studios, which produces unique, original and interactive content for all digital platforms. Kliavkoff will assume his new role in September and will be based in New York at NBC Universal headquarters.

"George has extensive experience in both growing online and wireless businesses and in the creation and distribution of digital products and services," said Beth Comstock, President, NBC Universal Digital Media and Market Development. "As our Chief Digital Officer, he will be instrumental in helping our company define the future and grow new digital businesses into significant money-making operations."

"It is a privilege to join the talented team at NBC Universal and have the opportunity to contribute to the continued development of the Company's digital media strategy," said Kliavkoff. "NBC Universal has the most enviable collection of assets in the world and our goal is to use technology to broaden and deepen the relationship between our customers and these assets."


KENNETH GERSH LEAVES SPORTSLINE.COM FOR MLBAM

Kenneth Gersh has been named Senior Vice President, Business Development for MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), LP, the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, reporting directly to Bob Bowman, President and Chief Executive of MLBAM. Gersh leaves CBS Digital Media, where he was Vice President of Business Development for the company's online sites, which included CBS Sportsline.com.

Gersh joined CBS Sportsline.com in 2000 as senior legal counsel before being named vice president and General Counsel in 2002. He served as Vice President, Business Development from December 2004 until the formation of CBS Digital Media in 2005. Gersh will now be responsible for MLBAM's New Media licensing business and for all business development activities related to baseball's interactive media company, as well as business development for MLBAM's new and rapidly growing entertainment business.

"Kenny's outstanding experience in the digital sports and entertainment arena will be invaluable as we continue to strive to stay in the technological forefront of our industry and explore additional opportunities in the increasingly important entertainment vertical," said Bob Bowman.

"I'm excited to be joining MLBAM as part of one of the greatest brand names in the world, Major League Baseball," Gersh said. "The company's meteoric growth since its inception in 2000 is an indication that baseball truly understands the potential of its digital assets in today's society. I am looking forward to contributing to that growth."

ROTOWORLD.COM GETS TV AIR TIME ON NBC'S NFL RETURN

The NBC returned to the NFL on Sunday night when it aired the Hall of Fame game from Canton, Ohio featuring Philadelphia and Oakland. While it was an uneventful game on the field, the telecast was memorable for the fantasy sports industry as one company was featured prominently on ads. The game featured three 30-second ads for RotoWorld.com, the Web site that is now doing content for NBCSports.com. While no official word on the deal has been made by either company, it looks like NBC will jump into the fantasy football market this year with an established company that has content, a commissioner product and games.

--
Fantasy Sports Business Update August Part One


MLBAM WILL APPEAL SUMMARY JUDGEMENT ON CBC CASE

It didn't take long for Major League Baseball Advanced Media to announce its next move in the fight over the rights of statistics. In a press release from MLBAM and the MLB Players Association this afternoon, the two organizations jointly stated that it will appeal the decision handed down by U.S. Magistrate Mary Ann L. Medler in the CBC vs. MLBAM lawsuit.
"We are disappointed by the Court's decision yesterday in CBC v. MLBPA and MLBAM," the release said. "We expect to appeal the decision, and remain confident that we will prevail in that effort. We continue to believe that the use of the players, without their consent, to create this type of commercial venture is improper."
In stories published yesterday across the country, the decision was viewed by legal experts as a decisive one from Medler that would be tough to overturn. In a Los Angeles Times story by Greg Johnson, Jack Williams, a Georgia State University law professor said Medler "pretty much nailed it on every substantive issue. She said that baseball statistics, in effect, couldn't be copyrighted. And even if they could be, the issue is trumped by the First Amendment. What she did was hit a grand slam for CBC and the fantasy industry."

In that same Los Angeles Times story, Daniel Okrent, the person who first wrote the rules of Rotisserie Baseball, described the ruling as "wonderful…The only thing that saddens me about it is that there won't be a public trial, during which MLB's incredible greed would have been on public display."

Rudy Telscher, the attorney who represented CBC in the dispute said, "There's no question it's a major victory. It's a victory for consumers, because in my view, this could have taken fantasy games from 100 to three."

A link to some of the major stories about this case can be found below:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2543720
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2006-08-08-fantasy-statistics_x.htm
http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20060809-121952-9965r.htm
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-fantasy9aug09,1,321986.story?track=cross
promo&coll=la-headlines-sports&ctrack=1&cset=true

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/DFF4090A
C1329A9B862571C50015AD5D?OpenDocument

LEGAL PANEL TO FOCUS ON CBC VS. MLBAM DECISION

The Schedule of Events for the 14th Fantasy Sports Trade Conference has been changed slightly due to the recent summary judgement handed down in the CBC vs. MLBAM lawsuit. The 1 p.m. Legal Panel on Wedneday, Aug. 30th will now feature Charlie Wiegert and Mike Torrence of CDM Fantasy Sports and Bill Heberer and Glenn Colton, spending the first hour discussing the ramifications of this decision. The panel will discuss the appeal process, the effects it has on non-licensed companies and those companies with current licenses, and analyze the judge's written summary judgement in detail. The second part of the Legal Panel starting at 2:15 p.m. will concentrate on the other legal factors facing the industry, including the DOJ investigation into offshore gambling, the Goodblatte bill that passed the House of Representatives and the consumer lawsuit against three major fantasy sports companies that was filed recently in New Jersey.

For a complete Schedule of Events, go to www.fantasysportstradeconference.com. The show floor will once again feature booths as 10 have already been sold. Booth holders include NBX, F+W Publications, SportsBuff, AirPlay Inc., Statsfone, Mobile ESPN, Desktop Technologies, CommishKit.com, Beckett Publications and XML Team Solutions. Only seven spots remain, so contact Greg Ambrosius at greg.ambrosius@fwpubs.com if you'd like to reserve space. To sign up for the conference, contact Ambrosius or you register online.

The room block at the Stardust is good through Aug. 13. To secure a room at the Stardust, use code number: NFFC906. Room rates are as follows: $65 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, $115 on Friday and Saturday and $65 on Sunday.

More than 80 registrants have already signed up for the Fantasy Sports Trade Conference. Companies that are sending representatives include 4INFO, Inc., AirPlay, Beckett Media, BIA Capital Strategies, CBS Sportsline.com, CDM Fantasy Sports, Collect.com, CommishKit, DraftDynamix.com, EchoStar, Fanball.com, F+W Publications, FantasyDispute.com, Fantasy Football Starters, First Place Sports Software, Footballguys.com, Global Simulation Gridiron Grumblings, Ipsos, KFFL.com, NBX.com, Network, Live Hive Systems, Pro Football Weekly, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Riptown.com Media, RotoSports Inc., Rototimes.com, Shandler Enterprises, Swanay Sports, SportDog Games, Sports Illustrated, Sports Prophet, Sportsco, STATS Inc., Statsfone, Ultimate Fantasy Sports, University of Mississippi, USAToday.com, XML Team Solutions, YouGaming.com and Zone Sports Media.


MOBILE ESPN TO RETURN AS TITLE SPONSOR OF BANQUET

For the second straight time, Mobile ESPN will be the title sponsor of the Wednesday night banquet at the Fantasy Sports Trade Conference in Las Vegas. Mobile ESPN will bring a special guest speaker to the banquet and will again have a strong presence among the booth holders during the panel discussions. More details on this sponsorship will be announced soon.
The 2006 FSTA Industry Awards will be presented at that banquet, sponsored again by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. Finalists for each category have been pared and voting is taking place for the category winners at www.fsta.org. Each FSTA member company is limited to a maximum of five votes. The voting deadline is 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 20.


CLAY WALKER, SENIOR VP AT PLAYERS INC, LEAVES

Clay Walker, Senior Vice President for Players Inc, the licensing and marketing arm of the NFL Players Association, resigned suddenly on Monday. Walker joined Players Inc in 1993 and had overseen the entire retail licensing business since 1996, including the licensing of fantasy football companies. He was a leader in the growth of the business as he coordinated deals with Coors for a national fantasy football campaign in the mid 1990s, led a lobbying campaign to get carveout language for fantasy sports in the Goodblatte bill and recently organized the Fantasy Sports Association for licensed companies. His last day at Players Inc was Monday.

No replacement has been announced by Players Inc. Earlier this year, Matthew Holt also left Players Inc for the NBA and LaShun Lawson left Players Inc for AOL.com.


Fantasy Sports Business Update August

FOXSPORTS.COM IS READY FOR A SECOND SEASON OF FREE

The free model came back in style two years ago in the fantasy football industry and it's back in full force again in 2006. Top sites like Yahoo! Sports, ESPN.com, AOL.com, and FoxSports.com are again offering free games and commissioner services in an attempt to lure this ideal demographic to their sites for the long term.

The free model for fantasy football certainly makes sense for those major sites as they have the promotional might and sponsorship dollars to make ends meet. But nothing free comes easy and last year ESPN.com and FoxSports.com both stumbled out of the gate with technical difficulties the first two weeks of the season. Both companies have invested a lot of resources in the last year to make sure things go more smoothly in '06.

FoxSports.com has reinvested in software and personnel, hiring top fantasy executives who previously worked at other industry companies. The commissioner product has been completely rebuilt by FoxSports.com designers within the last year in conjunction with Microsoft and MSN.com.

"We won't deny that there were issues with last year's product, but we went down the road to rebuild everything to put forward a much better experience for the users," said Larry Tobin, vice-president of fantasy and interactive gaming at FoxSports.com who spent the last seven years heading up the fantasy games division at Yahoo! Sports. "It's been rebuilt to provide a significantly upgraded experience from last year."

FoxSports.com will provide the commissioner product for existing leagues at no price and it will include live scoring for free and a draft kit. Single players can also enter leagues for free and be put in a league of other players. The draft kit is available to anyone free of charge. GMC and Coors Light are co-sponsors of the FoxSports.com games for 2006.
For FoxSports.com, the free model makes perfect sense as it tries to grow its presence in the fantasy sports marketplace and grow traffic overall to its sports site.

"Free allows us to build an audience," Tobin said. "In much the same way as it was at Yahoo, the goal is to monetize some traffic through sponsorships and advertising and to make sure we're able to grow the other parts of our business by getting some dedicated users with some sticky content so they stay on our site and grow our overall site metrics to be more competitive in the marketplace. It's not so much immediately about a revenue idea in Year One or even Year Two as much as it is about growing our overall business and make sure we're able to grow FoxSports.com and not just our fantasy business."

FoxSports.com spent much of 2006 redesigning the football commissioner product and didn't even produce a fantasy baseball game this year. With a successful football launch, however, FoxSports.com will likely expand this area of the business into other sports, possibly even baseball in 2007.

"We wanted to focus on getting a full featured fantasy football product built, stable and out the door to the world and that's a starting place, with the understanding that this is the single biggest product we can do," Tobin said. "We wanted to nail that one, get it done right and then move forward into other areas of our business. But first we have to get this one done right.

"We definitely have the intention of growing the business beyond football. At some point, we'll need to make some business decisions on whether the realities of those deals make business sense to expand to baseball and more. So from our side, the goal is to branch out into the other major sports and into other game types, and provide a full suite of products into the other seasons."


ESPN.COM ENTERS THIRD SEASON OF FREE PRODUCTS

ESPN.com offered a free commissioner product for the first time in 2004 and had such high traffic last year that it caused troubles during the first two weeks. Company officials have said that traffic went up 10-fold from 2004 to 2005. The site is now completely revamped and ready for a more successful third season.

"Engineers here have been working since the middle of last football season to build a completely new architecture from the ground up, not just the drafts but throughout the entire fantasy football process," said Cory Mummery, manager of fantasy productions at ESPN.com. "We're confident that the problems we had last year are behind us."
Users can join public leagues or run their private leagues online for free. They will also notice a new mock draft application that allows ESPN.com users the chance to mock draft as often as possible before Draft Day and track those drafts, eventually forecasting an Average Draft Position for each player. Live scoring, premium content during the season, projections and more are available from The Edge for $79.95 per person. If League Manager users want to upgrade their teams to include live scoring, access to content and more they  can do so for $19.95 per team.

Also for the first time this season, Mobile ESPN subscribers will be able to fully manage their ESPN Fantasy football teams and leagues right from their handset. Mobile ESPN subscribers can also receive text and video alerts, as well as adding and dropping players from their rosters. Additional fantasy football features on Mobile ESPN include real-time scores, standings and player status, and access to mobile news, ESPN columnists, video highlights and expert analysis.

ESPN.com will also offer three podcasts dedicated to fantasy football this season. ESPN.com's Daily Fantasy Fix is a five minute daily podcast that will be sponsored by Coca-Cola this year. ESPN.com columnists Eric Karabell and Scott Engel will join the Scouts Inc. team for player previews, game overviews, injury reports and more. ESPN Radio Fantasy Focus will return as a 45-minute weekly show also sponsored by Coca Cola. And ESPN Football Today will be a 10-minute daily show presented by Jared, the Galleria of Jewelry. 


STATS SIGNS DATA AND FANTASY DEAL WITH THE NBA

The NBA and STATS, Inc have reached a multi-year relationship that makes STATS the official real-time data partner of the NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League. The deal also allows STATS to host and develop NBA.com's free fantasy basketball game and recreate its fantasy basketball League Manager product.

The new commissioner product will be called NBA.com Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner and will offer three different scoring formats, live stats, keeper leagues, the ability to customize rules and settings for any league and several tools and features that are exclusive to NBA.com. The deal also allows STATS to sell game data to media fantasy companies and industry clients.

"STATS is proud to be working closely with the NBA as an industry leader that will further leverage the league's statistical information and fantasy games to its world-wide fan base," said STATS Executive Vice President, Robert Schur. "This is an important milestone in our continuing efforts to deliver the best sports coverage available to our clients."

The NBA-STATS deal could also lead to the creation of more statistics as contested shots could be more prominently tracked in team and individual statistics. The deal also will lead to a greater reach for the NBA as the league expands its international business.

"For the NBA, statistics have always told the story of our game and it is imperative to have that information available to media and fans around the world in real-time," said Steve Grimes, NBA Senior Director of Interactive Services. "Working with STATS will continue to ensure the delivery of our statistics and enhance our fantasy offerings on NBA.com for the 2006-07 NBA season." 


INVESTMENT PANEL DEBUTS AT 14TH TRADE CONFERENCE
The Schedule of Events for the 14th Fantasy Sports Trade Conference has been released and because of so many legal issues facing the industry, more than three hours of panel discussions will be concentrating on those issues. However, new to the panel this year will be an Investment Panel, a Search Panel and a Content Panel.

David Grady of BIA Capital Strategies will be one of the featured speakers on the Investment Panel as he provides insight into what venture capital groups and investors are looking for from fantasy companies. The Search Panel is still tentative, but we hope to bring in speakers from Google and Yahoo to provide tips on how to better monetize your advertising dollars on search engines. And the Content Panel will include representatives from companies who are now monetizing content on everything from magazines to cell phones.

For a complete Schedule of Events, go to www.fantasysportstradeconference.com. The show floor will once again feature booths as 10 have already been sold. Booth holders include NBX, F+W Publications, SportsBuff, AirPlay Inc., Statsfone, Mobile ESPN, Desktop Technologies, CommishKit.com, Beckett Publications and XML Team Solutions. Only seven spots remain, so contact Greg Ambrosius at greg.ambrosius@fwpubs.com if you'd like to reserve space.

The room block at the Stardust is good through Aug. 6. To secure a room at the Stardust, use code number: NFFC906. Room rates are as follows: $65 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, $115 on Friday and Saturday and $65 on Sunday.


NBCSPORTS.COM PLANNING FOR STRONG RELAUNCH

Now that NBC is the home for the NFL's Sunday Night Football, it is planning a relaunch of its NBCSports.com Web site with a stronger fantasy presence. According to the July 24-30 Sports Business Journal, company officials are even looking into acquiring a major fantasy sports Web site to provide a healthy variety of offerings.

NBCSports.com currently comes up on a page of MSNBC.com, but according to the report that will change next month. The relaunch will coincide with the September debut of NFL on NBC. NBCSports.com has lagged behind the other major network-based sports Web sites, but is hoping that the addition of the NFL and a strong fantasy football presence can lead to competitive numbers.


BETONSPORTS CEO REMAINS IN CUSTODY ON CHARGES

The Chief Executive Officer of BetOnSports.com was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas last week on racketeering and conspiracy charges and remained in custody this week. David Carruthers and 10 others, including the founder of BetOnSports, Gary Kaplan, were named in a 22-count indictment unsealed this week by federal prosecutors in St. Louis. The government says that BetOnSports fraudulently took bets from U.S. residents by phone and the Internet and failed to pay exise taxes.

Carruthers is an English citizen who was arrested at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as he waited to board a flight for Costa Rica. The company shut down its U.S.-facing Web sites to comply with a federal judge's order and has not put them back up at this point. BetOnSports fired Carruthers on Tuesday, saying in a press release that "clearly, while he remains in the custody of the U.S. government, he is unable to perform his duties."

Several industry web sites took down offshore banner ads and buttons in the last week as a result of this move by the federal government. BetOnSports and MVPSportsbook.com were among the largest advertisers in the fantasy sports industry, with well over $4 million a year being spent in this space. As a result of last week's actions, MVP Sportsbook.com will not be a sponsor at the 14th Fantasy Sports Trade Conference.


NEWS 'N NOTES: FABIANO LEAVES SPORTSLINE FOR NFL.COM

** Mike Fabiano has left CBS Sportsline.com to become a fantasy analyst with NFL.com and The NFL Network. Fabiano made his first appearance On Total Access on Wednesday for The NFL Network. Fabiano had been at CBS Sportsline.com since 2000 and will now be working out of Connecticut.

** Darren Rovell has left ESPN.com to cover sports business for CNBC. Rovell has appeared frequently on CNBC covering sports business stories in recent years and will now appear daily on CNBC. Rovell started at ESPN.com in 2000 and was preparing his first report for Friday, a look at the growth of the fantasy football marketplace.


Fantasy Sports Business Update July

CONSUMER LAWSUIT TARGETS THREE FANTASY COMPANIES

A Colorado resident has filed suit in U.S. District Court in New Jersey against three major operators of Internet fantasy sports games because he claims they violate the anti-gambling and gambling loss recovery laws of New Jersey and other states with similar prohibitions. The lawsuit, filed by Gardy & Notis, LLP of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., names the following companies as defendants: Viacom Inc., CBS Corporation, CBS Television Network, Sportsline.com Inc., The Walt Disney Company, ESPN Inc., The Hearst Corporation, Vulcan Inc., Vulcan Sports Media, and The Sporting News.

According to the complaint, Humphrey did not even participate in any of the fantasy games offered by the defendants. The complaint centers on pay games offered by Sportsline.com, ESPN.com and TheSportingNews.com.

The plaintiff is seeking recovery lost by players participating in the defendants' games and awarding one-half to Humphrey and the other half, if applicable, to the appropriate state or local agency as provided under those laws. The plaintiff also seeks a jury trial.

This lawsuit will be part of the first discussion involving the Legal Panel at the 14th Fantasy Sports Trade Conference in Las Vegas on Aug. 30 at the Stardust Resort & Casino, starting at 1 p.m. Bill Heberer and Glenn Colton will discuss the prospects of this case and its effect on the entire fantasy sports industry. The entire lawsuit is attached to this document.


ESPN2 TO DEBUT WEEKLY FANTASY FOOTBALL SHOW IN AUGUST

ESPN2 will become the second major television network to air a weekly fantasy football show in 2006 when The Fantasy Show debuts on Thursday, Aug. 17. The new program is part of a wide array of coverage ESPN plans in 2006 for fantasy football, ranging from a 90-minute preview show on Saturday, Aug. 21 on ESPN to daily podcasts on ESPN.com. ESPN2 now joins FoxSportsNet as the only networks televising weekly fantasy football shows.

"Fantasy football has become a big part of the connection that millions of fans have with the game each season, and when they turn to ESPN they will find not only the best games and information, but a complete fantasy sports service across all of our media," said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN New Media. 

ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE) will produce The Fantasy Show, which will appear each Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The program will break down weekly matchups, start'em and sit'em debates, strategies and more. According to the press release from ESPN, "The dialogue-driven show will inform and entertain by focusing on the funny banter and friendly-but-competitive nature of fantasy sports." Initially scheduled for a 20-week run, The Fantasy Show will re-air late night on Thursdays and into Friday morning on ESPN2.  Web-exclusive segments of The Fantasy Show will be available on ESPN Motion and ESPN360 each week.

For the second straight year, ESPN will air a 90-minute season preview show. The SportsCenter Fantasy Draft Special will air on Saturday, Aug. 21 at 6:30 p.m. ET, leading into the Dallas Cowboys - New Orleans Saints preseason game. The program, hosted by ESPN's Chris Berman, will feature a mock fantasy football draft by a number of ESPN analysts and experts. Each participant will serve as a team owner, drafting players throughout the show, and then facing the criticism, debate and analysis of their picks by the others.

In addition, NFL Live - airing weekdays throughout the year - will again integrate fantasy football content into the program throughout the season; SportsCenter will feature special fantasy football segments as the start of the season approaches; and ESPNEWS will integrate fantasy football analysis and information into The Hot List each day and The Pulse on Saturday's throughout the season. 

ESPN Radio will also continue to give special attention to fantasy football in 2006 as Eric Karabell returns to host Fantasy Focus each Sunday from 7 to 9 a.m. ET.


NFL.COM ISN'T READY TO FIND A NEW PARTNER JUST YET

The biggest free agent in the fantasy football marketplace appears to be ready to re-sign with its old team for one more year, opting for free agency in 2007 rather than 2006. NFL.com, which struck a historic five-year deal with Sportsline.com in 2001 to be its back-end fantasy support, was taking offers from Sportsline.com, Yahoo, AOL and ESPN.com for a multi-year deal. But as negotiations continued into the summer, officials at NFL.com felt it would be best to stay with Sportsline.com and explore its options again in 2007.

According to a May 1 report in the Sports Business Journal, the deal would allow the NFL to sell its own online advertising and pay Sportsline a fee estimated in the mid seven figures. The previous deal, which was signed in 2001, included Sportsline paying a rights fee to sell ad space on the sites.

The new deal will enable the NFL to end the extension with Sportsline.com should a more lucrative deal arise in the future. An NFL source told SBJ one of the primary reasons the NFL opted to extend the deal was to maintain continuity while it sorts through a variety of digital platforms, including selling video downloads on Google (something the NBA is currently doing), or using a video-on-demand service in conjunction with the NFL Network.

"(The NFL) has not decided what to do long term, not only with the Internet, but with every digital delivery platform," the source told SBJ's Terry Lefton. "But a lack of demand or having potential deals on the table are not issues. More deliberation was necessary and Sportsline allows continuity."


MVPSPORTSBOOK TO PROVIDE EARLY BIRD GIFT TO ATTENDEES

Registrants for the Fantasy Sports Trade Conference who sign up by July 22 will receive a personalized gift from the folks at MVPSportsbook.com. At the March Trade Conference, attendees received two personalized pens from MVPSportsbook.com. At the Aug. 30-31 Trade Conference at the Stardust in Las Vegas, registrants will receive another personalized gift if they were signed up by the early-bird deadline.

Interested participants can sign up at www.fantasysportstradeconference.com or by contacting Greg Ambrosius at greg.ambrosius@fwpubs.com or at 715-445-4612, ext. 284. Cost per person is $299 for members of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association and $399 for non-FSTA members. An updated list of speakers, sponsors and attendees can be found on the web site.

MVPSportsbook.com is one of the sponsors of the Fantasy Sports Trade Conference and a booth holder. MVPSportsbook.com will sponsor the post-event cocktail reception on Thursday, Aug. 31. Other booth holders to date include F+W Publications, Mobile ESPN, Statsfone and NBX Inc.

F+W Publications has secured a room block for attendees at the Stardust, but it is only good through July 30. To secure a room at the Stardust, use code number: NFFC906. Room rates are as follows: $65 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, $115 on Friday and Saturday and $65 on Sunday. Not all of the rooms at the Stardust have high-speed Internet access, so call early and request a room with that access if you need it. Call 866-281-1034 to make your reservations.


GOODLATTE BILL PASSES HOUSE VOTE; TOPIC FOR CONFERENCE

Industry executives are watching a bill that curbs Internet gambling and was passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday to see if there is any chance of the bill including fantasy sports. The Goodlatte bill is aimed at curbing online poker games, sports betting and other Internet-based wagering. For now fantasy sports, horse racing, dog racing, online lotteries and other games that are legal within state boundaries are excluded from the bill as part of carveout language.

The bill passed 317 to 93 and now goes to the Senate, where it's uncertain when it will be discussed. Americans bet an estimated $6 billion per year online, accounting for half of the worldwide market. Offshore gambling companies are among the heaviest advertisers in the fantasy sports industry, spending more than $6 million a year in advertising and sponsorships with industry web sites and magazines.

The effects of the Goodlatte Bill, the prospects of carveout language continuing in any Senate bill on Internet-based wagering, and other legislative updates will be the first topic of discussion at the 14th Fantasy Sports Trade Conference in Las Vegas on Aug. 30-31. Bill Heberer and Glenn Colton will lead that discussion starting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30, followed by an update on the CBC vs. MLBAM lawsuit. As of now, that lawsuit is still headed to trial on Tuesday, Sept. 5 in the Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis.

For a more indepth overview of the House vote, check out the Washington Post story at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071100084.html


TIME WARNER EXPANDS INTERACTIVE FANTASY PLAY

From your PC to the cozy confines of your couch or Lazy-Boy, tracking your fantasy team's progress has just gotten a whole lot easier thanks to two new innovations unveiled by Time Warner Cable in the past year.

Last year, Time Warner launched its Fantasy Football Tracker in Green Bay, Wis. The application, powered by BIAP Systems, enables fantasy players to input and track their fantasy teams on their televisions simply by using their digital cable remote control. The application proved to be so successful that Time Warner and BIAP joined forces this year to release the Fantasy Baseball Tracker.

Launched in June, the Fantasy Baseball Tracker is available in four markets - Green Bay, Austin, Texas, Columbia, S.C., and San Antonio, Texas. The baseball application shares many of the same similarities with its football counterpart and is another step forward in enhancing the fantasy player's experience and control over their teams.

"The football application was very successful and consumer response was very positive about the application and its benefits," said Barry Carpe, VP & General Manager of BIAP Sports. "The application performed very well. We took into consideration a lot of the comments and feedback users had made about the football application and applied them to the design of our baseball application.

"The fact we're in four markets for baseball is an indicator of the success the football product had in the Green Bay market. It's fair to say that as we continue to build on these successes we'll continue to add more and more markets for both applications."

Both applications are available only to Time Warner Cable customers in the selected markets at this time. The applications are free and have no hardware requirements and works with your existing remote control simply at the touch of the "A" key button.
"Users don't need to go out and buy new equipment," Carpe said. "It works with the things that are sitting in your living room today."

The application allows fantasy players to input as many as 25 players on their roster to be tracked. Among the other features are:

* The Stats Center: 3/4 screen view featuring game scores, leaderboards, roster updates and player news.
* The Stats Line: Single ticker view providing personalized player statistics and scoring alerts.
*The Game Center: Full-screen scoreboard showing scheduled, in-progress and completed games for the current day.
* My Roster: Full-screen view displaying detailed daily, weekly and year-to-date player statistics.
* Settings: Users can personalize their start-up screen and specify the type of scoring alerts they want to receive.
* Scoring Alerts: Users have the option to receive an on-screen indicator which will light up in red whenever one of the players on their roster achieves an on-field milestone such as a touchdown, home run, RBI etc.

Carpe said the next step for this type of technology is fully integrating the application with online sites so that users will be able to access their online teams using the TV remote control.

"We're fully capable of seamlessly integrating our applications with existing online vendors so you would just need to enter your user name and password to the particular league you are in," he said. "It's just a matter of hooking up with various vendors to make it happen. We're in various stages of discussion with different vendors out there and that's definitely where the vision is taking us.

"It's really all about taking those features and functionality that makes sense on TV and giving the user the option to view that and personalize it in a way that's convenient to them."

********

Fantasy Sports Update June

NEW YORK TIMES TAKES STRONG POSITION ON LAWSUIT

In the last two weeks, the New York Times has devoted more coverage on the growing fantasy sports industry than it had in the last two decades. First it published a piece on the CBC vs. MLBAM lawsuit and on Saturday, May 20 it published an editorial on that lawsuit. Below is the editorial that was published in the New York Times, headlined Royalties on R.B.I.'s?:

"Baseball statistics are an unlikely subject for a constitutional battle. But a lawsuit between Major League Baseball and a fantasy baseball company over batting averages and on-base percentages is shaping up to be just that. The narrow question is whether Major League Baseball has a right to keep the fantasy baseball company from using statistics from its games. But the suit has much broader implications for free speech. The courts should make it clear that anyone may use baseball statistics.

"The company, CBC Distribution and Marketing, is a leader in fantasy baseball, a $1.5-billion-a-year industry that allows fans to become "owners" of imaginary baseball teams. Participants "draft" real-life major league players, and compete against similar teams. The teams' performance and the winners are determined by the statistics of actual major league players. Major League Baseball insists that it owns the statistics, and that CBC should pay licensing fees. CBC is suing to establish that it does not have to pay to use the statistics.

"The case pits the "right of publicity" against the First Amendment. Major League Baseball claims that its right of publicity allows it to control and charge for the use of its statistics. But the right of publicity is narrowly limited to commercial exploitation. The classic case is the unauthorized use of a celebrity's photograph in an advertisement.

"Major League Baseball's attempt to stretch the right of publicity is part of a larger trend. Corporations are becoming increasingly aggressive about locking up information. It is the same instinct that led Hollywood studios to push Congress to pass the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which added 20 years to every copyright.

"If Major League Baseball is allowed to control the use of its statistics, movie stars could demand compensation from magazines that profile them or put them on the covers. A hero who pulls a child from the path of an out-of-control car could claim that he owns the right of publicity for his act of heroism. But the First Amendment guarantees people the right to discuss public events. A movie star's career trajectory, an act of heroism and a batting average are all facts about the world and the people in it, and belong to all of us."


HITWISE.COM HIGHLIGHTS GROWING FANTASY MARKET

Lee Ann Prescott of Hitwise.com was an invited guest speaker to the 13th Fantasy Sports Trade Conference in March and she provided some great statistical data that the market is growing in a big way online. While her numbers were impressive to the attendees, Prescott left the conference even more impressed with what she learned about this growing marketplace.

"In March of this year I had the unlikely pleasure of speaking about online trends at the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) conference in Las Vegas. I've never been a professional sports fan, much less a fantasy sports player, but the enthusiasm of the FSTA members and passion for their industry impressed me, and I found my commonality with the group was a love of data. While fantasy sports players pore over draft picks and player statistics, I look at data on what our sample of 10 million U.S. internet users is doing online every day, and one of those things is playing fantasy sports.

"Fantasy sports is a quietly growing industry filled with passionate sports fans who value a true connection with their customers. Following is a summary of learnings from the conference that might surprise those unfamiliar with fantasy sports.

"Dr. Kim Beason, professor at the University of Mississippi, presented findings of an annual survey of fantasy sports players. From this survey, it was estimated that the fantasy sports industry generates $1.5 billion in revenue per year, and has 15 million total consumers. The industry has been growing at a rate of between seven and 10 percent per year for the last three years. The majority of fantasy sports players belong to online leagues, which I'll get to shortly.

"According to Dr. Beason's survey, the typical active fantasy sports player is a married, educated suburban male homeowner in his late 30s. Hitwise demographic data show that 55 percent of visitors to fantasy sports sites have household incomes greater than $60,000 per year, and according to Dr. Beason's survey, they spend $493 per year on fantasy sports.

"Dr. Beason's survey also revealed that the active players have been playing for nine or more years, and are likely to be in two sport leagues, and more than one league per sport. They spend about three hours per week managing their teams, and an average of 34 minutes per day "thinking" about fantasy sports. Additionally, 55 percent of those surveyed say that they watch more sports on TV because of their involvement in fantasy sports leagues, and they are much more likely to go to professional sports games than the average American.

"Clearly the fantasy sports player is highly involved in this leisure activity, and data show that players value the camaraderie they gain from participating in fantasy sports leagues. Forty percent of Dr. Beason's survey respondents agreed with the statement "fantasy sport participation increases the camaraderie among employees at my workplace," and 57 percent agreed with the statement "I talk to other employees about fantasy sports during my lunch/supper breaks." While some may see this as a drain on productivity, the connections its helps foster almost certainly enhance communication in the workplace."

After showing more data with graphs, Prescott summarizes that, "The online fantasy sports industry, with its high involvement levels and strong male demographic, is an important one to be aware of in considering online advertising opportunities."

For a complete look at her column, go to:
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/9599.asp


FANTASY SPORTS WOULD BE EXEMPT UNDER NEW BILL

Rep. Robert Goodlatte (R-Virginia) introduced a bill to the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday that would ban gambling online, including games of chance - namely poker. This is the fourth time that Rep. Goodlatte has introduced this bill, which is primarily aimed at the huge growth in online poker. But the good news for the fantasy sports industry is that fantasy sports leagues would be exempt, thanks to years of strong lobbying from the players associations and industry companies.

According to Clay Walker of the Fantasy Sports Association, there were neither proposed amendments nor any discussion regarding the fantasy sports exemption at the hearing.

"The Fantasy Sports Association is pleased that H.R. 4777 and H.R. 4411 passed through markup in the Judiciary Committee yesterday without any modifications or alterations to the Fantasy Sports exemption language," Walker said. "We remain cautiously optimistic that Congress will continue to view fantasy sports as a game of skill and we're incredibly thankful for the assistance that the FSA members have provided on these bills."   

The bill is getting new life because of the Jack Abramoff scandal. The disgraced lobbyist was key to blocking one of Goodlatte's three previous attempts to ban Internet gambling.

According to Thursday's Washington Post, the bill would update the Federal Wire Wager Act, which prohibits gambling over telephone lines but may not apply to Internet gambling because not all Web traffic travels over phone lines. It also would force banks to block transactions related to online gambling and would empower law enforcement agencies to force Internet service providers to remove or disable links to gambling sites.

"I am a big advocate of opening up the Internet to all kinds of legitimate uses," Goodlatte, who is co-chairman of the Congressional Internet Caucus, told the Washington Post. "But we don't want the Internet to become the Wild West of the 21st century." Goodlatte said he opposes gambling because it leads to "a whole host of ills in society."

Both sides estimate that about $12 billion a year is spent in online gaming.