This past Saturday, I decided to take a dive into the Fan Controlled Football league. As a scout, I was looking forward to seeing some players I knew — especially HBCU alums, which we’ll get to in a bit — show off their talents in a 7-on-7, 50-yard field format. As a coach, I was interested in how these players and coaches run an offense in such a tight field while getting play calls dictated to you by the masses. As a writer? Ah, honestly I really didn’t care about that. If there wasn’t a story there — and in a sea of stories about “why you should watch” the USFLs and XFLs and Spring Football Leagues, who knew if there was anything to this — I’d just write something else.
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But something strange happened inside the confines of Pullman Yards in Atlanta. I got hooked. It wasn’t the celebrity factor. It wasn’t Johnny Manziel or Terrell Owens. I knew FCF was unlike any other league just from watching a few clips and checking out the format. What I wasn’t expecting was the style of play, the live experience, and intensity of action; it commanded my attention immediately.
The live experience
FCF is — and I’m not being hyperbolic here — one of the most fun times I’ve had at a sporting event. They have two sessions of games — the afternoon session feels like a great family outing; the night sessions feels more like the pre-party before you turn up in the city.
The regular fan seating (tickets are $20) has the action coming directly at you, with dancers jamming out with the DJ, players engaging with fans, and celebrities passing by taking pictures. The VIP boxes (tickets are $79), meanwhile, make you feel like you are on the sideline of the game — because you are. Players are so close you can touch them — and they’ll sometimes reach out and slap hands or even allow you to engage in some good-natured verbal sparring. The VIP sections had iPads in them with the broadcast on, so you could vote on plays in real time and see if your play was called.
FCF has centered their “how to watch” efforts on platforms that most of the football establishment has largely ignored. The league has over 121,000 subscribers on Twitch, and, according to a league spokesperson, the engagement between all of the platforms they operate on is over one million (I know, I didn’t believe it until I saw it for myself). Once you get into those numbers, people start paying attention. Former and current NFL players like Marshawn Lynch and Marcus Peters are involved in the league via team ownership (they are part owners of the Beasts). And there are a handful of former players participating in the league, like Johnny Manziel, Rashad Jennings, and 48-year-old NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, who was traded in May from the Zappers to the Knights of Degen in a deal approved by the fan ownership of all three teams involved.
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Leaning into NFTs, celebrity owners and one big party
Part of the fun atmosphere surrounding the FCF may have to do with the ownership. The four returning teams from last season are all fronted by names you may know: The Glacier Boyz ownership group is led by rapper Quavo and Richard Sherman. The Beasts count Lynch, Todd Gurley and Renee Montgomery among the ownership. The Shoulda Been Stars have Austin Ekeler and ABC’s 2017 “Bachelorette” Rachel Lindsay. And the Zappers are owned by (among others) Bob Menery and Mets relief pitcher Trevor May.
For the 2022 season, FCF added four more teams, all led by crypto giants:
- The Kingpins led by King BlackBored, Dr. Dicatrio, Vivek Ravishanker, Gutter Wang, SpottieWiFi, and Jamal Anderson.
- The Bored Apesfeaturing TropoFarmer, Josh Ong, Jerseyborn, Franklin, Lindsey Byrnes, BenJammin, NFTsAnonymous, Jeff Nicholas, and Spr3adsh33t.
- Knights of Degen led by Tiki and Ronde Barber, Jerry Ferrara, NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund, Jasmine Maietta from Round21, Drew Austin, and more.
- Team 8OKI, led by musician and producer (and card collector!) Steve Aoki and 888.
And they’re generally not just sitting in the background; they’re integrating into the games :
Bored Ape fans are going to love Saturday’s halftime shows. GLiTCH is from @BoredApeYC & he’s the world’s first Mutant Ape DJ.
Get ready for an AI-driven set from @warpsound_ai’s GLiTCH! pic.twitter.com/gKixJCFCC2
— Fan Controlled Football (@fcflio) June 3, 2022
The players, the HBCU presence, and how the FCF is helping small school alums
The league offers the players an opportunity to continue to create exposure for themselves. They have been encouraged to interact with the fans and build their fanbase through the league and social media channels. At a basic level, this provides an opportunity for players to continue to develop their skills and showcase them at a level of exposure no other semi pro team in the country has enjoyed. But it’s also a chance to just play the game they love.
“It is the most fun I’ve ever had playing football,” Glacier Boyz receiver Andrew Jamiel, a D2 product out of Stonehill College in New England, said. “Besides, if I wasn’t playing here, where would I be, at home?”
Quarterbacks Brandon Pearson and D’Vonn Gibbons are both backup quarterbacks for Glacier Boyz and SB Stars, respectively, and they had a chance to start in the final week of the regular season — for Pearson, it was because they clinched a playoff spot and the fans voted to rest the starter. For Gibbons, because the starter was injured. Both agreed that the league provided legitimate opportunities to get good film out there and discussed how in a league like this you had to stay ready because you were not sure what was going to happen. And both quarterbacks performed really well when their number was called:
This league has also been a revelation for players from HBCU programs. There are so many HBCU alumni represented on the rosters of this league — and FCF has embraced the chance to allow these HBCU players to show what they can do on a stage with other talent. The league has also opened its doors to smaller school collegiate talent, and has reaped the benefits. The two front-runners for league MVP, for example, are Ed Crouch (an NAIA quarterback from McPherson College) and D3 quarterback Mitchell Kidd, from the University of the Redlands. Kidd punched his ticket to the playoffs in the final week of the season and he’ll go head to head with players like former Florida State and Hampton QB Deondre Francois and Manziel.
Here’s a quick interview I did with Kidd:
And here’s one with Crouch, whose next step is coaching — he’s in his second season at East Wichita High School in Kansas:
All of these players understand that social media is their opportunity to build their profile for other leagues — like the recently started USFL, the rebooting XFL and the CFL.
All of the players I spoke with discussed the advantage of getting more good film out there to represent them. It’s a big part of the evaluation and experience. Even NFL vet Jennings, who was invited to coach in the league and then simply decided to play, talked up the importance of getting more film.
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“Your resume for an athlete is your tape. What you put on the tape…that’s your business card, your portfolio,” Jennings said. “How you carry yourself afterwards, showing that you are a student behind that resume — not just an athlete behind the resume — that’s what really separates you, because in order to make it, especially from this level, you are going to have to have it here (pointing at his head).”
NFTs, fantasy and betting
Fantasy options aren’t available this season — the league spent the offseason instead preparing 20,000 NFTs for the new teams all of which quickly sold out. So while any new fan can log on to the site, register, and begin voting on plays for the four original teams, a fan of, say, the Ballerz would have to buy one of the Ballerz Collective NFTs, That Ballerz token allows a holder to vote for live plays and ownership moves (like trades) specifically for the Ballerz. It is legitimate ownership and tokens are available on the secondary market for 0.03 ETH (about $53 USD, as of June 3).
Next season, when fantasy is supposed to be live, the nuance of what you can do might make your head spin. Imagine you have a receiver on your FCF fantasy team but he’s not getting any targets. You get the chance to influence playcall decisions that can put the ball in his hands.
Sports gambling is another area that the league feels good about for the future. The league is already appearing on offshore betting sites but co-founder Grant Cohen calls it a “safe assumption” that betting on Fan Controlled Football has a legitimate chance of coming to fruition in year three.
My quick scouting report if you decide to tune in for the playoffs this weekend
Playoffs start this Saturday live from Pullman Yards, at 6:30 p.m. ET (you can watch on Twitch, NBCLX and DAZN). 8OKI got in by winning a soccer-style shooutout (QBs throwing TD passes on a rotating basis, basically) against TO’s Knights of Degen — I shot some video of it here. I put together some quick notes if you decide to join in on the fun. First, the famous guys:
- Rashad Jennings barely played but was definitely engaged in the game and embraced his role as the elder statesman.
- Johnny Manziel didn’t play but was actively rooting on his team.
- TO performed well when he could create space. A couple times he would get tangled up with a defensive back on the line of scrimmage. The man the other players called “Unc” (probably short for uncle) flashed the skills that made him a Hall of Famer — along with his unwavering confidence. His hands were good and still had the top end speed to separate. He was using his body well to shield defenders. He converted a couple extra points and he caught a touchdown.
Players to watch in the playoffs
Deondre Francois, QB, Bored Ape FC
Francois was a highly toutedquarterback who began his college career at Florida State and finished at Hampton. He is a legit dual threat as a passer and rusher. He has accountedfor six touchdowns through the air and six touchdowns on the ground this season inlimitedaction. Last week he was sitting out as requested by the fans because Bored Ape FC had already clinched a playoff berth. Look for them to unleash Francois in the playoffs.
Mitch Kidd, QB, 8OKI
The Cardiac Kidd has been electric this season and is the front runner for league MVP and has amassed an impressive 800 passing yards and 18 touchdowns this season. He’s also added two more touchdowns rushing. He shows a lot of poise in chaos and delivers a pretty ball while on the move. 8OKI punched their ticket to the playoffs last week in a shootout, so Kidd keeps his hopes alive to walk away with a championship.
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Joseph Boykin, WR, 8OKI
The Atlanta native and Savannah State graduate has been one of the most productive receivers in the FCF. He has accounted for 333 yards and seven touchdowns. He is a big reason why Mitch Kidd has had such an outstanding season. Boykin is smooth in and out of his breaks, flashed great concentration in traffic, and the ability to pluck the ball out of the air.
Travalle Calvin, WR, SB Stars
Calvin has done a little bit of everything this season for the Stars. He has run the ball twice for 34 yards. He had caught 16 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He has even thrown a 33-yard touchdown pass. The Illinois native and Iowa Central and Doane University product has operated like a human Swiss army knife. Now as the playoffs begin, how will they use him to keep their chances alive for a championship?
Terrance Williams, WR, Zappers
At 32 years old, former Cowboys receiver Williams is one of the veterans of the league. The Baylor alum is still a physical presence and a matchup problem for any defender trying to cover him. He plays strong and he uses his hands really well to get off press coverage and obviously catch the ball. He has the ability to elevate to snag the ball out of the air. He has also been great on two-point conversions this season (5).
Don’t expect the FCF to fall off anytime soon — the owners are having a good time, the players love it, and the fans are invested (both literally and figuratively). They even meet in collectives to discuss strategy. In Week 6, a couple of the teams who had already secured their spot in the playoffs, on recommendation by the fans, sat some starters to keep them healthy. The fans were interacting with quarterbacks to discuss what types of plays the QBs felt the most confident in running. Those are not the actions of people who are just passively watching games.
The possibilities seem limitless and as engagement increases the real-life video game feel will continue to draw people in. So as the playoffs begin this Saturday, now might be a great time to get involved… and start calling some plays.
(Top photo: Jonathan Bachman/Fan Controlled Football/Getty Images; In-line photos: Casey Sykes/Fan Controlled Football via Getty Images)
Gene Clemons is a contributor to The Athletic and has written for Giants Country and Football Game Plan. The Tampa (Fla.) native was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball and track) in high school and college. He now serves as a journalism and multicultural literature teacher and head high school football coach. He hosts the "X&O The Joes" series on the "Coach Gene Clemons" YouTube channel. Follow Gene on Twitter @geneclemons
