So, it’s July

06/30/2009 12:37 PM -  Robert Cobb

It’s July and that means it’s tax season for those of us preparing tools used for upcoming Fantasy Football drafts. This is that time of year when nights in front of the computer stretch to sunrise. I’ve been creating and maintaining the tools we use at FantasyFootball.com since 2001. The time required to get everything ready for August drafts can be overwhelming, and this year has been no different.

If you have visited FantasyFootball.com or the old Fantasy Asylum in years past, you probably recall many different web site designs. If you’ve been frustrated by these changes, you’re not alone. Each incarnation of the web site used a different “back-end” and required re-integration in order to keep the tools functioning. Each decision to change the website was done with good intentions (outsource the layout, improve editing tools, reduce maintenance, etc.), but the changes have put a strain on the contributors and members of the site. As the pattern of near annual revamping became obvious, I stopped embedding the tools with the site and established them as their own entity that can be “hosted” by the main site. This eased the transition to the redesigned sites of 2007 and 2008, but new authentication routines, database moves, and the need to help out with all the issues encountered each time a new site is stood up became a real chore. Tying this yearly strain to a hobby I really enjoyed diminished its appeal for me.




I started playing fantasy football in 1993 and loved it. I combined my skills as a programmer with my interest in playing fantasy football to start writing what would become Draft Predictor in 1998. It’s always exciting to see others get value from the tools, and that is still the most rewarding feedback I get each year. However, the effort required to maintain the tools and adapt them to a new web site every year has drained the joy of fantasy football from me. And so, I was disappointed in the spring of 2009 to learn that FantasyFootball.com would once again be switching servers and changing the “back-end”. I knew what this meant for me and my family in terms of the amount of time I would be in front of the computer and I also knew that members would once again be faced with learning a new site layout. However, when I heard that we would be turning the forums back over to George Kerwood, I sensed an opportunity for a new beginning.

George and I have worked together since 2002. I knew that he would setup a powerful, easy-to-use message board that would foster a community atmosphere. With that important piece addressed, I decided to pitch in and help put together the rest of the site. Another decision that encouraged me for 2009 is that FantasyFootball.com has been recast as an aggregator of the best fantasy football information on the Internet. FantasyFootball.com should be the site that is the starting point for news pertinent to fantasy football. If someone has written an opinion piece, analyzed some stats, or scooped a story relevant to fantasy football, you should be able to find it at FantasyFootball.com. This is a reality this year thanks to the hard work of people like Greg Brosh, who scour the web looking for stories that interest fantasy football enthusiasts.

To make this information easy to find, we put in place a publishing system (WordPress) that allows news and articles to be delivered quickly and searched easily. We’ve set trends before (averaged ADP, on-line customized cheat sheets, etc), but I think this year may be the best move yet toward making FantasyFootball.com indispensable for the fantasy owner. I plan to put it to the test. As someone drained by the extra hours needed by my day job and the night hours needed to get the new website running, I’ve had no time to catch up on fantasy football.

So, I’ll be reading the articles posted on the web site and looking through the archive of headlines. I’ve got a draft starting in a few days and it’s past time to get ready. I need to get serious if I want to regain championship form, so I’ll be seeking assistance from FantasyFootball.com members and staff. This season its not “do or die” but “enjoy or stop”. The web site rebuilds are over for me. I need to enjoy actually playing fantasy football again because that’s when the best ideas for the tools are sparked.