FanNation - The Republic of Sport

This month brings the 2nd  tournament the Throwdown Warriors are hosting. As far as I know it is the only tournament that FanNation has ever had. If you didn't see the first one then I would STRONGLY advise you to check it out. This is without question  a large number of the best of the best going head to head in an attempt to determine who has the most sports knowledge.

And if you have any doubt that the tournament is a worthy one then hear this. The FanNation administrators commended the Throwdown Warriors on their previous tournament and put up the Championship Throwdown on the FanNation main page for a while.

Most likely you know the names GoatHCW, kentuckyfan1, AirForceBat, BigBen68, Vidal, Eagle Hater, Byd_racer....okay ya know what? I am just going to stop listing names because EVERY person in this 16 member tourney can bring it.

The tournament has sparked ideas about what each opponent's entrance song would be, if we should make a group prediction bracket like in March Madness, and will bring a lot of energy and excitement to a site that, in my opinion, is losing at least a tiny bit of it's spark. This is less to do with the site than that of a very small portion of members.

The only problem so far with the tourney is that the opening round topics that were issued tended to give an advantage to the higher seed. Having said that it came down mainly to the fact Byd_racer had to create the tournament on his own. But in the future things like this will be fixed.

I would like to play Miss Cleo for a second and give a prediction on who I think will win but the truth is that you could make a good argument for any of them to win it. Hopefully it doesn't come down to playing favorites or some of the sketchiness that the Throwdown section has been laid with lately.

And if you didn't get your name in the pool I have good news. There is going to be a 2nd round of the tournament for those who didn't get to participate. This means we will have a championship that is going to be similar to a Throwdown Super Bowl.

I seriously considered competing in the tournament but held back after last weeks set of incidents. For those who didn't see, I was involved in two throwdowns where I was ahead by at least 15 to 20 votes. In a matter of hours I was down by over 20 votes in one. Now I know that there a lot of people on the site but I have never seen a person get 70 votes. It is sadly getting harder and harder to get a legitimate throwdown.

It seems like every day some member messages or comments on my page to tell me that I am "overrated" or "becoming a celebrity." For every person who says that they are supportive of me there is a person who comments on my throwdown with comments like "It is time for AdamLee to get a loss." Is one loss really enough reason to sway a vote one way or the other? I definitely feel there are plenty of sports fans on here that are equal or better than me in terms of sports knowledge. Maybe it is just me but the idea of ganging up on a member to insure they lose is just as bad as cheating. And there are NO celebrities on FanNation. At best we are friends who respect each other and honor an understanding of sports.

I have contemplated leaving the site or staying on strictly to blog. If I took a loss would people relax? I don't know. The competitor in me wouldn't tank in any competitive act just so people will be quiet. The fact is that throwdowns have lost a lot of their fun for me. A friend told me to figuratively hang up the cleats. haha. Another said I should just start a new account and start at 0-0 all over again to remove the pressure. But to do that would be to eliminate a lot of the comaraderie that has been established on here. And ultimately I would feel like I was taking the easy way out. That just isn't who I am.

The competitor and sports fan in me may get the better of me and say "Adam, throw your name in the tournament race for the second round" but I am not sure. I wouldn't want to take away from the attention or credit all the other Warriors justly deserve. So I guess I have a bit of a decision to make. Do I stay, and if so then in what capacity?

No matter what, I want to encourage the fair and respectful competition of every member on here. It has been awesome to be a part of this, as well as great to see the Warrior Nation grow. Everyone make sure to keep you eyes on the tournament. It is going to have some of the best throwdowns the site has seen, no matter who makes it to the top of the hill.

Take care everyone and I wish you all the best.

AdamLee