Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy Football may be king of the fantasy sports world – but it is fantasy baseball that started it all. For all intents is the true form of what fantasy sports should be. It isn’t casual; the season is the longest with games 7 days week for 7 months. Drafting can be tough, especially when you have to know some 1,200 players (who actually matter) – not to mention those in the minor leagues, whom you have to watch because you never know when a Bryce Harper can be called up. True line-ups aren’t set up weekly – not even daily – for most – it’s by the hour (7 days a week, 7 months). This is why when it comes to Fantasy Baseball, the phone app is crucial for success. 

Thus I bring you The Founding Fathers of Fantasy  (psst. click me.)

Concept – Historical people, namely the Founding Fathers and former Presidents, use the Yahoo fantasy app to help them win at whatever historical event they are known to have won – the more clutch the better (i.g. Abe Lincoln uses the app to win the Civil War) – thus the app helps you win. So use it. The Founding Fathers do.

Ad #1: Washington’s iPhone

The Battle of Trenton was a basically a genius move by Washington and can be singled out as one of the main events that won the Rev. War. The idea here is that Washington’s Fantasy Yahoo app was able to give him the correct advice, despite the common wisdom of the time.  

Headline: Washington: The Commander in Chief of Fantasy Baseball Excellence

Copy: Real-Time Expert Advice. It Let’ you command like George Washington. You don’t want to NOT be like George Washington, do you?

Text on iPhone: The Battle of Trenton, Weds, Dec. 25, Advice: Start! With the Delaware as icy as it the Hessians will lower their guard and should be a good chance to bounce back with a victory

Visual: We see a close up of George Washington’s hand holding his iPhone with the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball App on it. In particular we see his current match-up (See above for exact text) of The Battle at Trenton and Yahoo’s Advice is to Start! Some other things in the interface of the screen, which should emulate the actual app, are George Washington’s name, the Date (Dec. 25) as well as the other options like “Stats” Notes”.  We also see the Yahoo logo on a flag. 

Ad #2: The Founding Father's Fantasy League

The idea here is the Founding Fathers. If they were in a Fantasy Baseball League – what would it look like? What would their team names be? Perpetuating the absurdity-in-time for this concept the FF’s league is made of current (present day) baseball players. 

Headline: Make Your League A Revolutionary One.

Call-Out (at bottom): Join Today @ sports.yahoo.com/fantasy

Visual: The visual is the interface of a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball League home screen (see images for ref) on a laptop (or iPad) Screen) where we see the Founding Father’s League – the crux being the Leagues Standings, showing each Father’s team name. Where the interface would normally say “Baseball ‘13” it says “Baseball ‘ 76”.

Standings

  1. The Braun Supremacy                                   Owner: George Washington
  2. Citizen Cain                                                   Owner: John Adams
  3. Sexy and Cano It                                           Owner: Alexander Hamilton
  4. Angels in the Trout Field                               Owner: Ben Franklin
  5. The Monticell-O’s                                          Owner: Tom Jefferson
  6. Fielder of Dreams                                         Owner: Patrick Henry
  7. Bryce Bryce Baby                                         Owner: James Madison
  8. Schilling in the Name Of                               Owner: Sam Adams
  9. Kershawshank Redemption                         Owner: Tom Paine
  10. The Evil Empire                                            Owner: Gen. Cornwallis

Ad #3: The Draft Convention

Our Founding Fathers debated passionately and furiously for months during the Constitutional Convention (and later ratification debates) where they formed the United States Constitution and its Bill of Rights. Several paintings and writings exist – creating an image of the Founding Father’s locked away in a hall, debating. Delegates would take turns posing their argument and/or making rebuttals. A similar atmosphere is evoked with the “Continental Congress” years earlier. Now picture the Founding Fathers locked up in a hall debating... but really they are drafting their fantasy baseball teams. 

Headline:  The Founding Fathers of Fantasy Baseball.

Call-out: Start your team today @ www.sports.yahoo,com /fantasy

Visual: Reminiscent to the paintings of the Constitutional Convention and the Continental Congress we see the Founding Fathers (notably Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, and Pat Henry) debating in a typical debate hall of the time however in the middle there's a large draft board. They’re drafting their league. We see some of the players already picked (Basically just the present day Top 10).

Ad #4: Lincoln's iPad

To put it briefly, Lincoln went through a lot of generals during his commanding of the civil war. To compare, the Confederate army had one (Lee) for the entire war (as well as Lee's 2nd in command, Stonewall Jackson). Eventually the Union Army got Grant and Sherman. Specifically we want to look at Grant, as we know him as the “winner”. Grant replaced gen. Henry Halleck, who by all means was qualified but was simply ineffective in the field (like a a stud pitcher who's throwing hear but their command just isn’t there). The ability to change your team's starters, pick up a hot waiver, or drop a injured player from your mobile is crucial… That’s what we are highlighting, that Abe is seamlessly updating his generals from his iPad. 

Headline: (in quotes) “An Exceptionally Astute Fantasy Baseball Application” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Copy: Manage Your Team On-The- Go With Real-Time Roster Management Directly From Your iPad – Abe Lincoln Style!

Text on iPad: ROSTER / Drop: Gen Halleck / Add: Gen Grant / SUBMIT

Visual:  Abe Lincoln is next to his writing desk. We see he was writing something as his quill is still in the ink. Like a President running a war he stands there holding his iPad with his typical forlorn "Lincoln" face of contemplation. The iPad’s screen* and Lincoln’s writing on his desk** are both zoomed out for us to see.

*On the iPad we see that Lincoln (as if they were players on a fantasy baseball team) is “Dropping” Gen. Henry Halleck and “Adding” Gen. Ulysses Grant.

**The writing on the desk is a quote that serves as our headline where Abe has signed his name.

Currently seeking an Artist/Art Director/History Enthusiast and Baseball fan (deep breath) who can help make my comically-bad rough ad sketches to nice pretty ones. Quills preferred but not necessary. See contact page that's you - TM