*By Max Godnick*
Questioning coaches' decisions is an integral part of any football fan's life ー we all *know* we could do better. Now, a new football league is giving us a shot, by crowd sourcing the play-calling in live football games.
"Your Call Football" lets viewers choose their favorite of three pre-selected plays uploaded to an app by a figure-head coach on the sideline of a real game in progress. The league employs players who are trying to land a roster spot on NFL teams, and the coaches are NFL alumnae.
"A lot of guys have been in camps, a lot of guys just need a little development and a few more reps, and we've given them that," said Merril Hoge, the former NFL running back and ESPN analyst who is the head coach of the new league's Team Power.
The YCF league is trying to balance a high-quality on-field product with the interactivity of having fans direct the game.
"We're definitely about quality football and marrying that with, what do the fans want," said Julie Meringer, the president of Your Call Football.
The league is bankrolled entirely by George Colony, the CEO of technology research firm Forrester. Players are paid on par with what NFL rookies make in training camp.
Meringer is one of three women among the league's senior executives, including YCF's chief legal officer and its head of marketing. "We know how to get stuff done and we're proud about that," she said.
YCF's first three-game season ends Thursday night in Vero Beach, Fla., when Team Power plays Team Grit, the only other team in the league.
Meringer said the company explored using its patented technology for other sports, but most mainstream sports are too fast-paced and don't rely enough on real-time coaching. She said baseball offers an opportunity, but she's more interested in how fan interactivity can be incorporated into entertainment programming.
"You already see a lot of reality TV shows trying to use Twitter and other things to weigh in, but it's not real time," she said, adding the company would be looking for other ways to use its play-calling technology.
"There's definitely a licensing angle here, which I think will help with the future of sports and the next generation who are cord cutters, watching multiple screens, not necessarily going to venues to engage in sports," Meringer said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/your-call-football-lets-fans-choose-the-plays).
Olivia Harlan Dekker breaks down Thursday night's top NBA games, Joe Ceraulo hones in on player props, and Trysta Krick delivers her lock of the night on the hardwood.
Partha Unnava, Founder and CEO and Lasso, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how the design behind these compression socks can prevent injuries and improve performance.
The United States Women’s National Team has settled its lawsuit over gender-based pay disparity with U.S. Soccer for $24 million. Filed in 2019, the settlement will end with all claims by the USWNT being resolved following a judge's dismissal of its case in 2020.
Coming off of the latest NFL season, Draftkings has plans for growth and new bettors to join its platform following what it saw as a record year of state legalization of sports betting and Super Bowl action. CEO Jason Robins joined Cheddar News to talk about what in store for the company in 2022, including labor issues leading to the postponement of the MLB's spring training games and the NCAA's March Madness. "There's a lot of really exciting stuff that happens in the first couple of rounds all the way through to the championship game. So typically we've seen incredible activity during March Madness on the betting side," Robins said.
PlayersTV is bringing sports viewers Athletes On Demand, a subscription platform to provide fans with thousands of hours of sports content from their favorite athletes. CEO Angela Bundrant joined Cheddar News to discuss the new rollout. "People can expect to receive content or buy into content on demand that comes from their favorite athletes," said Bundrant, listing star partners like the Phoenix Suns' Chris Paul and New Orleans Pelicans' C.J. McCollum.
Walker Ross, Assistant Professor of Sports Business Management at Florida Southern College, joins Business of Sports: The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, where he says that actions Beijing and other Olympic host sites have been implementing to combat climate change has simply not been enough to offset their carbon footprint.
Olivia Harlan Dekker breaks down Thursday's primetime matchup between the 76ers and Bucks, NBA champion Richard Jefferson sets the scene for this weekend's All-Star Game, and Alex Monaco discusses who he's bullish and bearish on for Thursday's action.
The 15-year-old Russian Olympic figure skater Kamila Valieva found herself at the center of a scandal after a positive test for a banned substance became public. Valieva fell out of gold contention in the women's free skate after falling, avoiding a potentially embarrassing situation, where a medal ceremony would have been nixed had she won. Scott Hamilton, the retired American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist in the 1984 Games, joined Cheddar to break down the scandal. “It’s a team competition and every member of the team participated in that score and hers should be disallowed”.
Alex Monaco, host of the “The Bettor Half Hour” on MSG Networks and the “Sports Gambling with Moneyline Monaco” podcast, joins Cheddar Bets to give his last-minute tips before tonight's slate of games starts.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Richard Jefferson, host of the Road Trippin' podcast, NBA Today analyst, and NBA Champion, joins Cheddar Bets to break down All-Star Weekend festivities and to give his "Pick 6" for tonight.
Sponsored by BetMGM