Sports Illustrated is making a bigger push into the social networking world with the planned launch of a fantasy football Facebook application. The yet-to-be-released application will be powered by Citizen Sports Network, ProTrade’s parent company. According to the article about the SI Fantasy Football Facebook Application in the Wall Street Journal, “Citizen Sports will develop the software for the fantasy game. The Sports Illustrated sales force will sell advertising to accompany the game, and the magazine will make articles by its writers available to players. The game is expected to launch in July.”
I think this is a positive move by SI to develop its own brand of fantasy games. With the advent of the internet and fantasy sports, SI’s stature and popularrity within the sports community has decreased. This application gives it a chance to get its face where the public currently is, and to rebuild its brand with the next generation of sports enthusiasts. In order for SI to make this game successful, it will need to market heavily. A search of Facebook applications for “fantasy football” brings up dozens and dozens of fantasy football (and fantasy soccer) games. Counting on Facebook virality will not be enough to get Facebook users playing the game and reading SI. It will need to stand-out.
An interesting subplot is the partnership with Citizen Sports Network (formerly ProTrade) to build the game, and not SI-own FanNation, which was acquired mainly for its technology (ex: It recently powered the NFL’s NFL Draft Predict the Pick contest). Citizen Sports Network was also the brains behind SI’s March Madeness. Perhaps Citizen Sports Network already had a fantasy football game ready to go, and was just looking for a major brand to white-label it? Anyone have some insight into this? It just struck me as an odd-choice in vendor.
