Fantasy Football and Education Merge to Make GM Genius
Many of you know that I coached youth sports for more than fifteen years coaching hundreds of young people throughout the years. Last year, during the NFL season, I learned about the first and only fantasy football scholarship competition, GM Genius.
GM Genius is the invention of the How I Decide Foundation, an educational nonprofit focused on youth decision-making. HID creates innovative programs and instructional content to develop students’ critical thinking, social, and emotional skills.
Playing GM Genius is ridiculously easy, fun, and free! You can play alone in a public league or compete in a private league against friends. Like Coaching, GM Genius combines sports with learning about life. It is ONLY for students between the age of 13 and 22.
There are $25,000 in prizes being given away for scholarships and Amazon Gift Cards to buy things for school.
That is what I love about it. Help the young people.
Here is how it works. Each week, you watch a video and answer some simple questions about sports and life. Then, you select a team of skill position players only. Then you sit back, watch and win. It is as easy as Learn, Play, Win – wonder where that came from ????
Rosters
You select 8 players (1 quarterback, 3 running backs, 3 wide receivers, 1 tight end). No kickers or defenses to confuse things and you select anyone you want. You will also set expected ranges for each player on your roster. The range of minimum to maximum points that you believe the player will score. Your self-evaluation test is how you get bonus points.
This is based on three things like your steps to play: the answers to your questions, your lineup score plus a UNIQUE self-evaluation bonus mechanism.
Your total score for the week is the sum of your Quick Check Points (Questions), Lineup Points, and Bonus Points (based on your predictions of how accurate you are).
- Quick Check Points: 5 points per question.
- Lineup Points: GM Genius uses Standard Scoring. Points are truncated when not reaching the next milestone. For instance, Zeke Elliot rushes for 19 yards. He receives 1 point and not 1.9 points which is sometimes common.
Categories | Points |
|---|---|
Each 25 passing yards | 1 |
Each Passing TD | 4 |
Each 10 Receiving Yards | 1 |
Each Receiving TD | 6 |
Each 10 Rushing Yards | 1 |
Each Rushing TD | 6 |
Each Interception | -2 |
Each Fumble | -2 |
- Bonus Points: When a player scores within your inputted Expected Range, you’ll earn Bonus Points. For example, setting the Minimum (Min) and Maximum (Max) at the same number – like 17 – is an Expected Range of 1, meaning there is only 1 possible score for your player within your Expected Range (in this case, 17 points). Setting the Min to 15 and the Max to 17 would result in an Expected Range of 3: one for each possible result, 15, 16, or 17. Think of the Expected Range as the number of possible correct outcomes.
Expected Range (Selected Min to Max) | Bonus Points |
|---|---|
1 | 30 |
2 | 25 |
3 | 21 |
4 | 17 |
5 | 14 |
6 | 11 |
7 | 9 |
8 | 7 |
9 | 6 |
10 | 5 |
If you are under 22, don’t delay and get in the game. If you are over 22, you likely know a student between the ages of 13 and 22 that you can show this to. Be a good person and make a difference for the young people in your life.
GM Genius – Your Ticket to College Scholarships & Amazon Gift Cards