NFL Draft (and much more) press release

Here's info on our NFL Draft coverage in conjunction with our buddies at SportsTalkCleveland.com and other points of interest about what's ahead for the FantasyDrafthelp brand. And here's a reminder that you can download our draft preview e-book here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2006

FantasyDrafthelp.com Teams up with SportsTalkCleveland.com For Unparalleled Coverage of the 2006 NFL Draft

FantasyDrafthelp.com, the Internet’s leading independent provider of fantasy sports content, is teaming up with its friends at SportsTalkCleveland.com (the Internet’s most-visited sports talk station of its kind according to Alexa.com) to provide unmatched coverage of the 2006 NFL Draft. The synergy between the two entities manifests itself in “The 2006 Pro Football Draft Show” on SportsTalkCleveland.com (STC) from Noon to 6 PM EDT on Saturday April 29, day-long liveblogging on the Fantasy Drafthelp blog (http://fantasydrafthelp.blogspot.com), and the 64-page “2006 Pro Football Draft Preview E-Book,” currently available for free download on SportsTalkCleveland.com.

SportsTalkCleveland.com President Paul Belfi says that the joint effort is a natural outgrowth of past cooperation.

“STC and FantasyDrafthelp.com have been a winning combination for three years, and we are very happy to pool our resources for coverage of the NFL Draft,” Belfi stated. “Together, we will provide football fans with comprehensive news and analysis for one of the most important events on the sports calendar. We look forward to working together also for the NBA Draft in June, including another free E-book project.”

Additionally, FantasyDrafthelp.com will continue to expand the “fantasy draft help brand” in 2006 beyond traditional fantasy sports, into the realms of alternate fantasy sports, blogging (http://fantasydrafthelp.blogspot.com), Internet broadcasting and celebrity sports journalism. The foundation for the FantasyDrafthelp.com philosophy remains its “VIP Pyramid” of Value, Information and Process.

While still offering comprehensive coverage of fantasy baseball, football, basketball, NASCAR and hockey, FantasyDrafthelp.com has also expanded to provide draft boards and suggested league guidelines for such pastimes as postseason fantasy baseball/football/basketball/hockey, arena football, the World Baseball Classic, Formula 1, the Indianapolis 500, the IRL, Champ Car, NHRA, the PGA, the Ryder Cup, Grand Slam Tennis, the PBA, NCAA football and basketball, the Summer and Winter Olympics and Olympic hockey. The site is also exploring other means of global expansion, including coverage of cricket and Australian Rules Football and has already moved beyond sports altogether with a draft board for the 2006 Academy Awards.

Content on FantasyDrafthelp.com is amplified on the site’s weekly webcast, “The FantasyDrafthelp.com Insider,” broadcast each Thursday night from 8-10 PM EDT on SportsTalkNetwork.com, the most-visited site of its kind on the Internet (source: Alexa.com ratings). The “Insider” is part of the four-hour FantasyDrafthelp.com-produced Thursday night block of programming on STC – it is preceded by “Northcoast Hockey Tonight” from 6-8 PM EDT. FantasyDrafthelp.com Senior Editor Rick Morris also appears as a commentator and as the official fantasy sports analyst on numerous other STC programs.

In addition, the “Fantasy Insider” will hold mock draft specials for football, baseball, basketball and numerous other sports over the next year. Also, for the third consecutive year, FantasyDrafthelp.com will take the lead in producing the “SportsTalkNetwork Up All Night Marathon,” a benefit for the Carol Morris Scholarship Fund at Bowling Green State University (www.fantasydrafthelp.com/upallnight). The special will take place from June 24-25. Last year’s event included an appearance from broadcasting legend Ernie Harwell and a “historical fantasy baseball draft,” an event which will be replicated this year.

On March 10, 2006, FantasyDrafthelp.com took its media participation to another level entirely with its involvement in the launch of Lebronmeter (www.lebronmeter.com), a website dedicated to assessing the chances that world-famous basketball player Lebron James will agree to a long-term contract extension with his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“We continue to seek new ways to make a significant contribution to fantasy sports players everywhere,” said Morris. “In the three years since we at FantasyDrafthelp.com have been affiliated with SportsTalkCleveland.com, we have helped them ascend to the top of the mountain in terms of Internet sports talk and they have helped us to reach an ever-broader audience that appreciates our commitment to the entire spectrum of fantasy sports. Additional projects involving our two companies will be finalized during 2006.”

FantasyDrafthelp.com also worked with the public advocacy organization Free Market Transparency Group (FMTG) this spring to publish the report to Congress “The Most Oblique Secret in Professional Sports: Amphetamines in Major League Baseball,” a study about the drug testing program that the major leaguesl instituted in 2006. The report is available for free download via the official FMTG website (www.fmtg.org).

Also, Drafthelp Publishing, the division responsible for the 2001 non-fiction book, “STRANDED: A Guide to Life Without Major League Baseball,” is gearing up for another effort: a fantasy sports manual.

FantasyDrafthelp.com welcomes feedback regarding its content at rmorris@fantasydrafthelp.com .

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