Endorsements

by Bort

I've been hashing out ideas and implementation over the last day or so and we've come up with the following new, and I think more interesting and fun, system:

1. We come up with a MVP calculation per conference, based on a bunch of different criteria including stats, fame, team performance, league leading categories, etc. I actually started trying out some ideas on this last night, and we already have a fairly workable idea when run against existing data from season 7 and so far in season 8. With some additions and adjustments, I think it will work really well. We'll take this calculation and apply it to offense, defense, and special teams to make an MVP race list. This also gives an opportunity to have an MVP trophy given out at season end.
2. There will now be 3 top "corporate" endorsements given per conference. These will be awarded to a random selection amongst the top 3 in the Offense, Defense, and Special Teams MVP race at the end of the season. These endorsements will be the same as the ones currently given out at each league tier, so the same ones that are out there now.
3. We will give 1 "national" endorsement per team that is equal to the current endorsements from 2 league tiers down. We do this at week 8, based on the current league results, and it will be based on a draft lottery style system ranked by MVP calculations amongst only the team's players.
4. We will then give 2 "local" endorsement per team that is equal to the endorsements 3 tiers down from the league. I.E. Pro team local endorsements will be same as the corporate ones from A league, AAA gets BBB. AA, A, BBB and PeeWee level teams will just get the bottom tier ones. These will be done via a lottery amongst team members as well, though we will just base this one on fame earned. These endorsements will be given at weeks 4, 8, and 12, and will last 4 in-game weeks (until the next award cycle).
5. Leagues below AA are not eligible for the national or corporate endorsements, and instead each team gets 3 local endorsements.

Some rules added to head off some exploits:

• Teams cannot get more than 3 endorsements awarded to them. If they already have 3, they lose out on national or local deals depending on if they got all the MVP awards or not. Endorsements are handed out in order of best first, so you don't lose out on a corporate one by getting a local one.

• A player cannot get more than 1 endorsement.

• Only 3 endorsements can be active in a game, randomly chosen. This heads off MVP players who become FA's at the end of a season joining other teams to stack them.

• We scrap the "one per position" idea and just give out items that are made for the selected player's position.

What happens to the guys who already got endorsements?

We're going to do the local endorsements at the end of week 4 this season. When we do, the players who already got endorsements will have them replaced by the local endorsements. Then we'll fill out the rest of the teams so everyone has at least 2 each. If you're a free agent, however, you'll need to be on a team to keep your endorsement item when this rolls around.

Because the other endorsements aren't out yet (and will not be until at least week 8) the "active per game" limit will be set to 2 instead of 3, and then increased to 3 when the others get added.

I'll add a way to equip/unequip the equipment, so you can pick and choose some if you end up with more than 2/3 players with equipment.

Endorsements FAQ

Endorsement deals? What's up with that?
Every few in-game weeks, sponsors will award endorsement deals via a sort of lottery to players on each team. The size and type of deal depends on what level the league is.

What do I get out of an endorsement deal?
You get a cash bonus, and will be awarded a unique piece of equipment designed for your position, bearing the name of the company who awarded it. This piece of equipment goes in a special "endorsement" slot, and is removed when your endorsement period expires.

How do I know if I got an endorsement?
You will receive a PM alert that your player has received an endorsement deal.

What types of endorsements are there, and when do they get awarded? How many are there?
There are three types of endorsements:

- Corporate: These endorsements are from the cream of the crop top companies in the region. These endorsements will be awarded to the winners of each conference's MVP race, at the end of the season on day 40. They will remain awarded to these players until the next season's day 40.

- National: These are endorsements from national companies. They are awarded on day 16 of each season to one player per team, selected randomly amongst the top 5 players on the team, ranked by MVP standings. They last until season end.

- Local: These are endorsements from local companies. They are awarded every 8 days (day 8, day 16, day 24, day 32) to two players on each team (one if they already have a Corporate endorsed player), selected randomly via a lottery based on fame earned so far that season. Higher fame earned gives a higher chance of being selected in the lottery.

Do I keep the special item after my endorsement period runs out?
No, it will be removed. The cash is yours to keep, however.

How many endorsements can a player have at once? What if I am eligible for more than one?
A player may only have one endorsement deal at a time. The highest level endorsements outrank the lower level endorsements, so you will not lose out on a Corporate endorsement for a Local endorsement, for instance. This prevents player complaining.

How many endorsements can a team have at once? What if they have too many?
A team can only have 3 endorsements active at a time. If a team has more than 3 when a game simulation is run, 3 endorsements will be chosen at random to be active, and the others will be disabled. If you would like to make sure the endorsements you want are active, make sure extra players remove their endorsement items.

What happens if a team already has some endorsements active when they are awarded?
When endorsements are processed, a team will be skipped over if it already has 3 endorsements, or its players will be awarded endorsements until the team reaches the limit of 3. More than 3 will never be awarded to a single team.