RotoHog

Infobox Website
name = RotoHog



caption = RotoHog.com homepage, taken March 4,2008
url = http://www.rotohog.com/
commercial = Yes
type = Fantasy sport
registration = Required to play
owner = Sports Composite DE, Inc.
author =
launch date = 2007
current status = Active

RotoHog is a budget-based, high-roster-turnover style fantasy sports game with sports team management simulations for baseball, basketball, American football, and Association Football (soccer).

Platform

Like most fantasy sports games, the core elements of RotoHog games involve building a team and setting a line-up to earning points. To this traditional core game, RotoHog adds a liquid market for players that all team managers use to trade players. Players can be traded at almost any time and player prices reflect up-to-the minute supply and demand. This trading system removes many of the problems with unfair trades or collusion between managers that can occur in traditional fantasy games. [ [http://www.thealarmclock.com/mt/archives/2007/08/fantasy_sports_1.html Online News Article 1] retrieved 11th January 2008 ]

RotoHog also provides a social networking platform that allows users to compete in unlimited size leagues grouped by location, team allegiance, company affiliations, or local watering holes in addition to smaller traditional private leagues made up of a dozen or so friends. [ [http://killerstartups.localhost.net.ar/Web20/rotohog--A-New-Era-Of-Fantasy-Sports/ Review site] retrieved 11th January 2008] This social networking platform allows diverse groups to create custom leagues for their members. For example, the non-profit group "Hire-a-Hero" used RotoHog as a way to help military veterans connect with each other and transition back to civilian life. [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/melissa_segura/11/09/onthemoney/index.html Online Sports Magazine Article 1] retrieved 20th January 2008] RotoHog have agreed to donate a portion of the advertisement revenue received from the Military Fantasy Football League (MFFL) to the "Hire-a-Hero" program. They have also decided to donate the $10 received for their premium statistical service, with which users can register to receive the latest news, injury reports and scouting reports from the site. [Online Sports Magazine Article 1]

RotoHog is also the provider of nba.com's NBA Stock Exchange game [ [http://www.nba.com/global/top_10_fantasy_picks_071011.html NBA posting with reference to RotoHog partnership] retrieved 10th January 2008] and Brazilian media company Grupo RBS's first ever Fantasy Soccer game. [ [http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=35228348 Business Week Company Profile] retrieved 12th June 2008]

Prizes

RotoHog has awarded various prizes include cash to the top teams in weekly, monthly and season long contests. The 2007 Baseball and Football champions won $100,000 each. [ [http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=3c557b55-1eae-47ad-9b4e-e5d17303c927&k=50943 Online Newspaper Article 2] retrieved 8th February 2008] [ [http://www.colonyleader.com/articles/2007/11/04/the_colony_courier-leader/sports/a-sportstc10.txt Online Newspaper Article 3] retrieved 8th February 2008]

The owner of the second place Football team won $25,000, and third place $10,000. The remaining top 100 finishers also earned cash prizes. [ [http://www.toacorn.com/news/2007/0823/Sports/078.html Online News Article 4] retrieved on 19th February 2008]

trategy

RotoHog-specific game strategies used by some players include the following: [Online Newspaper Article 2] [Online Newspaper Article 3]
* Make money trading on fluctuations on player prices early in the season then use the extra cash then play the best players later in the season.
* Play hunches on undervalued players based on scouting and analysis of team match-ups.
* Rely on ability to make real time trades to make daily roster adjustments

Comparisons with other Fantasy Sports games

RotoHog differs from other fantasy sports games in several ways:
* Player trading floor prices continuously change based on the buying and selling behavior of team managers. Pricing in other games is either set by the game provider or is based directly on the on field performance of the players.
* Team managers can increase their initial budget by purchasing players who they think will appreciate in value and selling them for a profit. Traditional salary cap games do not allow managers to profit from transactions.
* Team managers have an unlimited number of transactions and can make roster changes up until just before games start. Traditional games only allow managers to make a few trades per season and often require managers to set their line-ups a week at a time.

RotoHog differs from fantasy sports stock simulations in that the goal of the game is to score the most fantasy points by fielding the best team of players. Stock simulation games focus on increasing your portfolio value by anticipating price movements of players.

Criticisms

As a hybrid between traditional fantasy sports games and fantasy sports stock simulations, there are many predictable ways for team managers to increase their budgets through day trading. These managers can then assemble teams with essentially no budget constraint. This gives managers with the time to play the market a financial edge over managers who do not.Fact|date=February 2008

Company, financing and sponsorship

Infobox Company
name = Sports Composite DE, Inc.

type = Private Venture Capital-backed
genre =
foundation = Delaware, U.S. (2006)
founder = David Wu & Kent Smetters
location_city = Inglewood, CA
location_country = U.S.
location =
locations =
area_served =
key_people = Kelly Perdew, CEO
industry = Internet
products = RotoHog.com, NBA Stock Exchange
services =
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
assets =
equity =
owner =
num_employees =
parent =
divisions =
subsid =
slogan = Fantasy Sports Like You've Never See Before!
homepage = [http://www.rotohog.com www.rotohog.com]
footnotes =
intl = Sports Composite DE, Inc., the company that operates the RotoHog website, was founded by entrepreneur David Wu and Wharton Business School Professor Kent Smetters in 2006 and is based in Inglewood, California. [ [http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=35228348 Financial Website Company Profile] retrieved 8th February 2008] [ [http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2008/may/192752.html Entrepreneur Magazine Article] retrieved 21st April 2008] Kelly Perdew, winner of The Apprentice Season 2, was named CEO in May 2008. [ [http://www.fightticker.com/story_0523081200_kelly_perdew_resigns_proelitedotcom Fight Ticker News Article] retrieved 12th June 2008]

The company raised $6 million in its first venture round in August 2007. This funding was raised via DFJ DragonFund China and Mission Ventures, with additional investment coming from Allen & Co. and SCP Worldwide. [ [http://venturebeat.com/2007/08/08/rotohog-a-new-twist-on-fantasy-sports Online News Article 5] retrieved 10th January 2008 ] [ [http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-fantasy-sports-site-rotohog-gets-6-million-funding/ Business News Website article] retrieved 11th January 2008] StubHub, an online marketplace, co-founder Jeff Fluhr also invested in the online firm. [ [http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2007/08/09/fantasy-sports-site-rotohog-com-lands-6-million Online News Article 6] retrieved 10th January 2008]

The company's board of directors includes Leo Spiegel of Mission Ventures and Andy Tang of DFJ DragonFund China. [ [http://www.socaltech.com/rotohog.com_launches_fantasy_football_site/s-0010527.html News article - Socal tech] retrieved 4th March 2008]

Sports Composite DE, Inc. earns revenues from advertising and optional statistical packages. RotoHog leagues and competitions have been sponsored by ex-American football player Marshall Faulk and hall of fame baseball players Fred Lynn, Wade Boggs, and Ozzie Smith.

See also

*Fantasy Sports
*Fantasy Sports stock simulation

*Fantasy Baseball
*Fantasy Basketball
*Fantasy Football (American)
*Fantasy Football (Soccer)

References

External links

* [http://www.rotohog.com/ Official Site]