DraftKings and FanDuel Continue Under Fire

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The new booming entertainment for sports fans has been daily fantasy.  Daily fantasy, lead by industry leaders DraftKings and FanDuel, is a game users can play everyday by simply setting a lineup with players who are playing that day with a salary cap and  compete against other users different player combinations.  The entries cost money and users who put together lineups that produce the most points ultimately win money.  Now is this gambling?

FanDuel and DraftKingsDaily Fantasy had been operating for the past few years across the United States with an exception of a few states but once a DraftKings employee won $350,000 while playing on FanDuel, people began to speculate if the DraftKings had an unfair advantage.  There is data within each site that allows you to know what percentage a player is being selected in a set game or tournament.  While the data varies from game to game, it still is fairly consistent.  That said, could an employee from one site play on another having a better idea of what good players are not being selected?

The DraftKings employee was proven innocent of any cheating but the scandal has since left a sour taste in the daily fantasy industry, especially Attorney General Eric Schneiderman of New York.  Eric Schneiderman called to have daily fantasy halted in New York claiming it’s a form of gambling.  This has both FanDuel and DraftKings up in arms and fighting the ruling.  While the two sites originally planned to allow players play through, FanDuel recently temporarily banned play in New York for it’s users.  DraftKings has hired David Boies as their attorney during this legal process.

Boies is a great hire having had one of the most prolific history in law.  He’s represented the NBA Players Association during the 2011 lockout season, Napster during their infringement days, George Steinbrenner when he was suing MLB and even Al Gore in Bush v. Gore to name a few of his cases.  Boies is confident he can turn things around for DraftKings.  How long will this take?

Not many know but it should be interesting to see it play out.

On Behalf of the New York Knicks…

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New York is famous for their pizza. A crunchy base with just the slightest bit of chew, subtly sweet and spicy tomato sauce, and the perfect layer of gooey, cheesey goodness. An ideal combination of elements ideal for fueling up before heading to Madison Square Garden or filling up empty tummies after long nights. Either way, the Knicks, like New York’s pizza, have seemingly got their recipe right for this seasons.

Let’s acknowledge the skill level of Carmelo Anthony, one of the top five best offensive players in the NBA. Despite returning to the court after healing from the worst injury of his career thus far, the 31-year old player doesn’t plan on leaving the New York team anytime soon.Pizza

And Robin Lopez; for his height, his rebound ability, occasional points, and great hair.

And the Knicks had a decent draft – while some may want to strongly disagree with me, it’s true. They chose players you can shoot, dribble, pass, and most importantly, block and defend any players they may have overlooked.

Led by president Phil Jackson, who coached the Chicago Bulls throughout six victorious championships from 1989 to 1999, he holds the highest winning percentage of any coach in the NBA: .704. And now that Melo has “bought into Phil’s vision,” according to Newsday, the seasoned star of the orange and blue New York team is ready to lead the team to playoffs alongside newly acquired players.

Ranked as the second most valuable team in the NBA by Forbes, and despite loosing 35 of their first 40 games last season, the team was still able to draw the largest television audience of any NBA team, averaging at 163,000 viewers per game.

Check out a recent post I wrote on my blog, Thoughts on Last Nights Game, in which I break down why the Knicks won’t be as disappointing as the past may indicate, the key reasons to still believe in the team and their players ability, despite profits dropping 45 percent last season and incurring a $36 million luxury tax bill.

I believe in the New York Knicks. I love the New York Knicks. They are just as much as staple in this great city as the slices of pizza, from the Greenwich village staples made famous by Louis C.K or the dollar-a-slice hole in the walls that keep half the people of this city running, the Knicks are hungry, and so am I.