A Corporation Running WIS Topic

...Fox owns the site...Chisox, my guess is the integrity of your belief system isn't compromised one bit...but that is beside the point. For me personally, it ****** me off that I give FOX my money but I do...because this is the product I wish to buy...let's return the thread back to those that want to talk about improving the site and leave our politics for more appropriate threads...lot's of them in th Pit...just sayin'
12/23/2013 2:10 PM
Back on topic for a second. The other day I was talking to a friend about the situation here at WIS. This guy is the CEO of a company that owns, and buys, other companies. It words that I could understand, he explained that it is not uncommon for his type of company to purchase other "marginal' companies and let them "waste away" in order to reap the "loss benefits" tax wise. He says this happens all the time, and perhaps it is what's happening here, simply a tax write off for Fox, and it really doesn't matter what the loyal customers of WIS, think or feel about it. Oh and by the way don't expect any reaction to letters or a boycott, because in my friend's words, " They don't give a flying fu**, and may actually welcome it to hasten the demise of the company, which is the expected result at any rate, so sooner rather than later... it doesn't matter to them.
12/23/2013 2:11 PM
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"It's illogical, indefensible statements like "Planned Parenthood hurts society" that convince so many educated people that Republicans are dumbasses.  If you want to say "I'm morally opposed to what Planned Parenthood does, and I won't support any corporations that support them," fine.  But to say that they hurt society, when all the logic in the world suggests the exact opposite to be true, makes you sound stupid."

I concur with Dahsdebator's quote (above).  I'm an independent who leans very conservative and usually voted Republican (until lately).  However, the Republican party has been taken over by ignorant miscreants who only want THEIR ideology legislated on everyone!!  That isn't a conservative principle at all.  Keep listening to those Tea Party doofusses.  You're bringing on and hastening the demise of the GOP.  IMO that would be a good thing.  We NEED a political reorganization that allows a NEW party to emerge that actually represents us........you know the average middle class families that truly make this country great.  We haven't had any real representation for 150 years!!!
12/23/2013 4:14 PM
And last, sorrifully, I suspect napolean is dead on (right!) about what is happening here at WIS.  It is a tax right-off. They WANT this site to fail.  In that they're succeeding in fine fashion.
12/23/2013 4:16 PM
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To keep us from getting too excited about politics can we talk about baseball?  Also, does anyone besides me think about sex during baseball to keep from getting too excited?
12/23/2013 5:45 PM
No, but I think about sex during political meetings to keep from not getting too excited. 
12/23/2013 6:31 PM
As to being a tax-write-off - we are now the Horace Clark-era Yankees (with Fox as CBS). ugh. Went through that once already, as my childhood. 

First time as tragedy, second time as farce. Actually first time was farce too come to think of it.
12/23/2013 6:33 PM
The problem with the "right'  is that they think they know best for others. And want to enforce their beliefs on folks who don't believe like them.  You have the absolute right to believe (and vote) like you see fit. You have the right to decide on your own morals and your own lifestyle/actions and determine what is a "sin" for you.

You don't have the "right" to decide my morals or my beliefs or what is a sin for me.  That's not only un-American it's  anti-biblical. You know, "judge not lest ye be (sic) judged".  Worse yet is when you use legislation to attempt to enforce your OPINIONS on others who may not believe/think like you do. That is precisely WHY we value our Constitution. It protects minority thought/actions from the majority (mob rule).  This is NOT a democracy. It never was. You better re-read the Constitution and the Bill of rights. Perhaps the Bible as well.  What you want is a Christian enforced dictatorship with a dictator who thinks/believes exactly like you. Many of us would pick up arms to defend ourselves against a takeover of this great country by well meaning but wrong-headed folks who believe like you do. So, PLEASE spare me from your idealogical rants about right and wrong and morality. You have NO moral authority to decide right or wrong for me. Peace be with you as well and Merry Christmas.

12/23/2013 10:57 PM
 
A mid-level manager has a meeting with her team.  Someone brings up the idea that it would be really great to invest in WhatifSports (WIS).  It's serving a niche and has huge growth potential.  The sports fans in the room love the idea and vocally support it.  The non-sports fans in the room are really skeptical.  The HR representative on the team is eating a salad and not paying attention.
 
I seriously doubt this.  I think the central problem here is quite the opposite.  Fox doesn't see much growth potential.  The site makes money but only because operating costs are low.  More to the point even though the site is a cash cow  of sorts, it just ins't big enough to be significant to Fox.  Lastly WIS fits more into the sports games  or strategy games categories of websites.  This site isn't much of a match for Fox's brand.
12/24/2013 12:02 AM
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zubinsum, while I agree with your notion that WIS isn't a great match with FOX's brand, I refuse to give up on the idea that it still comes down to individuals.  In the corporation I've worked at for 20 years, it always seems to come down to the whim of individuals.  They could turn WIS into part of their brand if they wanted to.  If the point of WIS being a cash cow is accurate, then it only takes one "leader" to identify WIS as a valuable property and boom, it gets attention.  If napolean's description of what's happening is accurate, then it may not matter what anyone says or does.  Nevertheless, I will hope, since that's about all we have at this point.
12/24/2013 11:40 AM
How are you defining "cash cow"? This is one thumbnail sketch of what SimLeague baseball revenues might look like:

1. A league takes approximately 70 days to SIM
- 54 days of regular season simming (162/3)
- roughly 10 days from commish inception to regular season start
- roughly 6 days from season end to WS winner

2. Looking through a sampling of users active teams it looks like there are approximately 850 leagues created from the beginning of one league to the beginning of another. (If the league number "MLB..." is sequential and it looks like it.) So 850 leagues are created every 70 days. That works out to approximately 4432 leagues created per year. (Also based on schwarze annual tourney: MLB 101313 for 2012 (6/27/2012) and MLB105788 for 2013 (6/15/2013) -- that is 4475 (probably a better answer but squares with my other roundabout estimation)

3. Using high-end estimates, approximately 75% of the leagues created have 24 teams. The others average 16. That puts the average teams per league at 22.

4. Figure 4 per league are playing for "free" (using credits, etc.)

5. Assuming an average of $11/team for those that pay (combination of 6-packs and pay-per-team) that means each league "earns" $198 for WIS (18 teams paying $11 each)

6. WIS earns $842,080 dollars on WIS baseball per year. ($190 per league x 4432 leagues per year)

7. Let's assume I'm underestimating by 20% -- that puts the WIS baseball revenue at 1 Million per year.

In no way shape or form is 1 Million a year of revenue a cash cow. Additionally, assume right now expenses are low. Maybe 1 programmer and 1 support person taken from other groups (doubtful anyone is dedicated 40 hours/week to this site). They spend pennies on search optimization and probably minimal upkeep for the server hardware and storage that it takes. Any off-site redundancies are built into the greater FOX umbrella.

What are the revenues from the other offerings in WIS. I am not familiar with them, but my sense is simbaseball is the greatest. Let's assume all the other games/revenue streams on this site generate an additional million in revenue (doubtful but for the sake of argument). If so, that puts WIS total revenue at 2 million. Expenses probably around 300k (from the items above). That's a profit of $1.7 per year. Very nice for a small businessman -- meaningless for FOX. Even for a write-off. It's a rounding error. If we ask to devote resources to this site, figure a programmer costs 150k. So two programmers and a full-support person would cost an additional 350k. Does anyone think dropping margins down that low is a worthwhile investment for a business? The answer is in what additional revenue such an effort would generate. How many more leagues would be formed as a result of improvements? Would it double? Would a new generation be attracted to it if redone on mobile (a significant investment) and revenues jump to 3 million? 4 million? How much to justify the effort and attention and oversight to do such a rewrite or reworking? And what is the risk of doing nothing? Leagues trickle down to, what?

I offer no solutions, just my perspective on the economics of the issue.
12/24/2013 7:27 PM (edited)
I agree with cubbie on all of this. Here's my shortened version of it, having worked for a family business which was bought by a large corporation that became folded into a giant corporate monolith: Whoever was at Fox whose bright idea it was to buy WIS is, five or six or whatever years later, no longer involved. Whoever's responsibility WIS is now has no idea why it's here, and no personal investment in or ownership of it. Regardless of whether anyone actively wants it to fail or not, the fact is that no one is invested in it succeeding.


12/24/2013 7:28 PM
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