No purchase necessary at NBA.com or elsewhere to enter.
1. SKILL CONTEST TERM
Entries will be accepted beginning October 19, 2000 at approximately 6:00 pm ET and ending on Tuesday, April 10, 2001 at 6:00 pm ET. The Virtual GM game shall close on Wednesday, April 18, 2001, at the conclusion of the 2000-01 National Basketball Association ("NBA") regular season (hereinafter "Contest Term").
2. PRIZES
There are three prize flights during the the Virtual GM game. 1 prize flight runs during the entire Contest Term; 1 special half-season prize flight runs from October 31 through February 8; and 1 prize flight runs from February 13 through April 18.
Prizes are not transferable, no substitution of prizes is permitted, and no cash redemptions or substitution of prizes is permitted, except at the sole discretion of NBA Media Ventures, LLC ("Sponsor"). Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equivalent value if any prize is unavailable. Odds of winning are dependent upon the number of eligible entries received (see, Rule 6 regarding Eligible Entries). All prizes will be awarded.
Prize Flight #1 - The entire Contest Term (October 31 - April 18)
The following prizes apply to Prize Flight #1:
· One (1) Grand Prize - Trip to the 2001 NBA Finals consisting of round trip coach air transportation for two (2) from the major airport nearest to winner's residence (up to US$1,500) to the site of a 2001 NBA Finals game chosen by Sponsor, standard double occupancy hotel accommodations and two (2) tickets to the game (Approximate Retail Value in US Dollars - Approximate Retail Value ("ARV") US$2,500) will be awarded at the end of the Contest Term to the contestant with the highest overall total score achieved during this prize flight (see, Rule 5 regarding Winner Selection). All meals, gratuities, service charges or other expenses not specified are the responsibility of the winner. Parent or legal guardian must accompany minors. Trip must be taken on date selected by Sponsor. Prizes non-transferable, Travel restrictions apply and may be subject to game schedule, space availability and blackout dates. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to provide ground transportation in lieu of air transportation. Grand Prize trip must be taken on dates and times designated or prize will be forfeited in its entirety and awarded to an alternate winner. If the NBA Finals game is canceled or postponed for any reason, travel prize will be awarded less game tickets and items of equal or greater value will be substituted in for the original prize.
· Five (5) First Prizes - An "NBA.com Virtual GM Prize Pack" consisting of an assortment of NBA merchandise (ARV US$75) chosen by Sponsor to be awarded at the end of the Contest Term to the five (5) contestants with the next highest overall total score achieved during this prize flight (see, Rule 5 regarding Winner Selection).
· Twenty-four (24) Weekly Prizes - An "NBA.com Virtual GM Prize Pack" consisting of an assortment of NBA merchandise (ARV US$25) chosen by Sponsor to be awarded each week during this prize flight to the contestant with the highest score for the week (see, Rule 5 regarding Winner Selection).
Prize Flight #2 - The first half of the Contest Term (October 31 - February 8)
The following prizes apply to Prize Flight #2:
· One (1) Special Half-Season Prize - An "NBA Game Package" consisting of two (2) tickets to an NBA regular-season game of the winner's choice, designated at least two weeks prior to the scheduled playing date (travel costs not included) and either an actual game ball or an authentic NBA uniform which was worn in an NBA game of the Sponsor's choice (Total ARV US$250). Game tickets must be taken within one year of the conclusion of this prize flight or prize will be forfeited in its entirety and awarded to an alternate winner. If the game is canceled or postponed for any reason, tickets to an alternate game of the winner's choice will be substituted in for the original prize.
· Five (5) First Prizes - An "NBA.com Virtual GM Prize Pack," consisting of an assortment of NBA merchandise (ARV US$75) chosen by Sponsor to be awarded at the end of this prize flight to the five (5) contestants with the next highest overall total score achieved during this prize flight (see, Rule 5 regarding Winner Selection).
Prize Flight #3 - The second half of the Contest Term (February 13 - April 18)
The following prizes apply to Prize Flight #3:
· One (1) Special Half-Season Prize - An "NBA Game Package" consisting of two (2) tickets to an NBA regular-season game of the winner's choice, designated at least two weeks prior to the scheduled playing date (travel costs not included) and either an actual game ball or an authentic NBA uniform which was worn in an NBA game of the Sponsor's choice (Total ARV US$250). Game tickets must be taken within one year of the conclusion of this prize flight or prize will be forfeited in its entirety and awarded to an alternate winner. If the game is canceled or postponed for any reason, tickets to an alternate game of the winner's choice will be substituted in for the original prize.
· Five (5) First Prizes - An "NBA.com Virtual GM Prize Pack," consisting of an assortment of NBA merchandise (ARV US$75) chosen by Sponsor to be awarded at the end of this prize flight to the five (5) contestants with the next highest overall total score achieved during this prize flight (see, Rule 5 regarding Winner Selection).
Total ARV of all prizes: US$4,725.
3. MEANS OF ENTRY
Entries will be accepted beginning with the first posting of the "NBA.com Virtual GM" contest on October 19, 2000 at approximately 6:00 p.m. ET, and will end on Tuesday, April 10, 2001, at approximately 6:00 p.m. ET, at the close of registration for the final week of the NBA regular season. There is no charge for registration. Entries will be accepted through the official game registration form online, or participants may mail entries to: NBA.com Virtual GM, P.O. Box 496, Brookfield, CT 06804. All mailed-in entries must be postmarked by April 6, 2001. No faxed, electronically mailed, or phoned in entries will be accepted. No responsibility is assumed by the NBA or its member teams, NBA Properties, Inc., NBA Media Ventures, LLC, (the contest sponsor) or ESPN/Starwave Partners d/b/a ESPN Internet Ventures (hereinafter "EIV") for incomplete, late, lost or misdirected entries.
Participants must include first and last name, complete mailing address, country, phone number, age and a valid e-mail address (if entering online). Only one entry per e-mail address or mailing address and per person will be eligible to win prizes. If more than one entry registration is submitted, the most recent registration will be used. Personal information submitted by entrants who register online shall be collected pursuant to the privacy policy applicable to the Virtual GM game online registration form.
In the event of a dispute about the identity of the entrant, entries made online will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of registration. Authorized account holder is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. The potential winner may be required to provide Sponsor with proof that the potential winner is the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the winning entry. If a dispute cannot be resolved, the entry will be deemed ineligible.
After registering, participants who entered online with a valid e-mail address will be assigned a special username, which will be used as an identifier, and may log in to monitor game play and keep track of their scores. Participants will be able to review their scores at any time they return to the Virtual GM game by entering their username identifier. Participants may enter the contest at any time during the Contest Term and participate in any number of weeks they choose.
4. SCORING
Using knowledge of NBA teams and players' skills and statistics, participant will select a team of NBA players which he/she thinks will compile the most points based on the scoring system described below. A participant's team roster must stay under the specified team rating limit of 100.0, based on the ratings of the NBA players and coach listed on that team's roster at the time those players and coach were acquired by the participant.
Participants must stay under the specified team rating limit of 100.0 and must select five (5) players and one (1) coach to form a complete active roster. A complete active roster is defined as one (1) point guard, one (1) shooting guard, one (1) small forward, one (1) power forward, one (1) center and one (1) head coach. Participants who do not field a complete roster or whose teams exceed the specified team rating limit of 100.0, in any day, will receive no points for that day.
NBA players included on a participant's team roster will receive points using the following formula:
(PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK) - ((FGA - FGM) + (FTA - FTM) + TO)
In this formula, PTS = points scored, REB = total rebounds, AST = assists, STL = steals, BLK = blocked shots, FGA = field goals attempted, FGM = field goals made, FTA = free throws attempted, FTM = free throws made and TO = turnovers.
In addition, each head coach included on a participant's team roster shall receive five (5) points for every game won by that coach's NBA team. Any participant whose final roster for Sunday's game (must be final by 11:59pm PT Saturday) which includes the NBA player who earns NBA Player of the Week honors shall earn an additional fifteen (15) points for that week.
At any time, participants may review the Virtual GM How to Play game rules and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
5. WINNER SELECTION
One (1) Grand Prize Winner, two (2) special half-season prize winners, fifteen (15) First Prize winners (five (5) overall First Prize winners, five (5) first half-season first prize winners and five (5) second half-season prize winners) and twenty-four (24) Weekly Prize winners will be chosen. When entering online, a valid e-mail address, entered into the registration form, is required to be eligible to win (see, Rule 6 regarding Eligible Entries).
From all eligible entries received, the one (1) Grand Prize winner and the two (2) special half-season prize winners will be judged by Sponsor and EIV as the participants with the highest number of points earned over the course of these three different prize flights (see, Rule 2 regarding prizes). Fifteen (15) First Prizes (five (5) overall First Prize winners, five (5) first half-season first prize winners and five (5) second half prize winners) will be judged by Sponsors and EIV as the participants with the next five highest number of points earned over the course of these three different prize flights. Twenty-four (24) Weekly Prize winners will be judged to be the participant with the highest number of points earned during each of the twenty-four weeks during the entire Contest Term, measured from each Monday through Sunday.
Tie Breakers:
Below are tiebreakers for each prize flights.
Prize Flight #1 - The entire Contest Term (October 31 - April 18)
Should a tie exist between two or more participants for the Grand Prize or First Prizes, the winner will be the participant with the highest individual scoring week. If a tie still exists, the winner will be the participant with the highest, lowest scoring week. Example - if three participants are tied, and their worst single weeks during the season are 123, 145 and 170, the participant with 170 as their lowest week score will be declared the winner. Should a tie exist between two or more participants for the highest weekly score, the winner will be the participant with the highest single-day score during any day that week.
Prize Flight #2 - The first half of the Contest Term (October 31 - February 8)
Should a tie exist between two or more participants for the Special Half-Season Prize or First Prizes, the winner will be the participant with the highest individual scoring week. If a tie still exists, the winner will be the participant with the highest, lowest scoring week. Example - if three participants are tied, and their worst single weeks during the season are 123, 145 and 170, the participant with 170 as their lowest week score will be declared the winner.
Prize Flight #3 - The second half of the Contest Term (February 13 - April 18)
Should a tie exist between two or more participants for the Special Half-Season Prize or First Prizes, the winner will be the participant with the highest individual scoring week. If a tie still exists, the winner will be the participant with the highest, lowest scoring week. Example - if three participants are tied, and their worst single weeks during the season are 123, 145 and 170, the participant with 170 as their lowest week score will be declared the winner.
In all instances where tiebreakers fail to determine an outright winner, winners will be selected in a random drawing within seven (7) days of the completion of the prize flight.
The odds of winning depend upon the number of participants tied with the identical highest score who have submitted eligible entries. Canadian residents must correctly answer a mathematical skill question before receiving prize.
The Grand Prize, Special Half-Season and First Prize winners will be posted online on the Virtual GM game site within ten (10) days after the end of each respective prize flight. The Weekly Prize winner for each week during the Contest Term will be posted online on the Virtual GM game site on the Tuesday following the close of that week. All prize winners will be notified by mail within seven (7) days after the determination date and must sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and publicity/liability within fifteen (15) days following attempted notification. Any prize notification returned as undeliverable may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. By accepting prizes, the winners grant permission to the Sponsor and EIV to use their names and/or likenesses for advertising and promotional purposes without further authorization or compensation, unless prohibited by law, and agree to execute a written consent to that effect prior to receipt of any prizes. All prizes will be sent via first-class after receipt of such written consent.
6. ELIGIBLE ENTRIES
Only complete entries from residents of the United States, Canada (excluding Quebec), Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore, Mexico, Israel or New Zealand will be eligible to win prizes. An entry is complete only if it includes first and last name, complete mailing address, phone number, age and a valid e-mail address (if entering online). All other entries will be ineligible. If a prize is won by a minor, the parent or legal guardian is responsible for signing any necessary releases, consents and affidavits of eligibility. Employees of the NBA and its member teams, NBA Properties, Inc., NBA Media Ventures, LLC, EIV, their distributors, affiliates, divisions and subsidiaries and their immediate families are not eligible. Void where prohibited.
7. TERMS
By entering this contest, participants agree to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final on all matters pertaining to this contest. All federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations apply. Federal, state, provincial and local taxes, title and licensee fees, including but not limited to any applicable income or withholding taxes, Customs duties or like fees and all other costs and expenses not specified herein as included in a prize are the sole responsibility of the winners. Potential prize winners, and his/her traveling companion (if applicable to the prize awarded), will be solely responsible for all travel permissions, visas, passports and any other such documents that may be required to use the prize awarded. Grand Prize winner (or his/her parent or legal guardian if a minor) will be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability Release and (where legal) Publicity Release within 5 days of issuance of notification. Grand Prize traveling companion (or his/her parent or legal guardian if a minor) will also be required to sign and return a Liability Release and (where legal) Publicity Release prior to the issuance of travel tickets. Non-compliance with any of the foregoing may result in disqualification and awarding of prize to an alternate winner at Sponsor's sole discretion. Winners of prizes including tickets to any NBA game (and his/her traveling companion if applicable to the prize awarded) also agree to comply with all NBA and team arena rules and regulations relating to the use of NBA game tickets and, in accordance therewith, agree not to act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with any intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person at such game. If any prize notification letter or prize is returned as undeliverable, said potential winner will be disqualified and an alternate potential winner will be selected. The NBA and its member teams, NBA Properties, Inc., NBA Media Ventures, LLC, EIV, their distributors, affiliates, divisions and subsidiaries, are not in any way responsible or liable for damages, loss or injury resulting from computer malfunctions, late, lost or misdirected entries, or acceptance and use of the prizes. Winners assume liability for injuries caused or claimed to be caused by participating in the contest, or by any prizes. By entering the "NBA.com Virtual GM" contest, participants grant Sponsors and EIV permission to display their names online.
8. CONDUCT
Sponsor and EIV reserve the right at their sole discretion to disqualify any individual they find to be tampering with or abusing the entry process or the operation of the Virtual GM game or Web site; to be acting in violation of the Official Rules; to be causing malfunction, error, disruption or damage to the Virtual GM game or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. Sponsor and EIV are not responsible for any: (a) telephone, computer, or network malfunction or error; (b) communication disruption or other forces beyond the reasonable control of the Sponsor or EIV, including disruption related to Internet traffic, virus, bug or non-authorized intervention; or (c) damage caused by computer virus or otherwise resulting to any computer from entrant's access of the Virtual GM game. If such malfunction, error, disruption or damage occurs, impairs the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the sweepstakes, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, suspend or terminate the Virtual GM game or any portion of it.
CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY ALTER OR DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE GAME IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR AND EIV RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PARTICIPANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
9. RULES
This contest is subject to these complete and official rules and the laws of the United States. A list of prize winners may be obtained on the same site after Tuesday, June 30, 2001. To obtain a printed copy of the official rules and/or a list of prize winners, send a letter of request to: NBA.com Virtual GM game, P.O. Box 496, Brookfield, CT 06804.