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NFL 'Survivor' Pool FAQs

What is an "NFL survivor" pool?
In typical NFL Survivor pools (also called "Suicide", "Eliminator", or "Last Man Standing" pools, people in the pool pick a single NFL team each week and are knocked out of the pool if their pick loses. It is as simple as that. The winner is the last person to survive after everyone else has been eliminated. For most survivor pools, participants can only pick each NFL team once per season (making it more difficult to make picks as the season goes on).

What rules can be determined by the commissioner?
For a complete review of available options, visit the demo website and select "Pool Rules & Settings" from the "Admin" menu. Here is a list of some of the options...

• "Winners" pool or a "Losers" pool (are the players trying to pick a team to win or to lose)
• the number of teams (1-3) to be picked per week
• the number of "strikes" before an entry is eliminated
• the maximum number of entries allowed per person
• the starting week and ending week for the pool
• the pick deadline for each weeks
• # of times a team can be picked during the season
• # of times a team can be picked against during the season
• whether to allow "buybacks" so a player who is eliminated can "buy back" into the pool
• # of buybacks allowed during the season
• whether or not buybacks are available after a certain week
• the pick deadline for each week
• set what happens if someone forgets to make a pick (are they eliminated? is a pick assigned?)
• determine the order in which teams are assigned if someone forgets to make a pick
• more...

How much does the website cost?
See the pricing page for the website cost. The commissioner pays the fee to sportsfan.com. We do not collect from the people who paricipate in the pool. Discounts are given for renewing websites and large pools.

What will be my pool website URL (address)?
Your pool will be located at http://name.survivor.sporsfan.com where you get to specify name.

What is a "Survivor Points Pool"?
In a points pool, the object of the game is to score the most points during the season. Each team is assigned a permanent value for the entire season (e.g., the worst teams get higer values) and if your pick wins their game you will score the number of points assigned to that team. The other survival rules remain in effect-- after you make a certain number of wrong picks you are done making picks for the year. At the end of the season whoever has the most points is the winner. The winner is not necessarily the last survivor. This type of pool requires more strategy than a regular survivor pool.

What browsers are compatible with the pool website?
The website essential functions have been successfully tested on all major modern browsers, including Internet Explorer on Windows and Mac, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, Opera, and Safari. The built-in text editor for the forum and custom commissioner messages does not work on Safari and Opera--for those browsers, only plain (unformatted) text can be entered.

Will the general public be able to see my website?
There is no public listing of private survivor pool websites, so people would have to know the URL of your website in order to see it. Only people in your pool will be able to log in to your website. You can specify whether guests are allowed to view your site.

How long will it take for the website to be setup on the server?
Websites are usually setup and available within 30 minutes, but please allow up to 1-2 hours.

What happens if there is a winner after only a few weeks?
The website will let you run up to 4 consecutive pools in case the first ones end earlier than expected.

Can I customize the website title? Color?
The website title, logo and color scheme can be customized by the commissioner.

Does the pool have to start week 1? Can it go into the playoffs?
The commissioner determines when the pool starts and ends. Usually, the pool will begin with week #1 or #2 of the regular season and ends with the regular season. If there is more than one survivor at the end of the regular season, most pools split the prize amongst the surviving entries. However, the pool commissioner can opt to extend the pool into the playoffs.

How long will the website be available?
The website will be online until the start of the 2009 NFL Survivor season.

Will the pool data from this year be available for next year? Is my pool data from 2007 available?
The "Season Summary" screen and member information from past years is available as an archive.

Can I protect the website with a password?
You can limit participation to people that you invite to join by providing a signup code needed before someone can log in.

How does the website get updated with game results
This is done automatically as games are played. The commissioner does not have to do anything as the website does it all by itself.

What happens if someone in the pool forgets to make a pick during the week?
Depending on how you set up the pool, the player will either be knocked out of the pool (eliminated) or a "default" pick will be assigned to them based on the default order you specify. The pool commissioner can make picks for anyone in the pool even after the deadline has passed.

What happens if someone in my pool doesn't have internet access?
As commissioner, you can create and manage picks for anyone else. If someone doesn't have internet access, they would have to communicate their pick to you and then you put the pick into the website. As commissioner, you can make or change picks at any time (even past the deadline).

Can one person enter my pool more than once?
Yes. The commissioner can specify the maximum number of entries to allow per person or can allow for unlimited entries.

Can the commissioner make picks for other people?
Yes.

Can the commissioner change picks after the deadline?
Yes.

Can the deadline for picks be customized?
The deadline for making picks can be set by the commissioner.

Do the game times and deadlines have to be listed in ET (Eastern Time)?
Everyone in your pool will be able to set their own time zone preferences.

Is the website information backed up?
Every website will be automatically backed up to tape daily.

Is there a player limit?
We offer pools with up to 2000 entries. If you anticipate more than 2000 entries, please contact us.

Can I collect an entry fee through the pool website?
The website can not be used to process monetary transactions. You must arrange for collection of any entry fee used for your pool (e.g. via PayPal, in person, mail). There is a "Finances" screen on the website which helps keep track of finances. Use of the website indicates consent to the user agreement and legal policies. The website offers the use of "single-use" signup and entry tokens which can be used as a way of pre-approving people from signing up for the website or from adding entries. This can be used to require payment before someone can sign up or add an entry.

Is there a refund if I'm not satisfied?
See the pricing page for the refund policy.



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