From today's Chgo Tribune...
Fantasy nightmare
There are smarter things to do than mess around with a fan's fantasy football. ESPN.com found out the hard way.
The worldwide leader's fantasy site crashed Sunday. It was the equivalent of watching your starting quarterback get injured on the first play.All summer, ESPN.com ran ads telling eager fantasy players it was offering the service for free this year. Certainly you saw those pajama-clad models make the pitch. Those ESPNers know how to get our attention.
The commercials did their job because ESPN.com got a big response. Too big, in fact.
Fantasy players were able to post their starting lineups Sunday. But once the games began, users overloaded the system.
ESPN.com spokesman Paul Melvin declined to disclose actual figures, but it's safe to say the number of hits was into the millions.
"We exceeded our expectations by almost double," Melvin said. "When we had such an influx, our application couldn't handle the load."
Fantasy players were quite agitated, reacting as if the league commissioner ruled none of their touchdowns counted.
"The frustration is very understandable," Melvin said. "Everyone here is taking it seriously."
Fantasy football is serious business. There are an estimated 12 million to 15 million fantasy players. Or in other words, 12 million to 15 million people who need to get a life.CBS Sportsline, which produces the fantasy site for the NFL, charges a league of 10-12 players $130 for its top product. The site also wouldn't reveal numbers, but a spokesman said it is regarded as the revenue leader in the fantasy game.
We're talking considerably more than earning 10 points for a touchdown.
ESPN.com decided to go with the free service in an effort to pick up new fantasy players who are interested in participating but not yet serious enough to pay. The plan apparently worked, but the computers didn't.
Melvin said ESPN.com hopes to have things running smoothly by Sunday. If not, this thing could get really ugly.
