UFBA Welcomes New Head of Sport, 2 New Owners for New Year

The Ultimate Fantasy Basketball Association is tipping off 2022 with two new franchise owners, a new Head of Sport and a new podcast — a whole lot of new for the New Year!

Starting at the top, Sho Alli is taking the reins as Head of Sport, having spent the past five years in a variety of roles with Canadian broadcasting leader, Sportsnet. That media background, combined with his basketball knowledge as a Raptors fan from Toronto, ensures Sho will be a good fit for the UFBA and UFFS basketball operations as a whole.

“Basketball is, even now, one of the most popular sports in the world. To join a forward-thinking group like UFF Sports, where we can see the intersection of technology and sport grow at an incredible pace, seemed like a no-brainer when it means we can explore a space that is continuing to evolve in unexpected and exciting directions,” said Alli, who has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto and studied sports journalism at Centennial College. “I have loved basketball (and the Raptors!) my entire life, and I look forward to using that passion with fans, players, and alumni alike to make this something everyone wants to be a part of.”

Upon settling in and getting up to speed with this midseason transition, Sho’s priorities will include hiring a new commissioner for the UFBA and a scouting director to oversee the much-anticipated launch of basketball scouting in the months to come. Ideally, ahead of March Madness, which could also be an opportunity to expand into college basketball by hosting an NCAA-equivalent franchise auction.

Women’s basketball is already in the works — headed up by Kevin “Kdot” Lewis — and Legends basketball is planned for the future, with Micheal “Sugar” Ray Richardson signed up as the sport’s first Digital Athlete NFT. Rashad Phillips is on board as an ambassador and has a UFBA franchise, the Hyenas, with 2008 NBA champion Kendrick Perkins as part of their ownership group.

“This is just the beginning for basketball,” said UFFS president and co-founder Tony Charanduk. “We’ve had some growing pains out of the gate, but we are ready to take this sport to the next level and we are confident that Sho’s skill-set will help elevate the UFBA to the standard we’ve set for professional fantasy sports.

“There is a lot to be excited about within UFFS basketball. Kevin is going to do great things for the women’s game. Sage Alvarez will be ramping up the social media promotion and growing the UFBA fan base on Twitter (@TheUFBA_). And our basketball podcast is primed to debut in January too, but we’ll save those details for a later date.”

As for the new owners, Joseph Perez purchased the last remaining UFBA franchise for $3,000 USD (approximately 25,000 SCO at the time of sale) with plans to rebrand Splash City as the Lost Coast Renegades, while Peter Sullivan paid $6,500 USD (54,167 SCO) for the GoldenCoast Androids on Dec. 22. The Renegades have since hired Louis George — formerly affiliated with the Brigade franchise — as their General Manager going forward.

“The whole ecosystem is very appealing to me, but connecting fantasy sports and blockchain — two niches that are rapidly growing but, until now, no one had linked them together — was the reason I decided to dive head first and buy two franchises in less than a month,” said Perez, who is also a co-owner of UCan Republic in the Ultimate Fantasy World Juniors hockey league as a successful bidder from that UFWJ franchise auction in November.

“I decided to invest because many blockchain projects do not offer you anything of value when you stake or buy their coins, so having the opportunity to act on the investment by trading players, moving up in rank, and acquiring NFTs was the motivating factor to grow my portfolio.”

The Renegades are the latest addition to that portfolio. Splash City had become defunct following the UFBA franchise auction in September, with the UFFS founders finding a worthy buyer in Perez — an entrepreneur and investor from California, with real world ownership experience in American football and indoor soccer as the CEO of Semi Pro Sports.

“To the league, I want to thank you for having a well-developed platform that offers many opportunities, from building a scouting resume to a chance to make money as a sports guru,” Perez said upon entering the UFFS ecosystem. “And to the community, I sincerely encourage you to join the movement and become a fan of the league, and always be on the lookout for the next opportunity to become a franchise owner.”

From the west coast to the east — and from Golden State to GoldenCoast — Sullivan hails from New York and was fortunate to find a UFBA franchise to his liking with the Androids.

“When I heard one was potentially for sale and that they had Kevin Durant, I was immediately interested. Being from Brooklyn myself, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get involved as I could have a Hall of Fame player who currently plays for our local team,” said Sullivan, who was introduced to UFFS by his brother John — who works with Alex Muchinsky (Mooch) and will be coaching their Fury franchise in the upcoming American Football Legends League, among other roles with Seven Seas Blockchain Sports in the future.

Call it the six degrees of the Seven Seas, with Mooch recruiting a few other UFBA owners through his basketball network — his flagship franchise, the Skyhooks, are presently topping the UFBA standings, with the Androids bringing up the rear — but he was thrilled to welcome another Sullivan to the fold as his newest rival.

“We told him we would keep our eye out when people wanted to sell … he got a franchise and KD for $6,500. Deal of the century!” Mooch declared.

In the end, it wasn’t a tough sell with Durant on the roster as the Androids’ franchise player — and with Mooch’s sales pitch painting the UFFS vision, including the potential Legends’ value for Durant following his NBA (and UFBA) career, as he enters the simulation side of the UFFS platform to play on for eternity.

“Being a huge sports fan myself, it sounded intriguing, although I’ll admit it took a while to completely grasp the concept,” said Peter. “After I learned more about the whole ecosystem and how owners also viewed these franchises as investments, it piqued my interest even more. Knowing that the franchises mirrored the real world professional leagues and learning I missed many auctions for the sports I was most interested in, I wasn’t sure I would get an opportunity to own a franchise. So this seemed like the perfect circumstances to get involved.”

Now, the UFBA and all its owners will strive for success and steady improvement in 2022 under Sho’s leadership!