Question 9 - 5 TPE
The main thing that keeps me interested in the league is the community and how easy it is to slip in and out of being overly active in it. I have a job that can consume quite a bit of my time on any given day, while at other times I don't have a thing going on. I find that no matter how long I am gone, my teams have been right there to welcome me back into the fold. It feels amazing to have teammates that are always happy to see you or just talk about whatever. They also never get on you for missing a TPE post or anything like that that would hurt the team. This has persisted throughout my time in both the DSFL and the ISFL and I am happy to see that this seems to be the norm in the league rather than a unique experience I have encountered.
Further, outside of my teams the league just has an amazing community in general. There are so many users that are regular posters of media that are just fun and enjoyable to read when I need a break from my day to day. Whether it be a funny back story about themselves or a teammate, or an in depth article on a league issue or how the sim is actually working, there is always something within the media section that I find worth the read. This engaging content is great for the league as it drives my interest in league functions even if it may be a little to well on the monetary side of things. Similarly, there are just fantastic people present during each stream of the games. There are always users online participating in the chat of any games at either levels, and you get used to seeing the regulars during the broadcast. It feels like I am observing the talking heads or just a reddit game thread during the streams and I think that level of consistency really brings something to the league.
Finally, I am just a football addict. As someone who played the sport for 8 years, I just sort of miss it. I miss being able to go out there and compete with teammates, run my routes, throw my blocks, and just win or lose as a team. While dot football is quite a long way away from the real thing, it does help to scratch that itch. I find myself looking forward to each game and having a consistent broadcast time and dates really helps with my scheduling. All in all, the league has created something special that does capture just a bit of being on a team and I truly appreciate that.
Question 12
For me expansion of the league would entail adding teams to two different locations within the following 3 continents, Asia, Africa, and South America. My reasoning for these locations are quite simple, not one of these continents currently have a team within the ISFL or within the DSFL. I will talk about possibilities for each of the three starting with my opinion of the easiest, Asia. Asia has a rich history that gives the league many options for locations and team names. My own top choice may be boring but I would go with a team located in Tokyo. It is a well known city and one recognizable to everyone in the league (and let's be real we also have a lot of anime lovers that would want it in Japan). I think for this team I would propose some simple names. My current list of contenders would be the Godzillas, the Samurai, the Cherry Blossoms, the Bonsais, or the Sumos. Each of these again is easily recognizable and relates to the location.
For the South American team I would again aim for one of the more well known cities in the region and select Buenos Aires in Argentina. I think that this is again a top location for the area and one that would be as realistic as possible for expansion. My knowledge of Argentinian culture is a bit lacking, but I know that the city is well known for it's love of the theatre so I propose the team name of the Buenos Aires Thespians. If that does not tickle your fancy, the area is home to many different animal species that could be used as a name. My main suggestion would be the guanancos, a type of animal that is a relative to the Llama.
My final suggestion would be within the continent of Africa, and one that is a country that I spent time in and is close to my heart, Cape Verde. The islands are beautiful nation and one that I much enjoyed in my travels. Given the chain of islands that make up the country, marine wildlife would be the most appropriate of choices for a name. Their national football team is know as the blue sharks already so it would be best to avoid copying that name. I would instead suggest another popular animal in the region, the sea turtle. A further suggestion would be the wind surfers, as this activity is considered to be one of the main reasons for travel to the chain of islands. Finally, if a specific city was picked, I would personally want to choose Praia. As the capital it would make the most sense for the league to settle in that area.
The main thing that keeps me interested in the league is the community and how easy it is to slip in and out of being overly active in it. I have a job that can consume quite a bit of my time on any given day, while at other times I don't have a thing going on. I find that no matter how long I am gone, my teams have been right there to welcome me back into the fold. It feels amazing to have teammates that are always happy to see you or just talk about whatever. They also never get on you for missing a TPE post or anything like that that would hurt the team. This has persisted throughout my time in both the DSFL and the ISFL and I am happy to see that this seems to be the norm in the league rather than a unique experience I have encountered.
Further, outside of my teams the league just has an amazing community in general. There are so many users that are regular posters of media that are just fun and enjoyable to read when I need a break from my day to day. Whether it be a funny back story about themselves or a teammate, or an in depth article on a league issue or how the sim is actually working, there is always something within the media section that I find worth the read. This engaging content is great for the league as it drives my interest in league functions even if it may be a little to well on the monetary side of things. Similarly, there are just fantastic people present during each stream of the games. There are always users online participating in the chat of any games at either levels, and you get used to seeing the regulars during the broadcast. It feels like I am observing the talking heads or just a reddit game thread during the streams and I think that level of consistency really brings something to the league.
Finally, I am just a football addict. As someone who played the sport for 8 years, I just sort of miss it. I miss being able to go out there and compete with teammates, run my routes, throw my blocks, and just win or lose as a team. While dot football is quite a long way away from the real thing, it does help to scratch that itch. I find myself looking forward to each game and having a consistent broadcast time and dates really helps with my scheduling. All in all, the league has created something special that does capture just a bit of being on a team and I truly appreciate that.
Question 12
For me expansion of the league would entail adding teams to two different locations within the following 3 continents, Asia, Africa, and South America. My reasoning for these locations are quite simple, not one of these continents currently have a team within the ISFL or within the DSFL. I will talk about possibilities for each of the three starting with my opinion of the easiest, Asia. Asia has a rich history that gives the league many options for locations and team names. My own top choice may be boring but I would go with a team located in Tokyo. It is a well known city and one recognizable to everyone in the league (and let's be real we also have a lot of anime lovers that would want it in Japan). I think for this team I would propose some simple names. My current list of contenders would be the Godzillas, the Samurai, the Cherry Blossoms, the Bonsais, or the Sumos. Each of these again is easily recognizable and relates to the location.
For the South American team I would again aim for one of the more well known cities in the region and select Buenos Aires in Argentina. I think that this is again a top location for the area and one that would be as realistic as possible for expansion. My knowledge of Argentinian culture is a bit lacking, but I know that the city is well known for it's love of the theatre so I propose the team name of the Buenos Aires Thespians. If that does not tickle your fancy, the area is home to many different animal species that could be used as a name. My main suggestion would be the guanancos, a type of animal that is a relative to the Llama.
My final suggestion would be within the continent of Africa, and one that is a country that I spent time in and is close to my heart, Cape Verde. The islands are beautiful nation and one that I much enjoyed in my travels. Given the chain of islands that make up the country, marine wildlife would be the most appropriate of choices for a name. Their national football team is know as the blue sharks already so it would be best to avoid copying that name. I would instead suggest another popular animal in the region, the sea turtle. A further suggestion would be the wind surfers, as this activity is considered to be one of the main reasons for travel to the chain of islands. Finally, if a specific city was picked, I would personally want to choose Praia. As the capital it would make the most sense for the league to settle in that area.