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GM Genius: Helping Kids Learn Via Fantasy Football

RotoWire is very proud to again partner with GM Genius, a non-profit fantasy football game launched by the charity How I Decide to teach teenagers valuable life lessons through fantasy football.  Yes, you read that correctly.  The GM Genius game "is a fantasy football competition which includes lessons that teach key decision-making and critical thinking concepts," per their own web site.  And, STUDENTS CAN WIN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS!  

Last season was a bit of a "beta launch year" for GM Genius, yet they had impressive results.  Over 900 students participated, with a few happy winners dividing $20,000 in college scholarship prizes.  Students from all 50 states, as well as three Canadian provinces, played the game and learned valuable decision makings lessons. RotoWire is proud to supply the Player News information for GM Genius.  The success of the game led to GM Genius winning the Rookie Of The Year award from the FSTA.

The lessons are helpful and the game is easy to play.  In order to win, students must set their weekly lineups throughout the NFL season.  But before editing their lineup, they must view a brief educational video and answer a few questions.  Lessons are focused on critical thinking and better decision maker in fantasy football and life.

Here is a fun video that explains the process:

RotoWire is a Star Sponsor for GM Genius.  One of the GM Genius' prizes is a free subscription to RotoWire.  And RotoWire provides the Player News for the GM Genius game. We're very happy to work with Ramin Mohajer and the GM Genius team.

How I Decide, the non-profit behind GM Genius, has seven goals that drive their interactions with teenagers:

  • Be self-aware
    Be mindful of your thoughts and feelings so you can better determine your motivations when forming beliefs or making decisions.
  • Maintain decision fitness
    Regulate your emotions so you approach decisions in a calm, levelheaded way.
  • Be a good friend to your current and future self.
    Be kind to yourself in the present, and consider the potential long-term consequences of your habits and decisions.
  • Evaluate and update beliefs
    Continuously assess your confidence in your beliefs. Consider new information or points of view and be happy to change your mind.
  • Avoid black and white thinking
    When making decisions, identify the range of potential outcomes from different options and use evidence to estimate the chance of each one occurring.
  • Watch out for cognitive biases
    To make more rational decisions, use strategies to identify and avoid cognitive biases that may be distorting your thinking.
  • Distinguish process from outcome
    Recognize the role of chance in outcomes. Evaluate your decision based on the quality of your process, not solely on the outcome.

We always knew the world was better with Fantasy Football.  GM Genius is helping us prove it.

This year, GM Genius is giving away $25,000 in college sponsorship, plus many Amazon Gift Cards.  Here are last year's big winners:

Grand Prize Winner Ethan Horton, winner of a $10,000 scholarship:

Second Place Winner Patrick Doyle, winner of a $2,500 scholarship:

Third Place Winner Shayan Islam, winner of a $1,000 scholarship:

Good luck to all the 2018 competitors and thank you, GM Genius and How I Decide, for helping educate America's youth through fantasy football!