(S49) Offseason Task

[bfry]

Task 10:

Look who is strutting himself through the door as if he owns the whole damn place?  That's right.  It's me.  It's bfry.  I know more about this league than I did last season and I'll for damn sure know more about this league the next few seasons as I spend more time trying to figure out this league.  So there was a lottery and I misheard who ever it was that was running this lottery.  I thought it was a pot luck that they were people sign up for, but they were not asking for any money for the sign up so I did not care that I was putting down my name and contact info.  Here I am a few weeks later getting a call from the head office telling me that I am getting to be the commissioner for a day.  That is right.  Commissioner for a day.  Unlimited POWER!  Damn, I wish I had put more thought into this before I had signed up but since I didn't know what I was signing up for that is completely moot.  My first act as commissioner would be to find the money and the resources to find a sim that is better than dots on a screen.  I also think that live casting the dots is another improvement that could be fun to perform that would add some jobs to the league and possibly add some excitement.  The muzak and pre-recorded sim is sometimes a bit anti climactic, but it is what it is.  The other things I would do with this league would be to make it easier to make fantasy football a bit more user friendly.  I feel like I sign up just to get the free monies for drafting a team.  To really get TPE and more out of the league you need to spend time and effort to do those things and who the hell has that these days?

Task  14:

Outside of the Colorado Yeti and the DSFL, there are absolutely no teams in the interior of the United States.  Yes, I recognize that the coasts tend to have a higher population because of the nice beaches, established areas of commerce and the generally nicer atmospheres.  But that doesn't mean that the “fly over” states are just there to play second fiddle to the coasts and basically the states bordering Texas.  I resent that the ISFL has taken such little interest in these states and demand that the next expansion team be from these beautiful plains states or Midwestern states or mountain states.  My proposal for where the ISFL should have its next expansion team is right in the heart of the country.  They call it the Crossroads of America.  It is in a state that is steeped in sporte lore and has a fervent fan base that loves all things sports.  This city is Indianapolis or better known by the locals as Nap Town.  I would propose that the expansion team lean into that nickname.  It rolls off the tongue and has far fewer syllables than Indianapolis.  What would be the mascot of the team?  I would lean into the racing culture but I do not want it to feel like it was forced.  The team would be branded around a high energy team.  I would think that the Turbo would be a great nickname for the team.  The Nap Town Turbo based out of Indianapolis and housed near downtown would be an amazing spot.  I would want the stadium to be outdoors.  I feel the outdoor weather during the colder parts of the year is essential in a football season.  They could put the stadium near the river downtown and have a very easy walk to the stadium.  The Turbo would likely have a color scheme that would revolve around the rich agricultural community.  Maybe an electric green and hot pink just to give it some more energy!

[oknom]

Tier 3 - Prompt 25 + 2.5 TPE



Tier 2 - Prompt 14 - WC 482 +5 TPE
Firstly let me just say that there is no current need for expansion. In the tug of war between quality of teams vs quantity of teams, my vote will always be for quality. Better teams mean a better experience for all users whether they are GMs, players, or rookies. Keeping the number of teams at 20 helps keep the locker rooms for current teams more active, rather than spreading the same number of active LR players over more teams. I don’t think any teams in the league are tapping out and saying, “No more players please, the locker room cannot handle it.” Its an iron sharpens iron situation. I think the same can be said for incoming rookies as well. Sure it is cool being a bigger piece on an underperforming team, but its also great to feel welcomed into something pre-existing. I think we see a decent amount of turnover at GM as well, without there being a skill deficit.
Now that being said, there is literally nothing better in all of sim sports than your first impressions of the teams and their branding. Because of that, I will always crave new team ideas. Special shout out to the prospect bowl for scratching this itch year in and year out. For this reason I am pitching two team branding ideas.

Knoxville Nightmares (KNX)
Primary Colors – Black, Hot Pink
Secondary – Fire Orange, Twilight Teal
Primary Logo – Fiery horse with a shadowy rider, possibly with a whip or torch. Flames from the torch stream behind the pair to help form the border of the logo. Same effect with the whip alternatively.
There are no horse based teams in either league. There are no Tennessee based teams in either league. Despite the Fire Salamanders including fire in the team name and to a lesser extent in the logo, this is part of the name of the animal. Its not meant to be fire itself, although I’ve got no issues with it in the logo. So despite BER, no fire teams. Finally no pink teams. This is overall more of a “wouldn’t it be cool” idea than anything I think the league is glaringly missing. But scary fire horse team when?

Sandusky Snappers (SNP)
Primary Colors – Murky Blue, Scum Green
Secondary – Bait Red, Shell Brown
Primary logo – Alligator snapping turtle head with its mouth open. The alligator snapping turtle uses its tongue as a lure for fish to swim towards its open mouth as it waits at the bottom of the lake/river. Using negative space with the curve of the beak and its tongue, a stylized “S” can be found in the snapping turtle’s mouth.
With CHI’s move to Osaka, there is only MIN remaining as a Midwest USA based team. I think the ISFL does need a team to represent this large area of the US which houses no less than 9 NFL teams.

Tier 3 Prompt 32 - WC 222 +2.5 TPE
Dunkler would look to start a podcast revolving around key ISFL storylines during the season. Each week he would invite 2 guests to appear. First guest would be someone who put up a dominating performance the week before. We would discuss what went into their preparation to help them get an advantage over their competition. We would take 1-2 plays during that game and do some film breakdown to show how that preparation from earlier gets put into practice. Then we would discuss the rest of the season outlook for that player and their team. Was this a flash in the pan performance on a basement dwelling team? Is this player looking to make a splash in free agency? Or do they think their team is going all the way to the Ultimus?

The second guest invited onto the show would be someone who is in the hotseat. Someone who’s job is on the line. Is it a regressing quarterback who threw 5 interceptions in their loss? Is it a GM who went all in on this season but will need to be lucky to even make the playoffs? We would discuss whether they think this criticism is warranted or overblown. But most importantly, what are their plans to correct their course? How will they avoid a second invite onto the podcast?

[caleb.grim]

34. New players join our teams every season, so which of those new players made the biggest impact on the field for your team? (Written Option)

The biggest name to join the Baltimore Hawks for Season 47 was none other than RB Reginald Shrubbery. Acquired in an offseason trade with Orange County, Shrubbery split time in the backfield with incumbent All-Pro RB Anakin Skywalker. Going into the season, no one knew exactly what to make of our backfield but the two of them ended up leading the team all the way to the Ultimus by almost becoming the first players to ever rush for 1000 yards and have 1000 yards receiving in the same season. Shrubbery in particular ended the year with 980 rushing yards to go along with 10 rushing touchdowns in addition to 92 catches for 1015 yards and 6 more touchdowns through the air. A good season by itself, the fact that Skywalker put up almost identical numbers has to be the main reason that we were able to make a run to the Ultimus this season.

27. Imagine your current position was not available to be picked when you created your player. What other position would you have picked, and why? (Written Task)

As a brand new user to sim leagues in general, I had no idea what to expect when I signed up. To ease my way into things, I chose to play as an offensive lineman. When I got drafted to the Baltimore Hawks, Dude Man asked me to switch positions to defensive tackle. While I am still excited to play out the career of Carter Goad, I do think my hesitancy at the beginning was unfounded and I would have been able to pick whatever position I wanted and found success. This has got me thinking about what I would do if I could choose it all over again (or maybe what my recreate will be…) Anyway, I have a gut feeling that I would want to experience something that is outside the meta builds that are everywhere yet be an integral part of the team still. This leads me to pick a gunslinger quarterback. I even have figured out that I could grab the gunslinger trait while still in the DSFL. An idea for another day I guess!

19. Your team has announced that they will be laying ground on a new stadium next season. What additions would you like to see included in it. (Written Task)

I’m going to take a cue from our Color Rush field from this past season as I think the Baltimore Hawks should adapt the Temple of the Golden Hawk as the basis for their new stadium. In the discord locker room for the Hawks, there is a temple channel where the Almighty Golden Hawk Bot reacts to the placement of Golden Hawk emojis. Every once in a while, a user will get a Golden Hawk reaction back and thus gets awarded the Golden Hawk role by our GMs. So why not make that idea the new stadium? I’m talking about the whole building built with a golden sheen to it and utilizing old classic Greek architecture with the columns and whatnot (think Soldier Field before it was ruined). There also should be reliefs of the Golden Hawk built into the stadium walls every so often with the names of past “Golden Hawks” etched below each engraving.

26. if your player wasn't a professional in the ISFL/DSFL, what would they be doing instead? (Written Task or Graphic Task)

Carter Goad has many hobbies outside of football and would more than likely be making one of these into a career if he wasn’t always training as part of the life of an ISFL star. His most likely secondary path would be that of a mathematician. Enjoying the intellectual challenges posed by math classes as a young child, Goad liked to challenge himself with more and more advanced math even while playing collegiate football. In fact, Goad even recently earned his master’s degree in teaching mathematics online through Indiana University and plans to pursue this passion upon retirement. Working through math puzzlers such as “Fiddler on the Proof”, Goad continues to exercise his mathematical knowledge on a regular basis. Sharing this passion with others always has brought joy to Goad and he often thinks that teaching will be the next step in his professional journey. But that will all have to wait! First an Ultimus is needed!

[ClayAbby]

14. Expansion Expansion Expansion! Tell us why you think the league should expand / not expand or include any ideas (in words) for team branding ideas you have or team locations.



First and foremost, why should the league expand? The current selection of teams has worked pretty well so far. Why fix what ain't broke? Well, not only would adding more teams in the DSFL help to add more spots for more players (overall just MORE), but it would allow successful DSFL teams the option to be promoted into the ISFL, adding competition for the ISFL so that it doesn't become repetitive with the same teams. Now, I'm not suggesting a full promotion/relegation system, but DSFL teams are stuck in a second division that's really only for rookies and younger prospects currently. The current ISFL teams are good where they're at, but successful DSFL teams like the London Royals and the Norfolk Seawolves should have the opportunity to take their leadership and personnel to a higher level.


Now, this all sounds great. But what about actual IDEAS for expansion teams? For this one I'm just gonna stick with cities in the United States since that's what I know the best, but as this is an international league, I'm sure expansion teams would be from outside of the United States. Now, let's get to the ideas!


Houston

Houston is a huge market in an already football-heavy state. An expansion team to Houston could replace the existing Dallas Birddogs, allowing them to move up to the ISFL for an Austin-Dallas rivalry, OR they could replace another successful DSFL team and we could have a Houston-Dallas rivalry. Houston is also a city famed for their professional sports in the irl Houston Dynamo, Houston Rockets, and Houston Astros. As for branding, a DSFL team in Houston could be inspired by the geography and wildlife to the east of the city, so a team named the Houston Gators (or Crocs could work as well) would fit right into the theme of the current teams. The proximity of Houston to the Gulf of Mexico could also inspire aquatic based branding such as the Houston Dolphins, Houston Squid, or Houston Gulls.



San Diego

San Diego is yet another big market that lacks a current ISFL or DSFL team. The area is known for its pristine beaches, exciting nightlife, and hundreds of activities. The rivalry with the Tijuana Luchadores is just waiting to happen! San Diego is rising in its sports scene irl, with new teams such as the San Diego Wave and San Diego FC growing athletics in the city alongside existent teams like the Padres. The area is ready for a football team, and the DSFL is the perfect place to start. Branding for the team is fairly simple: anything related to the beach, ocean, or water in general. San Diego Storm, San Diego Flood, San Diego Heat, San Diego Inferno, and San Diego Voyage are some of my personal ideas.


Indianapolis

Indianapolis is an industrial powerhouse located in the heart of America. Although the state of Indiana may be known for basketball, the irl Colts still have a large fanbase and following throughout the area. This one doesn't have a clear-cut rival like the other two (unless you want to try to make a rivalry out of Minnesota and Indiana) but nonetheless, there is potential in an Indianapolis market. Even so, an Indiana branding would encompass the entire state, with the ability for it to even be based in another city like South Bend, Evansville, or Gary. The industrial south mixed with the agricultural north would have to be shown in the branding, though. Which is why the Indiana Machine is the perfect name. Machine encompasses the farming industry and the manufacturing industry that shapes Indiana today. If you don't like that one, though, the Indiana Power does the job as well.


Nashville

The last one for today is music city! Nashville is known as the hotspot for music in America, and incorporates it into every component of the city. Music isn't just a lifestyle for Nashville, it's an identity. The irl Tennessee Titans, although maybe not so great on the field, have a great community and backing in the city, and other modern sports teams like the Nashville Predators and Nashville SC have brought a new sports life into the city. As for branding, names like the Nashville Rythm, Nashville Tune, Nashville Mustangs, and Nashville Cowboys seem to fit perfectly into the lively city.

[Aleris]

2.
The Season 42 draft class hit regression for the first time this offseason and a few of us have unfortunately fallen to retirement already. The class has also gone through a myriad of changes. I’m definitely going to miss some people who were high earners but being in the DSFL chat with class of S42 was a blast and I feel like I got to know so many people who rose to become huge members of the league.

I’m really not sure where to start so I’m probably going to ramble a lot. The class was stacked with versatile athletes at the beginning. Josh Patterson and my own player, RE #38, were on the same prospect team the Amsterdam Adders playing CB and DE, then both of us ended up QB on opposing teams with some of the QB duels in the history of the DSFL between London and Bondi Beach. (I’m sorry if I forgot the other Adders but that prospect LR was a blast)

RE#38 would go on to Colorado with two, no wait THREE other LBs in the class. Marco Steele, RE #38, and Federico Americano would play sometime together in the Yetis before Marco retired and Federico moved on. Aleksandar Ković was drafted by the Yeti but later traded to Chicago. But it was quite the big LB class.

But not as big as CBs ended up apparently. 4 of the top 5 TPE earners in the class are CBs. (the 5th is the goat QB Josh Patterson). Now the funny thing is, in the DSFL I know at least one of these players were not CBs in Blacksmith Andre (Blacksmith Andre protected RE #38 while he QB’d at Bondi). But now they both play CB with the true goat of the class Dino Nuggets with a class leading 1587 TPE and cemented themselves as the correct 1oa pick in the ISFL S42 draft.

Josh Patterson proved the haters wrong and has become the QB of the class with 1558 TPE. Unfortunately it seems all that Josh needs now is an Ultimus ring. I remember at least in the DSFL, Reginald Shrubbery was the TPE leader to chase and has been a solid RB in the league since. Hank Mardukas switched to WR and was certainly one of the picks to help NOLA this past season. Dandrew, Davids, and Anderson all stayed with the teams that drafted them and ended up solid picks, Stetson David being a steal there by HON. Luigi moved on the BAL but ended up 5th in TPE in the class.

The class had two kickers but LeHarm James bulked up and became a monster at LB. Wing Wang has stayed a kicker and amassed over 1300 TPE, literally all of it in the two kicking attributes. Octavian Speedings was drafted 13oa as a WR and ended up the starting QB for NOLA who finally won their Ultimus after the stacked the S42 draft with picks. Some of their picks moved on the other teams but Speedings, Mardukas and Calhoun kept with NOLA til the end.

For the bust of S42 it would have to be Martin Bachman. A RB who never broke 350 tpe after being taken 5oa by NYS. The steal I would say is Narl Hecklenburg taken by BAL at pick 31 and got to over 1000 TPE. RE #38 was also kind of a bust at 7oa as his career probably won’t be as long as it could be with only 871 TPE at his max.

Overall, probably not the biggest class, but a solid one in the end. Around 25 players achieved high enough TPE to still be on an ISFL roster before the first offseason of regression. Sixteen of those players earned over 1000 TPE which I think is very impressive for a class.

[roquefort]

Season 47 Draft class is something special. With 50 players still active from the class, it's shaping up to be one for the history books. Relative to other classes, S47 stands out as it was a reddit class that had a large influx of new users, in addition to some very established recreates. The class was competitive across the board, with a ton of users either max or near max earning. Let's look at a few.

Starting off we have user oknom, AKA Dunkler Sowerwine. Dunkller was a TDL-New Create, AKA the best formula for a max TPE player. Tipped off by someone at the SHL, he created at the ideal time and has led the class in TPE ever since. Starting off as a defensive end, Dunkler swapped over to Nose Tackle when he got drafted and called up by the cape town crash. They paired him up with another SHL Veteran and S47 DL player in Luke Laraque, User Blix. Together the pair look to be a nightmare to opposing OLs and QBs for many seasons to come. 

Another user worth looking at is Tyler Higbee II, user SensibleDictator. This guy joined very late and burst on to the scenes full of yap energy. Despite being a bit lower in TPE than some others in the class, Sensible has found himself as one of the premier users due to his unparalleled enthusiasm and inability to stop himself from talking on discord 24/7. He also has become a GM for the DSFL team "London Royals" - one of several users from this class to jump quickly to GMing. 

Steals of the draft are tough in a draft this big and hyped. Majority of users were drafted at appropriate times, though one worth looking at is "HonoredMexican" AKA South West out of Norfolk. He wasn't viewed as a premier pick going into the draft as he tailed a bit behind some of the other CBs in TPE. Despite that, he has now found himself at a respectable 483 TPE - Good for 4th in the class at his position. 

There were also some misses. User Walter Yensid (player name, Walter Yensid) was picked at 3 overall coming off a "most dedicated member" award. Walter was a very popular user, who came off as mature, kind, and deeply enthusiastic about the league. He was also a high earning player, one of the top in the class going in to the draft. Walter strangely disappeared shortly after being drafted. There is much mystery and some controversy to his disappearance. Some users believe that Walter is simply travelling to train and compete as a runner at the national level. It was said that he was planning to travel the nation shortly before his disappearance. Others believe that's merely a cover up for the truth. All I know is that Walter left, and deleted discord on his way out. I am not sure he's ever coming back at this point, and it is a real shame. Walter - if you read this, come back! It is not too late to still have a kick ass career and the league is better with you in it. Shutdown podcast needs to record another episode. 

When it comes to the Hall of Fame, it is definitely far too early to tell. We have a ton of amazing users in the class, so I find it hard to believe that we wouldn't end up with a few hall of famers amidst our ranks. I think some early front runners are our wide receiver players Shahdude, Brad Woof, and baron - all who quickly leapt up the depth chart to play WR1 for their respective ISFL teams. Racking up a ton of stats at a young player age is giving them a nice head start on a potential hall of fame worthy career. I also hope to join them, and I plan to make my case by continuing to dominate the WRs in the class (aside from Brad) and show everybody why I was picked 1.5oa in a class full of studs. 

Code:

677 words

[Bwestfield]

Task 1, long 600 words.

Back in 2017 I found myself on Reddit viewing the Buffalo Bills and Fantasy Football subreddits, when I came across something for the National Simulation Football League, I was intrigued. I looked and saw some forums. The first thought I had was, “I havent seen forums in like 10 years.” But I kept looking. I always loved the game of football and I loved fantasy football. How could I not join and check out the experience? I joined and created my first player, Brad Westfield. Westfield was a wide receiver. I knew nothing of the sim and just chose my position randomly. I wasnt sure how much I would be contributing to this player or even if I would like playing. It turns out, I did like playing. Then, 2 days later, my son was born. Generally I would’ve just stopped playing and focused everything on my son. Sounds like the fatherly thing to do. But in my down time from being a dad, I found myself drawn to the NSFL. I found a release from my stress. Every child is different, my child seemed like 5 in 1. I attached myself to the league and started getting jobs helping out. It was time for the Season 1 draft. I didnt know where I would go, I thought it would be higher than I was. But somewhere in the middle, I was drafted by the Otters just after Phelps. Phelps and I would become a 1-2 punch. There was no true #1 wide receiver on the team. I would go on to finish 5th overall and Phelps 2nd in receiving yards. I would also place 1st among all receivers in touchdowns. We made it to the playoffs, only to lose to the Outlaws in the first round. The Outlaws eventually would win it all against the Yeti the next week. Season 2 saw the league expansion with 2 more teams. The Las Vegas Legion, and the Philadelphia Liberty. There was so many players added that we would need more teams just so everyone would experience starts. This next season we would finish the same however. Out in the first round and Outlaws grab another title. Another season in the books but the best was yet to come. Season 3, Otter season. Season 3 was an incredible season for the Otters, we only went 8-6 but it felt like we never lost a game. Westfield and Phelps were #1 and #2 respectively for most yards and touchdowns.I had a very dominant season with 1625 yards and Phelps who was in second place had 1284. But, like all history, our season repeated itself. Out in the first round against the Outlaws while scoring an abysmal 7 points. It was December of 2017 when the news broke. The party in charge of simming was found to have multiple users under their name. They had a total of 9 potential accounts they were running in order to have Arizona win. A loss for everyone, not just Arizona. The league needed to make some quick changes along with some checks and balances. After the fallout season 4 came, the Otters won their championship finally and I was able to add another 1756 yards onto my resume. Westfield was probably my best player I ever made, but I will want to see if I can beat those records one day. I was able to finish my career in the top 5 receiving yards which holds up to this day. For now Westfield hangs his cleats in the ISFL Hall of Fame. Hopefully he is regarded as one of the best.

[WALDO]

tier one task seven

https://audio.com/hunter-j-1/audio/off-season-task

[.Laser]

0. SHL Affiliate (3/10)

12. Rivalry (8/10)
The biggest rival of not only the International Simulation Football League's New York Silverbacks, my team as of S48, but the entire ASFC, are the Arizona Outlaws. This is not a rivalry that has stood since the dawn of time, but one that has become acquired since Arizona began their very long reign as being a perennial contender for the playoffs sometime in the mid to late S20s. Because the team has been so damn good for so damn long, missing playoffs only once since S25 if I remember correctly, it breeds a certain hatred that is known only by those not on the Outlaws. As the former general manager of the Orange County Otters at the tail end of their dynasty of 27 straight playoff appearances, I am all too familiar with the plight that the Outlaws find themselves in, to a certain extent. There are a few differences, but I know that the whole league is sick of one team being good, but also jealous of their success. They want to make their own team that succesful, or they want to join the squad and become champions and contenders. Orange County struggled to bring in quality free agents during my tenure because of the level of success we had maintained. Most people wanted to be part of the group that helped the Otters fall and so would not join us if a team with a good chance that season offered them a good deal. The main difference, however, is that the Outlaws very frequently have players retire and request to be drafted back to the Outlaws. There isn't anything wrong with this as long as the Outlaws oblige and use their highest pick without trading back, but many of these players are excellent users that deserve to be drafted in the top 5. Those two things combined cause the Outlaws to be the rivals of the conference, if not the league. (322)

32. Podcast (10/10)
If Draven Chanos were to start a podcast, he would base it off of all sports in general. He would make it a twice a week thing, and though he would try and avoid talking about the International Simulation Football League, he inevitably would at least some. He would prefer to focus on the other sim leagues, such as PBE, SHL, FCFB, FCBB, and the other leagues associated with Simulation in general. He'd cover stories, predictions, breaking news, retirements, trades, and everything he reasonably could regarding each league, and he would do it as an informed opinionated source attempting to give knowledge and teach the general population about the inner workings of each sport. Football would be the easiest to do this about, but he also is very up to date on baseball, and would bring in consultants for hockey and basketball to be sure that he always has information as accurate as possible for his analysis. (157)

[SoySavant]

Task 11 (Short Story)

I've discussed Traffic Cone's earlier background a couple of times, so how about his last game at I Promise School (IPS) before entering the DSFL Draft? IPS had long since been eliminated from playoff contention, as they had an eye-watering 3-8 record, so they were playing for pride when they took on Bishop Sycamore (another brand new, experimental CFB program similar to I Promise's) for their final game. This was it, Traffic Cone's final chance to leave his mark on IPS before departing the program. Even though he has no facial features, his teammates and spectators close enough to the tunnel could see Traffic's determination as he took to the field one last time. He proceeded to play his heart out, racking up pancakes throughout the game and allowing minimal pressure. Fast forward to late in the 4th quarter. IPS had the ball at Bishop Sycamore's 20-yard line, they had just used their last timeout, it was 4th down, and they needed to score here. During the huddle, Traffic looked up and around the stadium, taking it all in. The lights, the crowd, the pressure, was it all too much? Could he deliver at such a crucial point in the game? Did he have any energy left? These doubts lasted for only a moment, however, as almost everything faded to black as he lined up for their final play. The noise, the lights, the sidelines, all gone. All that remained was the DT lined up on the other side, his QB, and himself. The ball is snapped and the opposing DT tries to bullrush him. Traffic musters every ounce of energy left within him and responds with a powerful shove. When they clash, it feels like time stopped for a brief instant before... the DT goes flying to the ground. In the meantime, the RT was completely blown up and IPS' QB was sacked yet again. Game over, IPS loses 13-70. Nonetheless, Traffic looks up to the sky, smiling (metaphorically); his work here was done. It was time to go to the DSFL.

Task 14 (Expansion)

I believe the league will be able to expand someday but it seems like it would be too early right now. I mean, I've only been in the league for like a week so I'm hardly an expert, but it seems some positions are already tough to fill as is. Linemen (both offensive and defensive) seem to be especially lacking and I feel like adding more teams would only make this a bigger issue. When teams reach a point where they can field (mostly) complete rosters, then I think expansion could be more viable. Another potential disadvantage could be a talent imbalance. It's pretty natural for newly expanded teams to be bad at first and I'd expect for that to be the case here. Most times have established players with hundreds of TPE spread across the whole team so new teams would be at a pretty huge disadvantage unless there were some kind of expansion draft. Even with all that in mind, though, I don't think expansion has to be far away. According to the position tracker, the league is in a pretty good place with most positions. With just a couple of lineman-heavy drafts, the conversation around expansion could be totally different. As for potential locations, you could go in a lot of different directions considering the league is worldwide. How about Brazil? I'm not sure about branding, but I think a South American team could be cool and Brazil is a very large market. I think anywhere in South America (Argentina, Chile, etc.) could be a good choice. Another Asian team (China, India, Indonesia, etc.) could be a good fit too. And of course, there could always be more teams in the United States. Philadelphia, Seattle, and any of the major markets in the Midwest come to mind as solid candidates.