Own A Sports Team

Status
Not open for further replies.
Only on wickedfire could this be considered a remotely good idea. On digitalpoint the Indian guys would be tearing this to pieces. The site doesn't even work. It looks like it was put together by a noob who just read HTML for dummies 1998 edition.
 


alright... so digg is out the window...

anyone have any brilliant ideas to help me push this mainstream to generate some killer word of mouth buzzz? I already stumbled it and submitted to netscape but digg is the only place I've 'worked' to date so I'm a little lost otherwise

Feel free to blog about it! Hehe
 
  • Like
Reactions: DaveEMG
i had this idea a few years ago - never did anything with it though. get on sports talk radio shows. start local, then maybe a national will pick you up. people have tried ideas like this before. i think it's a good one.
 
Put up a tracker... fucking take a screenshot of an excel diagram of the "earnings" ..slap it on the front page, make a new digg:
"25376$ later, the dream of owning a sports team is coming closer"

You really need that tracker, people need something to relate to.
A simple (updated often) screenshot will work, realtime tracking would be better.
List names.

Err... SeoMike had some tracking for that charity thing.

Mike?

::emp::
 
I think you should invent a certain amount of "shares" that are necessary to buy a sports team. I mean, basically you're talking about a pooled investment opportunity where each $1 equates to one share of the endeavor, and in turn earns you voting rights.

I'd emphasize that "shareholders" could influence things like trading decisions, player compensation, etc. I mean - basically an "open source" sports team! Hell, you could even call it that - "open source sports management"

Good luck, I really do like the idea. I might even throw $5 at it once you get a few more functions up on your site.
 
trigatch4, you've been doled out a lot of good advice in this thread. I think you should heed it. Also take some serious time to check out the link vizilla just posted. That site has pooled together more than $2M already and is in negotiations to buy a team. I think you need to focus your website more. Pick a sports league. Set a buyin amount. Make rules about how the management of the team will work. It's a cool idea, but it's not worth anything if you don't implement it correctly - and I think it's highly important that you set out the ground rules BEFORE you try to promote the shit out of it. Take a little more time to refine your idea, then do the promotional end. It doens't bode well for any business when they try to raise a ton of funding before even having a business plan. ;-) Good luck though - if you do it right this could be "a great success" (Borat).
 
I agree... I have been given a lot of great advice and here is my response/questions to many of them. Keep in mind, I'll gladly accept anyones help on this project and I'll even hook you up with a luxury suite when it's all said and done hahaha.

  1. The site blows. This is a problem for a number of reasons... a great looking site will create a greater sense of security and feeling that the project is real and to be taken seriously.
  2. Automatic Tracking. This would encourage people to sign up and create a dynamic where people are "watching the race" to the purchase. Paypal has "automatic payment notification" that can interact with a script/database on your website to record all the customer info for each transaction but this isn't something I can create myself. Miles over my head.
  3. Members Only Forum. This is actually something I could probably get up and running ASAP but it would be totally pointless if there aren't a lot of members to begin with.
  4. Pick a specific sport. I think sports fans are mostly sports fans. Sure, people have their preferences but even if I had $500 Million Dollars right now who is to say that any owner in a specific league will want to sell? Keeping it open not only maximizes the chances that a team is purchased in a timely fashion, but it also encourages sports fans of all types to join.
  5. Ground Rules. I agree that the rules aren't set out all that well but I went for the K.I.S.S. model on this. Collect a shit load of money... every dollar equals 1 point in "voting weight" and there are no promises. If enough money isn't collected it goes to charity. If I would implement a rule where people have a financial stake in the team, it would be a legal nightmare and hiring a lawyer would cost a shit load of money in itself. The way it stands now makes everything simple for everybody. I could be more specific though... you're right.
  6. Membership Fee. Why make a set limit? Perhaps one person wants to pay $20 and another person wants to pay $500... I don't want to stop anyone from donating MORE than I would ask and don't want someone NOT to donate because I ask for too much. This gives everyone a chance to be a part of something huge. For even $1... (or 1 cent if you're an ass like chatmasta haha) Another thing is there are huge fluctuations in team valuations between years and leagues... there is no way of knowing how much a team that goes up for sale will actually cost. And... that's how you would determine how much a membership would cost... by finding out how much you need, how many people you can realistically attract and doing the math
That being said...

There are a ton of ifs and buts. To implement all the ideas above it would cost me thousands of dollars that I don't have to spend. That's part of the innocent beauty in my opinion... taking it from an idea into conception WITH the "members" instead of starting some corporatized machine running the show.

At the same time, I agree with everyone that it needs more legs to stand on. I would love to give it all the legs it needs myself but I don't have the resources or capabilities to do it on my own. That's what a portion of the initial "funding" would go towards.

If you are interested in possibly helping me out on this by all means, PM me or AIM me at trigatch4. I really think this is an idea that could take off and actually WORK and geez would it be a lot of fun for everyone involved.

Thanks for everyone's opinions thus far and cheers... I still think this thing could go good places.

Oh and by the way... you could also buy a link on the sponsors page if you want.... heheheheh
 
I don't think it really matters if he thought of it on his own or not. Most of internet marketing is taking someone elses idea and modifying it to work for yourself.

The question is if he can create some buzz about what he's trying to do.

Also unless he sets up a real company and does an IPO or some type of private offering he'll never get enough investors with serious money. This isn't going to work if there are just small time investors putting $1 - $25 in each.

I'd clean up the site, make it as legit as possible, then start contacting magazines like Business 2.0, Young Entrepreneur, Wired, Money Magazine, Fortune, Response Magazine. See if they will write about it. Also start contacting newspapers, they always need stuff to write about.

If he can get a prominant person to put a few bucks in, that would also help the site gain legitimacy. So look around for a celebriy or a well known business person. They don't need to give a lot of money, just enough to put their banner on the site.

If the idea actually started getting some serious attention, he can follow it up with traditional advertising (print, radio, tv).
 
the key to stealing an idea is to do it **better** than the original. put some more time and effort into this project
 
I was talking to a buddy about this idea yesterday, and he came up with another cool "ownership" idea: Own a Rock Band. Kinda a cool twist on the same idea, but would require a far smaller investment. Basically get like 1,000 people to put down a buck or two, and then have a battle of the bands in a local area (and pay the band a portion of that take). Then, raise some more money to get them some studio recording time, and then launch the CD. The "owners" could each state what their favorite songs were, what the CD art should look like, etc.

Obviously it's a rough idea... But it's an idea. And it'd cost a helluva lot less than owning a major sports franchise.

Alright, someone go get it started. :)
 
I was talking to a buddy about this idea yesterday, and he came up with another cool "ownership" idea: Own a Rock Band. Kinda a cool twist on the same idea, but would require a far smaller investment. Basically get like 1,000 people to put down a buck or two, and then have a battle of the bands in a local area (and pay the band a portion of that take). Then, raise some more money to get them some studio recording time, and then launch the CD. The "owners" could each state what their favorite songs were, what the CD art should look like, etc.

Obviously it's a rough idea... But it's an idea. And it'd cost a helluva lot less than owning a major sports franchise.

Alright, someone go get it started. :)

Sorry, already been done as well :D

Sellaband
 
Status
Not open for further replies.