Rate Report VI

How do you do, fellow Sports Fans?

Welcome. This right here is the 6th edition of the Rate Report, arriving just in time for the MLB All-Star break. As we enter this rare four-day stretch without any major American sports games, now's the time to reflect on our recent milestones and look ahead to the upcoming Sports Leagues, exciting developments, and of course; Top Rated Games.

(If those first two are not what you're here for, get your scroll on,TRGs are at the bottom)

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the annual summer sports siesta with yours truly!

In the spirit of NBA free-agency, I'm switching things up this time 'round with a quick update on the roadmap:

As shown in the graphics above and below (that took me more time to design than I care to admit), you'll see where we started ⚪️, where we are 🟢, and most importantly, where we're headed 🟡.

EPL Fans, it's nearly time for your Ollie Watkins moment, you're up next!

With the MLB regular season currently in full swing (baseball pun), it's been a much needed testing/building bridge for us at RG HQ. It has also served as the critical decision point to determine which Sports & Leagues to build for, and which one to drop.

Alas, a sad casualty of this process has been Men's Olympics Basketball. Timing and resources (or lack thereof) ultimately led us, like MJ's high school coach, to cut it for this current sprint cycle.

In hindsight, I probably would've swapped out the MLB regular season for the Euros & Copa America. The Euros in particular have been electric ⚡️and remind me of the ultimate goal that is the World Cup in two years time.

But there's no going back now, forwards is our singular direction.

Our latest release (2.14) dropped on Monday. The aforementioned building that's been happening behind the scenes is now in plain sight for all to see. Like if LeBron was a mobile app developer instead of the (not so) subtle GM/Owner/Father of the Lakers. Taking after my 'Nova Knicks, there's now four foundational features all linked up. Oh and a fresh UI too. See for yourself:

There's so many things I love about making RateGame. Kansas City Chief among them is when a user reaches out with an idea. And then another user does with the same one. And another. And a fourth. You get it.

This sequence of events is precisely what led to the Hidden Scores feature being built and shipped. It's equal parts genius and obvious, so of course I never thought of it. The power of an engaged community is unmatched. Please keep it coming!

At this time of this writing it's been 24 days since we last saw an NBA game, aka a "Kobe!" Fitting since the Boston Celtics secured banner 18 and his biggest fan, Jayson Tatum, gave us some expectedly awkward celebratory content.

All awk aside, congrats to them, and shame on the Mavs. The Finals were underwhelming. In fact, the entire Playoffs were too. Sure it had it's moments. But the beauty of RateGame for better, or in this case for worse, are the AVG Ratings. They are incapable of telling us anything but truth.

The conclusion of a second basketball tournament enables us to now compare them straight up. Providing us with a definitive answer of which one was better.

Now hear this; what is a Figma graphic today will eventually be in your pocket and at your finger tips in the not so distant future. The vision of a global sports game rating database by any measurable timescale/sport/team you so desire, is becoming ever so slightly more clear.

The NBA Playoffs reign superior by .8. Between March Madness, NBA Playoffs, and The Finals, I'm suddenly in the mood for some Coldplay. 'Cus it was all yellow 🟡.

In the last F|RR I predicted a swift drop off in DAUs (daily active users) with the end of NBA and launch of MLB. The eternal optimist in me forecasted that about 5-10% would carry over as MLB diehards. I went so far as to commit to Rating every game solo dolo if need be. Live look at me every morning before I head to work:

Quick mafs:

• There's 2,430 games in single MLB season.
• Since launch on June 10th there's been 307 games to Rate.
• Of those 307 I've Rated 235 or 76%.

TLDR: I have failed you.

BUT in doing so I have learned something new and have devised a solution (with the help of the devs ofc) that is in flight for the current cycle; a weighted Rating system.

The concept is simple; Ratings submitted closest to the end of game will have more weight than ones submitted in the days/weeks/months to come.

This achieves three things

1. Fans who watched live will be recognized both on the feed and within their profiles (Profile V2 is slated for next cycle)  
2. The Rating Window will be open forever
3. The Vault transitions to the bottom navigation menu and serves as that global sports rating database thingy I was talkin about

(Here's the visual albeit a bit grainy since this was pulled straight from the tool we use to plan and execute on stuff)

And there you have it Sports Fans! As RateGame crosses it's four month anniversary next week, and the behemoth that is baseball returns, it's all systems go 🟢 🫡

Questions + feedback = hit me up!