The NFL is at midseason, MLB recently wrapped up their year with a classic World Series, and the NHL is a little over a month into their season. But with the NBA currently locked in labor negotiations that threaten to cancel the entire 2011-2012 season, America will be looking for another 3-letter diversion. That’s where SEO comes in.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is already a competitive business, so why not turn it into a competitive sport? Here’s how a basic Pro SEO game would shake out:
- Two teams per match (obviously).
- Each team gets five players on the “court” at a time.
- Within a given time limit-15 minute quarters, let’s say-each team has to whip up the best SEO they can for a dummy site. Any work that is still in progress when the buzzer sounds at the end of each period does not count toward that period’s scoring.
- At the same time, the two teams can employ defensive tactics to deflect traffic from the other teams’ site.
- Black hat is encouraged for “defense,” but certain tactics will get you flagged for a foul and the offending player will spend time in a penalty box. (Fouls and penalties to be determined later.)
- Scorekeeping can be done on the fly, but at the end of each quarter, the search engine rank achieved, penalties (negative points), and other statistics will be tallied to create a definitive score. It’s possible that the winner of each match would not be determined until shortly after the end of the contest.
Fan participation would be encouraged, as well. Live spectators can use the stadium’s wi-fi to log on to the site their team is working on to help build up their score. Fans can participate from home, as well, to level out the “home field advantage.”
In the tradition of Major League Baseball’s Cincinatti Red Stockings (now the Reds), the first Pro SEO League team-and no doubt the winners of at least the first five league championships-will be the Minnesota Ecreatives.
Challenge extended…