13. I find the potential of expansion in the near future to be a difficult proposition that should probably be put off and reassessed after a few more seasons. First off, I would like to say that I want to expand, and I'd say the vast majority of the league wants to expand. Sixteen teams is a great number, and a bigger league just feels more fun in general. Not to mention, I always love to see new ideas for branding. Expansion also indicates that the league is growing. Although I don't have the numbers, I'd say the league is growing, but there are some factors that put into question the speed of this growth as well as if this balances out with the loss of some users through not recreating. First, the last reddit recruitment class was frankly disappointing and many paying attention at the time know this to be true. It wasn't necessarily our fault, as the time of posting was near to an event that drew the eyes of most Americans, but it still led to the class being unremarkable in size, though the quality of users was strong. Reddit classes are supposed to be surefire jumpstarts of growth and activity to the league, and they cannot happen often. Although normal recruitment can bring very active classes regardless, this is not assured by any means. The other reason, and one that I believe is most important, is the regression of the S22 class. That class is one, if not THE biggest class in league history. Multiple teams, and especially the championship contending ones currently, have a strong S22 presence. Over the following seasons, these players will consider retirement, and as a whole the league does not know whether or not these players will recreate. If we were to expand now, just as all those players are retiring, on the basis that we expected all of them, we would be fools. Of course, it could be that many of those players will recreate, but it could also be that many of those players are burnt out and done. We need to wait until we get a read on how many of these players stay active, which involves waiting until the majority retire and enter the DSFL again. However, if we have high retention from that class, and if the next reddit class is as successful as they normally are, expansion should become a certainty, but that would take somewhere around 3 seasons form now I might guess. I hope when expansion happens that we see some great international team branding, especially since I personally find Berlin's to be a disappointment and the worst name for a team's mascot in the league.
18. Ryan Negs is the ultimate team player in Philly. Being a quarterback isn’t an easy job in this league, and I’ve heard that at times it’s not enjoyable either. The quarterback is the most important position in football, whether that be real life or the sim. Therefore, there is a lot of pressure for a quarterback to perform well, or else they get blamed for the loss. Negs had the lowest TPE of any quarterback coming into this season. As jovial a character as he is, I was still worried that watching the sim and seeing his player throw interceptions would wear down his enjoyment (especially since he spent so long playing with just 250 TPE in the DSFL, subject to the whims of fate already). When it happened in even just the first game, I was ready to give him positive affirmations and let him know that it’s not something he can control and that we don’t blame him. It was a pleasant surprise that he really didn’t need to hear this, and he really didn’t need any of our help throughout the season. He not only was unbothered by the unfortunate inevitability of some careless passes by his player, but he still would constantly lift up other players, both by hyping them up or being optimistic at the lower moments. This mentality could serve anyone well in this league, but it certainly sets a great example for all of the Liberty.
20. Jimi DeSoto would have a show on the Food Network. It would be called DeSoto’s DeCereals. Those outside of Norfolk and Philly may not know it, but DeSoto is a big fan of cereals, once even claiming them as his favorite food. The show, which would not air often, would involve DeSoto going over news in the cereal world, such as new arrivals or different flavors being pursued by the traditional brands. There would also be previews about what to look out for as well as dumb speculation about what cereal experiments would come out next. Of course, a fixture of the show (and debatably main event) would be Jimi reviewing up to 2 cereals, giving an in depth description of the flavor profiles, texture, and resulting milk flavor. These are write ups that DeSoto does already, so for them to be added to the show would simply be natural. DeSoto would often have guests, most often teammates or other players in the league, to talk about their experiences with cereal, such as their favorites or their cereal eating habits. Of course this might lead to debates as DeSoto would undoubtedly judge the choices of the other players. Jimi would hope that the show gets noticed by the big cereal brands, who would then send their new products to him early for easy advertising, In the end, even if it didn’t make a lot of money, the show would be a gig that would bring DeSoto a lot of joy.
18. Ryan Negs is the ultimate team player in Philly. Being a quarterback isn’t an easy job in this league, and I’ve heard that at times it’s not enjoyable either. The quarterback is the most important position in football, whether that be real life or the sim. Therefore, there is a lot of pressure for a quarterback to perform well, or else they get blamed for the loss. Negs had the lowest TPE of any quarterback coming into this season. As jovial a character as he is, I was still worried that watching the sim and seeing his player throw interceptions would wear down his enjoyment (especially since he spent so long playing with just 250 TPE in the DSFL, subject to the whims of fate already). When it happened in even just the first game, I was ready to give him positive affirmations and let him know that it’s not something he can control and that we don’t blame him. It was a pleasant surprise that he really didn’t need to hear this, and he really didn’t need any of our help throughout the season. He not only was unbothered by the unfortunate inevitability of some careless passes by his player, but he still would constantly lift up other players, both by hyping them up or being optimistic at the lower moments. This mentality could serve anyone well in this league, but it certainly sets a great example for all of the Liberty.
20. Jimi DeSoto would have a show on the Food Network. It would be called DeSoto’s DeCereals. Those outside of Norfolk and Philly may not know it, but DeSoto is a big fan of cereals, once even claiming them as his favorite food. The show, which would not air often, would involve DeSoto going over news in the cereal world, such as new arrivals or different flavors being pursued by the traditional brands. There would also be previews about what to look out for as well as dumb speculation about what cereal experiments would come out next. Of course, a fixture of the show (and debatably main event) would be Jimi reviewing up to 2 cereals, giving an in depth description of the flavor profiles, texture, and resulting milk flavor. These are write ups that DeSoto does already, so for them to be added to the show would simply be natural. DeSoto would often have guests, most often teammates or other players in the league, to talk about their experiences with cereal, such as their favorites or their cereal eating habits. Of course this might lead to debates as DeSoto would undoubtedly judge the choices of the other players. Jimi would hope that the show gets noticed by the big cereal brands, who would then send their new products to him early for easy advertising, In the end, even if it didn’t make a lot of money, the show would be a gig that would bring DeSoto a lot of joy.