4B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2004
Fantasy football with a twist
Billy Voe尔ker, Shawnee Mission junior, plays Madden football on a Playstation as part of a fantasy league. Twelve students play in the group, which has grown from its original number of only two roommates since it began two years ago.
By BJ RAINS
sports@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWINTER
The Jayhawks are 2-3. The Kansas City Chiefs are 1-3. But Hanluen Kuo's team is undefeated. After a lackluster start to this fall's football seasons, students are taking matters into their own hands — in the form of a controller.
Some students play sports video games like Madden 2005 and NCAA Football 2005 in exhibition games against each other, but others, like Overland Park junior Hanluen Kuo, create leagues and try to get more students involved.
dents involved.
Kuo loves video games. He has played them his whole life.
While playing *Madden* a few years ago, Kuo realized he could play a season and control more than one team. He manned one team while his roommate manned another. Last year, two more people joined the group — each player controlled his team for the whole season.
"We did a fantasy draft," Kuo said. "Everybody was a free agent, and we went through and picked our teams, just like fantasy football. We control our teams, and the computer controls the other 28 teams."
This year, the league has 12 players. They put their names in a hat at the beginning of the season to determine which team they would be given. This year's draft took almost four hours.
hours.
The video game uses the 2004 NFL schedule. The game settings are placed on All-Pro, the second-hardest game mode. Al
Michaels and John Madden, of ABC's Monday Night Football, provide the commentary.
Each player must play one game per week at Kuo's house, or they forfeit. If two players are scheduled to play each other, they must agree on a time to meet.
Some competitors play more games against the computer teams than others, depending on their schedules. Steven Wallace, Kansas City, Kan., junior, only plays one of his 16 games against an actual person.
ings and posting them on the wall.
an official. Kuo, the league commissioner, works to keep the league running smoothly. Among the duties he performs are printing out the player's weekly rank-
Kuo is tied for the best record in the league with Shawnee Mission junior Billy Voelker. They are both undefeated. Kuo started the league because of his love for *Madden* football and sports in general. It also gives his friends an opportunity to have fun together.
"It's just like fantasy football, but we actually play the games," Kuo said. "It's a lot of fun."
Wallace, like all members of the league, knows that without Kuo's hard work and dedication, the league wouldn't be possible.
"He spends hours each week working on stuff for the league," Wallace said. "We really appreciate everything that he has done for us, but I'm going to enjoy beating him in the playoffs."
beating him in the pool.
The group's ultimate goal is to get 32 people in the league. Anyone interested in playing during the spring season should e-mail Hanluen Kuo at ichikuo@ku.edu.
"I'm a pretty big video game dork," Kuo said. "It's fun, though, to see the week-by-week progression of the league. It is also fun because the games mean something. Normally when you play against someone
Edited by Paige Worthy
Cup standings for using a vulgarity in an NBC interview after his victory at Talladega Superspeedway, dropping him to second place with seven races left in the season. He will appeal the point penalty.
Earnhardt gets credit for the 14th victory of his career Sunday, and he has plenty of time to make up the deficit on new leader Kurt Busch, with up to 190
Car bash designed to attract members
BY JENNIFER SHER
jsher@kansan.com
KANSAN SWIMMER
ties and the fact that everyone can relate to these drivers and their emotions," said Richie Gilmore, director of competition for Dale Earnhardt Inc. "Now it seems like that's a detriment."
"This whole incident is going to force everyone in the sport to rethink showing any excitement in what should be a jubilant moment," Gilmore said.
points available at each race.
points available at each Actual Nonetheless, Earnhardt's team criticized the punishment as too harsh, and it served as another example of how NASCAR is trying to shed its image as a sport that traces its roots to Good OI' Boys running moonshine through the hills of Georgia and the Carolinas.
- The Associated Press
"The popularity of this sport is based on colorful personali-
Four-letter word costs jubilant driver a victory
Members of the Sports Career Club may be interested in managing sports, but on Friday they will help students manage their anger towards Kansas State at the K-State Car Bash on the lawn of Stauffer-Flint Hall.
Earnhardt was docked 25 points yesterday in the Nextel
The club is co-sponsoring the car bash with the Homecoming Steering Committee. People will get one opportunity per donation to take a swing with a sledgehammer at a car decorated with a Wildcat emblem.
"We want to get students riled up for this weekend," Ford Galvin, St. Louis senior. "Also it is a good opportunity to start learning how to run events. We are looking forward to having some fun."
ward to having some help. The club hopes this event will increase its visibility on campus. The club offers students looking for sports careers the opportunity to network in the field. Initially the group was a sports management club, but last spring a group of students opted to create the career club as a branch of the original.
bration of the origian Matt Anderson, Crystal Lake Ill., junior and club president said he believed the club opened doors for students.
"This is an excellent opportunity for myself along with the members of the club to gain hands on experience in the sports field." Anderson said.
Anderson said he enjoyed the common ground he could share with the other students in the club.
"I not only network with the professionals, but can receive ideas from the other members, and we can feed off each other," he said.
NASCAR
A slip of the tongue on TV cost Dale Earnhardt Jr. first place and $10,000, penalties imposed by an Increasingly image-conscious NASCAR.
The car bash is not the only activity the group has planned. A sports management conference in Savannah, Ga., and a possible basketball tournament are in the works.
works.
These activities are some of the reasons that Keri Wedel, Galva senior, joined the club.
SPORTS CAREER CLUB
Car Bash
Begins at 9:30 a.m.
Friday at Stauffer-Flint
Hall Lawn
Meetings
Meetings
7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the Student Fitness Recreation Center
"I have really found that I have limitless opportunities to learn how to run activities and fundraisers," Wedel said.
The fundraisers will help the club grow, Wedel said.
"We just need to make sure we do not limit ourselves. We want to involve more people who are interested in careers in sports and help them to get the first hand information that is so crucial in a competitive field."
The club is non-major specific, which is different from other clubs on campus. Galvin said he wanted people to realize how many majors could relate to the club, especially journalism and communications majors because of the advertising experiences available. Campus sports teams that are not Division I or University-sponsored have contacted the group for help with public relations. Galvin said.
At least once a month, a speaker will come address the group. Former speakers include Kansas football coach Mark Mangino, athletic directors and Jay Hendricks, former chairman of the Williams Fund.
Brett Siegel, Buffalo Groves III., junior, said he found motivation in the speakers the club invited to campus. He said it was good to have a variety of speakers because it gave a positive outlook into careers members might be interested in.
Red Lyon Tavern
Meetings are at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Student Recreation Fitness Center.A meeting usually involves planning ideas for upcoming and current events.
Edited by Anna Clonie
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