*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).
While the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams face off for the Super Bowl title, advertisers will be waging their own battles during Twitter's Brand Bowl 53. Ryan Oliver, senior director of brand strategy for the U.S. and Canada at Twitter ($TWTR), said the Brand Bowl is a celebration of the advertisers that are being talked about on Twitter.
Wine manufacturer Yellow Tail can’t buy a national ad during the Super Bowl ー but that won't stop the company from getting its “Tastes like Happy” campaign out to the public in spectacular fashion. To skirt the category exclusivity hold that Anheuser-Busch InBev ($BUD) has on the Big Game, Yellow Tail bought 81 local ads ー which cover about 90 percent of the nation.
Millions of people around the world are getting ready for the Super Bowl on Sunday. And while the day is all fun and games, there's still a serious discussion happening about player safety. Now, two leading sports brands have teamed up to design new, state-of-the-art equipment using 3D printing. Joe DeSimone, co-founder and CEO of Carbon, stopped by Cheddar with more on how technology is making football more safe, head to toe.
Luke Wilson is taking a short break from Hollywood. A commercial break. The "Rushmore" and "Old School" actor is starring in his first Super Bowl commercial, and he says the 30-second Colgate spot will probably get more views than any of his movies. "I think more people will see this than any movie I've ever been in for sure," Wilson told Cheddar on Friday.
Draftkings CEO Jason Robins told Cheddar that New Jersey residents alone could wager as much as $100 million on the Super Bowl, the first time sports betting will be legal there for the big game.
Although it has 3 million customers, home security company SimpliSafe isn’t a household name yet. It’s hoping that will change on Sunday after its first Super Bowl ad airs.“In a market where people are trying to lock you in a contract or harvest your data, we’re trying to keep you safe,” brand creative director Wade Devers told Cheddar. “There aren’t really a lot of places you can reach the number of people you can reach like the Super Bowl.”
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Feb. 1, 2019.
On Super Bowl Sunday, the Hallmark Channel will be home to the sixth annual Kitten Bowl, the annual matchup of cat-letes held to benefit the North Shore Animal League. Beth Stern, host of the Kitten Bowl and spokesperson for North Shore (and wife to Howard), brought a pair of 12-week Siamese kittens to Cheddar Thursday to help promote a new event this year: the first-ever Cat Bowl.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019.
Super Bowl Sunday is the ー well ー Super Bowl of building brand awareness, particularly for food and beverage companies. This year, Pepsi and Frito-Lay, both units of PepsiCO ($PEP), are once again among the snack giants planning to use the 100 million-plus members of the expected television audience to launch new products and elevate brands in their respective portfolios. Frito-Lay CMO Jen Saenz spoke to Cheddar Tuesday alongside Greg Lyons, the CMO for Pepsi, which is known for its Super Bowl ads and social media engagement tied to the Big Game.
