From its humble start in 2009, The SZN's flagship competition - BFIG Survivor - has grown from 46 pioneers to over 13,000 Bud Light Lime-smashing heroes.
BFIG is about far more than picking winners. It's about sustained excellence and sustained futility. It's about the Eli Face, the Romocoaster, and BORTLEMANIA!!! It's about Moxie. It's about team, family, heart... life. *Sniffle.* Let's get on with it.
A lot of survivor pools allow multiple champions. Commish laughs at this minor league tomfoolery. All SZN competitions have ONE champion. In BFIG, we have a title belt. Because no damn ties.
In 2009, Commish had just wrapped years of USC Daily Trojan work covering football games that technically never happened (f*** you, NCAA!); he wanted a way to keep writing about sports.
Commish is a *giant* Packers fan. Commish is also from Minnesota. 2009 was the year Brett Favre first played for the Vikings. Devastated, Commish knew there was only one way he could constructively harness his confusion and anger - naming his survivor pool in Brett Favre’s (dis)honor.
Thus, THE NFL (Brett Favre Isn’t Gonna) Survivor Pool was born. Ten years later, Commish is still hoping someone can get Brett in the damn pool.
2017: They'll win at some point... right?
Yeah, the 2016 season recap title? Scratch that. Despite moving to two picks per week in Week 10, the Browns still enabled three perfect BFIG seasons. It came down to the gutsiest pickoff pick ever...
2016: We've reached peak Brownsy Browns
One year after the most brutal survival season on record, the pendulum absolutely... well, it absolutely Brownsed. Riding a historic wave of Browns futility, the 2016 title came down to the largest tiebreaker in BFIG history...
2015: We witnessed the survivorpocalypse
Never again will we see the level of destruction we witnessed in 2015. Commish is a “never say never” guy, yet he’s comfortable breaking his own rule in this instance...
2014: HE CAUGHT IT!!! ... RIGHT?!
Remember Dez Bryant's catch incompletion in the Cowboys-Packers playoff game? Yeah. That might have decided BFIG 2014. In a year marked by razor-thin margins and repeated escapes - never before had a season gone to the playoff Divisional Round - two brave souls battled a full 19 weeks to decide sports' most coveted amateur title...
More recaps:
BFIG participants
Title Belt wearers
Unique picks win %
Gross picks win %
Most BFIG wins
Second Chance Pool champs
Most Second Chance wins
"Moxie" pick records
Biggest referral tree branch
Margin of Victory, single season (pre-2017)
Margin of Victory, single season (2017-)
Most Ryan Thurlow
Best Survival Team
Worst Survival Team
Commish keeps a vice grip on Hall of Fame standards. Just how high are they? OBJ tried to dunk on them and promptly paid us $100K to hide the tape.
@joshhuff
Inaugural champ, inducted 2010
@kensofer
2010 champ, inducted 2011
@dave
2011 champ, inducted 2012
@Fral03
2012 champ, inducted 2013
@owskijazz
Boldest winning pick in BFIG history, inducted 2013
@keving7685
2013 champ, inducted 2014
@jessemlee
Two-time Haynesworth Hustle winner, inducted 2014
@davidmmikulka
2014 champ, inducted 2015
@dphilly
2015 champ, inducted 2016
@nbossert
2016 champ, inducted 2017
@jmanfield
2016 runner-up (went 39-1), inducted 2017
@chrisb
2016 Second Chance champ (went 25-0), inducted 2017
@JMB
2016 SC runner-up (went 24-1), inducted 2017
Second Chance starts in Week 5, after the first four weeks of BFIG carnage. You start fresh. Winner gets $10K. Each year, Commish names the trophy after an NFL figure (or three) amid a redemption tour. Behold...
2017: @jlsing
Case BEERKEGNUM
2016: @chrisb
Rex Ryan Buffet Plate
2015: @ryankartje
Inflated Balls Cup
2014: @zone9001
The Chomp Cup
2013: @andrewbattaglini
The Walrus Cup
2012: @hardnaks
Tate Trophy
2011: @matthewiroslin
Colts Luck Trophy
2010: @kyryder
Moss Cup
2009: @joepreiner
Blount Cup