I'm not sure how meta these writing tasks are supposed to be, or how they're judged, so I figured I'd just write one out and see how it is judged.
Tier 1 Task 5:
I wanted to take this loose opportunity to speak on something that is close to me (in a very superficial way mind you), that of the marrying of sports teams to their metro-area markets, and the unique situation that the ISFL (or any simulation league) finds itself in with regards to this. Obviously, real life sports leagues are affected by the geopolitical status of their players and the country they base themselves in, as well as the economic status of the country/city each individual team situates themselves within. Needing a physical field to play on means that players need to be moved to that field to play and if that crosses borders then there's obviously major issues that arise, whether it be visas or pandemics, tax for work completed in a different country, the list goes on even without mentioning the logistics it takes to move the team and staff to and from a field in the first place. This is, IMO, the single greatest strength of a sim league, fittingly emphasised by our league's name change to the ISFL from the NSFL. Without geopolitical or economic factors, sim leagues are free to represent peoples/cities free of any consequences outside of the opportunity cost measured in fan engagement. If realism is important to fans then there are certain restrictions the a league may feel the need to follow; Would that city really be able to hold a team? Would the city want a team? But part of the charm that drew me to the ISFL is the disregard for restrictions.
As it exists at time of writing, the ISFL operates in 3 countries, spanning 2 continents (or is it 3? Does Hawaii count as North America?), with a full 10 hours difference in local times between 2 cities. This alone is a near insurmountable challenge for a real sporting league, look no further than the NFL London franchise debate (which is a challenge even without adding Hawaii to the mix) for evidence of the difficulty that this presents. But the ISFL doesn't need to care, which gives British (or at very least English) fans a point of entry. Tijuana is a completely different barrier for real leagues to overcome, one which I won't go into here as I don't claim to be an expert in the economic factors, but which can be similarly breached by the ISFL at no cost. However, the crowning jewel is Yellowknife. I will never be able to barrack against Yellowknife for no other reason than the absurdity of a professional football team bordering the arctic circle. The NFL is actually unique among US professional sporting leagues for not having Canadian representation, but to go even further a choose the second smallest provincial capital comes so far out of left field that I can't help but feel magnetised to the team. It's this kind of unique circumstance that sim leagues can capitalise on. Depending on the whim of the fans, a team on the moon is can viable expansion, which lets the league be more creative in expansion than any real league can afford to be.
When I say that this is a strength, I refer to this connection. There's a charm to a city you haven't heard of before. US leagues have created a status quo to situate 2 teams in New York City and Los Angeles because the money is there to drive it, such is the power of these factors that some people can choose between representatives while others remain unrepresented. Between the charm of discovery, and the connection that comes from those who aren't among the chosen few, the ISFL is free to expand its web however it sees fit.
I do however need to acknowledge a factor that does detract from the impact this has; the reliance on a connection to American football. The ISFL is obviously not able to expand beyond that which it is simulating, that much is plain as day and a absurd bar to meet in the first place. But this does mean that the detachment from geography can only be exploited for the sake of finding existing fans, rather than as a method of creating fans. This means that the league is always going to be heavily focused on US representatives due to the prospective fans being tied to US cities already via the NFL, even for those who aren't American (as a KC Chiefs fan I'm certainly more likely to go for the Coyotes). That said, despite the aforementioned attachment the league has already done an excellent job of catering to cities that are large, but can be overlooked for sports attention, which I find encouraging to the acknowledgement of this strength for Sim leagues.
As and Australian I'd love an Australian team and in a sim league that can be a realistic prospect which is a rarity in itself. As a person who grew up in a regional centre I've enjoyed a total of 1 professional home town team my whole life. The ISFL has the ability to be that connection for many around the world, who find themselves geographically separated from sports they love, but able to make a connection online, and find a niche way to express their love of the sport in ways that real leagues simply don't allow for.
I hope my rant is worth judging, and appropriately on topic. Thanks for reading.
Tier 1 Task 5:
I wanted to take this loose opportunity to speak on something that is close to me (in a very superficial way mind you), that of the marrying of sports teams to their metro-area markets, and the unique situation that the ISFL (or any simulation league) finds itself in with regards to this. Obviously, real life sports leagues are affected by the geopolitical status of their players and the country they base themselves in, as well as the economic status of the country/city each individual team situates themselves within. Needing a physical field to play on means that players need to be moved to that field to play and if that crosses borders then there's obviously major issues that arise, whether it be visas or pandemics, tax for work completed in a different country, the list goes on even without mentioning the logistics it takes to move the team and staff to and from a field in the first place. This is, IMO, the single greatest strength of a sim league, fittingly emphasised by our league's name change to the ISFL from the NSFL. Without geopolitical or economic factors, sim leagues are free to represent peoples/cities free of any consequences outside of the opportunity cost measured in fan engagement. If realism is important to fans then there are certain restrictions the a league may feel the need to follow; Would that city really be able to hold a team? Would the city want a team? But part of the charm that drew me to the ISFL is the disregard for restrictions.
As it exists at time of writing, the ISFL operates in 3 countries, spanning 2 continents (or is it 3? Does Hawaii count as North America?), with a full 10 hours difference in local times between 2 cities. This alone is a near insurmountable challenge for a real sporting league, look no further than the NFL London franchise debate (which is a challenge even without adding Hawaii to the mix) for evidence of the difficulty that this presents. But the ISFL doesn't need to care, which gives British (or at very least English) fans a point of entry. Tijuana is a completely different barrier for real leagues to overcome, one which I won't go into here as I don't claim to be an expert in the economic factors, but which can be similarly breached by the ISFL at no cost. However, the crowning jewel is Yellowknife. I will never be able to barrack against Yellowknife for no other reason than the absurdity of a professional football team bordering the arctic circle. The NFL is actually unique among US professional sporting leagues for not having Canadian representation, but to go even further a choose the second smallest provincial capital comes so far out of left field that I can't help but feel magnetised to the team. It's this kind of unique circumstance that sim leagues can capitalise on. Depending on the whim of the fans, a team on the moon is can viable expansion, which lets the league be more creative in expansion than any real league can afford to be.
When I say that this is a strength, I refer to this connection. There's a charm to a city you haven't heard of before. US leagues have created a status quo to situate 2 teams in New York City and Los Angeles because the money is there to drive it, such is the power of these factors that some people can choose between representatives while others remain unrepresented. Between the charm of discovery, and the connection that comes from those who aren't among the chosen few, the ISFL is free to expand its web however it sees fit.
I do however need to acknowledge a factor that does detract from the impact this has; the reliance on a connection to American football. The ISFL is obviously not able to expand beyond that which it is simulating, that much is plain as day and a absurd bar to meet in the first place. But this does mean that the detachment from geography can only be exploited for the sake of finding existing fans, rather than as a method of creating fans. This means that the league is always going to be heavily focused on US representatives due to the prospective fans being tied to US cities already via the NFL, even for those who aren't American (as a KC Chiefs fan I'm certainly more likely to go for the Coyotes). That said, despite the aforementioned attachment the league has already done an excellent job of catering to cities that are large, but can be overlooked for sports attention, which I find encouraging to the acknowledgement of this strength for Sim leagues.
As and Australian I'd love an Australian team and in a sim league that can be a realistic prospect which is a rarity in itself. As a person who grew up in a regional centre I've enjoyed a total of 1 professional home town team my whole life. The ISFL has the ability to be that connection for many around the world, who find themselves geographically separated from sports they love, but able to make a connection online, and find a niche way to express their love of the sport in ways that real leagues simply don't allow for.
I hope my rant is worth judging, and appropriately on topic. Thanks for reading.