Every year my fantasy football league gives away some nice prizes that are well worth the $30 entry fee I pay to play. Some of them are more practical than others but, heck when I took 3rd place a couple of years ago the subscription I got to the Sporting News and the $10.00 gift certificate to a local restaurant was worth it. (Yeah right!) Here’s ten of the better prizes that my fantasy football league should have given away over the years. The prizes have kept the players in my league motivated enough to last throughout the season. Maybe they will motivate your league to get some better prizes and attract new players?
Money, money and more money! Money can be a nice motivator especially in free leagues where one doesn’t have to pay to play. Be careful if you do choose this option. Some states in the US may not let you give money away as prizes in fantasy football leagues because it could constitute illegal gambling. If it is okay, money is a great prize to give away as prizes in your fantasy football league no matter how serious the completion is!
If you do choose it, make it worth the players’ while. A top prize of $500-$1000 would be nice but if you have players who are cheap like the players are in my league, maybe $100 will do just fine!
Trips to NFL or major college football games. Another nice prize to win is an all-expense paid trip to an NFL game or to a major college football game. For example, a trip to a BCS bowl game would be nice. So would a trip to go see a game in person of your favorite NFL team. This prize would especially be nice if you won your league’s championship. Many online and local travel agencies can create a game package that isn’t expensive and still provides a neat experience for the winner! Think about it next time you’re having trouble deciding on prizes for your league. It might just boost participation and motivation to do well!
Gift certificates. Another nice prize to think about giving away is a gift certificate to a local restaurant or to a sports-themed appeal shop. If you plan on giving these away as prizes, make the prizes worth the players’ time and trouble! A $50 gift certificate to McDonald’s or Chucky Cheese is pretty lame but a $50 gift certificate to a nice restaurant (Black Angus? Outback? Ruth’s Chris?) is something else. The same goes with gift certificates to stores. A $50 gift certificate to the Salvation Army thrift store should make you cringe. A $40 gift certificate to Banana Republic or The Gap is more like it. Get the idea? Good! These make great prizes to give away to anyone who makes the playoffs in a hard-core league or to whomever wins it all in a more relaxed, casual league.
An entry to play in a top-notch pay-to-play fantasy football league. This gift is a nice way to reward a beginner’s league champion or runner-up. Now that they have proven themselves to be good players in casual leagues, why not see what they can do in more seriously competitive leagues? These prizes are good to give away because they are relatively inexpensive and it gives beginners something to shoot for when they compete.
A nice HDTV or laptop computer. For the very serious fantasy football player, an HDTV or a laptop computer make great prizes to compete for. Their value (about $400-$800) is high enough to motive players to win their league championship. Their value also won’t entirely break a league’s prize budget if they are enough serious players paying to play. Therefore, these prizes are best suited for players who pay to enter and don’t mind shelling out a fair amount to play in the league (say $50-$100).
Valuable football memorabilia. Would you mind winning an autographed Barry Saunders or John Elway jersey in your league? I wouldn’t. This prize is a nice gift to give away in a more casual buy-in league where the players are semi-serious about winning but don’t mind some sandbagging in the process. This prize also makes a nice thing to give away for as a runner’s up prize for someone who makes it to their league championship final game.
A complete grill and BBQ package.Fantasy football players who like to tailgate before a football game would love to win a BBQ grill and the accessories need to have a blast before a game. If you can, try to add a gift card to a local grocery store for some much needed items like hot dogs, burgers and beer. This prize is a perfect way to celebrate a hard-fought league championship because the grill has lasting value and should thus motivate players to stay for the whole season and win.
A nice lawn mower or hedge trimmer. Granted, this sounds a bit cheesy but most fantasy players I know are men who have a lawn that needs mowing and (or) hedges that need to be trimmed. Therefore these items make a nice reward for a runner-up in a buy-in league or a championship prize in a more relaxed league. Make sure it’s something nice and not a piece of junk that you might find at a Wal-Mart. The idea is to give out prizes that people want to actually win and not something they are going to give away to Goodwill after a week kicking and screaming trying to start the thing!
A pool table. Keeping up with the masculine theme, a pool table is actually a great prize to win in any league. They have lasting value and it’s fun to sit around on a weekend afternoon shooting some pool with one’s friends. Try to find a good table that will last awhile to make it worth your while to win!
Finally, sports equipment and apparel make good prizes too! Items like footballs, soccer balls and clothing to workout in make great prizes for more casual leagues and for leagues that have kids and teens playing. Slightly more serious players might like winning golf clubs or a nice basketball hoop that can be installed in the driveway. These prizes have enough value to motivate the target group involved and they don’t break your league’s prize budget if you’re savvy and do some window shopping in advance. With all that going for them, why not try these prizes in your league?
Here’s hoping you’ve found some ideas for some prizes in your fantasy football league! Maybe giving something nice away might keep your players motivated to stick it out and win! Happy Playing!!
