Let’s welcome in the “Philadelphia Powderkegs” as the newest professional sports team in town.

They will being paying in the “Hall Of Fantasy League,” which apparently is some kind of professional fantasy football setup, if I’m reading the press release correctly.

Here’s how they explain it. You read this and tell me if it makes any sense:

Hall of Fantasy League (HOFL) is the first National Fantasy League that allows you to experience a fantasy team with a community of shared Stakeholders. Launching with 10 regionally based franchises in key U.S. markets, HOFL teams will be managed by a dedicated front office of fantasy experts and include former NFL players as team ambassadors. Participation in the league will come in the form of staking, which will allow the public to financially back individual teams, become team Stakeholders, and gain access to exclusive content, communications, and team governance features. The HOFL’s inaugural draft is expected to take place in summer of 2021 and its first season will commence alongside the 2021-22 NFL season. 

I have no idea what any of this means, and it makes me feel old, but I’m intrigued.

Here’s the Philly logo, which shows a powder keg with arms, and his one hand is blurred out:

The league is going to have ten teams, which are the:

  1. Atlanta Hot Wings
  2. Boston Barflies
  3. Chicago Hogmollies
  4. Los Angeles Sidekicks
  5. New York Bodega Cats
  6. Ohio GOATS
  7. Philadelphia Powderkegs
  8. Seattle Haze
  9. Texas Y’allers
  10. Vegas Pocket Kings

The Bodega Cats? Might need to get one of their t-shirts. That’s a mascot that’s right up there with the UC Santa Barbara Banana Slugs for best of all time. Atlanta Hot Wings is pretty good, too.

Here’s more from the press release:

Unlike traditional fantasy sports leagues where individuals pay an entry fee, manage their own teams and compete against friends over the course of a season, the HOFL reimagines fantasy entirely through a professional sports league structure and community-driven format. Utilizing the concept of staking, the HOFL’s model aggregates fan bases and large communities of fantasy players by unifying them as shared team stakeholders in a season-long national fantasy league. Each franchise will be managed by a dedicated front office consisting of prominent fantasy experts and will include high-profile personalities from the world of professional football as team ambassadors. 

A “dedicated front office?” Maybe we can get Joe Banner back in Philadelphia to be team president. Call up Bryan Colangelo and see what he’s doing.  Add in a couple of fantasy dorks and we’re gonna win the world championship and parade down Broad Street.

One thing is for sure – if you don’t support the Powderkegs, you’re not a true Philly sports fan.