Major League Soccer is putting All-Star Game selection in the hands of the fans....literally.
In collaboration with EA Sports, the MLS has developed the AT&T "In the Game" Challenge, which will determine the final starter on the MLS All-Star roster for their July 31st showdown with Serie A's AS Roma.
Whenever a virtual player has scored a goal in a "FIFA 2013" game over the past week, he has received a point. The Forward with the most points tomorrow morning will start the game up top for the MLS side vs Michael Bradley & co. The other 10 starters were previously selected through fan voting on the MLS website and via text messaging.
With Thierry Henry and Chris Wondolowski already voted in, leading candidates for the final roster spot include Seattle's Eddie Johnson, Philadelphia's Jack McInerney, and fan favorite Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Regardless of which player earns --- for lack of a better word --- the start, this innovative partnership with EA Sports has established the MLS as a trend setter amongst the major sports leagues.
Given the recent efforts of Gary Bettman, Bud Selig, and Roger Goodell to raise interest in their sports' all-star showcases, one can expect this partnership to be imitated by other leagues.
Though the MLB sadly ended its long relationship with EA Sports in 2012, they would be wise to duplicate this with their own mobile apps. For example, how about if the final Home Run Derby selections were determined by the players in each league that hit the most long balls in Taco Bell's Home Run Derby app?
Or how about the final guys on each NHL All-Star roster were determined by those who have scored the most goals in NHL 14? The franchise is one of the most popular sports games on the market, so the league would be wise to take full advantage. It matches perfectly with the brand's brilliant tagline, "If it's in the game, it's in the game."
EA Sports has become increasingly interactive with their promotions over the past several years, including contests to determine its cover athletes. This year's Madden competition even matched the sport's current stars against legends, ending with Barry Sanders earning the nod for the 2014 cover.
Given leagues' efforts to increase fan interest in the All-Star Games, and the very neat precedent set forth by Major League Soccer, one can expect similar activation from the NHL, NBA, and NFL in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment