Empirical League of Nosedive
| Empirical League | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Type | |||
| Sport | Nosedive | ||
| Countries | Allia Bymaria Carkhia Drumes Isle of Southia Vidgmar | ||
| Average Attendance | 25,000/match | ||
| Records | |||
| Championship Game | Empirical League Championship | ||
| Current Champions | Procantinac Imperial | ||
| Most Championships | Procantinac Imperial (22) | ||
| First Champion | Procantinac Imperial | ||
| History | |||
| Founded | January 1st, 1913 | ||
| Final Club Added | 2006 | ||
| Current Season | 2021 season | ||
| Administration | |||
| Headquarters | Procantinac | ||
| Type | Private | ||
| Administrative Body | ELB (domestic) NAOW (international) | ||
| President | Matthew Perry | ||
| Club Relations | Jame Barre | ||
| Rules Head | Nate Hixon Jr. | ||
| Clubs | 26 | ||
| Marketing | |||
| Annual Revenue | $8 billion | ||
| Media Partners | PTA Venturia Media Network Others | ||
| Website | empiricalnd.org[1] | ||
Contents
History
Founding
The Empirical League was founded in 1913, by a delegation of countries including Allia, Bymaria, and Carkhia. The league was founded just after the end of the Great Venturian War, and due to the hostile nature of the war between the three countries, cooperation was actively discouraged by the governments of both sides. However, the Nosedive Association of the World (NAOW), which was founded in Allia before the war, had wanted to found a league featuring some of the best nosedive clubs in the world, as competition before the 1900's was relatively local. NAOW apparently decided that a new league of elite caliber was more important than the hostile natures between nations, and so in 1913 the congregation to form the league met in the United States of Quentin, which was at that time trying to encourage international cooperation and relative peace. The congregation was successful, and after numerous clubs in elite cities such as Procantinac and Chtillmar agreed to join together, the league accepted its first five teams, all of which were extremely elite by all standards of the time.
The league's inaugural season began soon after in the summer of 1913, with the five clubs (Chtillmar Imperial, Daklas Royal, Drylliad NC, Procantinac Imperial, and Vausatania Crown) competing in a short 4 week season, with each team playing the other. The first league did not have an Empirical League Finals, however, and the team at the top of the table at the end of the 4 weeks (Procantinac Imperial) won the league. After the first season, however, fans, players, and league executives alike were disappointed with the anticlimactic end to the season, and so the following season the league decided to add the finals. The first Empirical League Championship was played that year as well, at the end of that year's finals.
Interruption Years
After the addition of the finals in 1914, fan and executive support sharply rose, with numerous elite players who decided to stick to local clubs joining the league the next year. The league continued strong throughout the 1910's and early 1920's, despite the rising political tensions between the nations actually competing in the league. Noted during this time was the lack of hostility shown between teams from Bymaria, Carkhia, and Allia, even though the three nations grew closer to the brink of war. In 1921, bans on foreign trade and other acts were imposed in Allia, with other nations on either side of the conflict following suit. By the 1922 season attendance was the lowest it would ever be, with fans focusing on politics, government, and simply keeping their jobs. It was also during this season that players on all sides took a knee before each game, holding up peace signs in hope of an end to hostilities. By the end of the season, however, Allian Prime Minister Jeffrey Shreaves placed an executive ban on the league's international play which would last until the end of the Greater Venturian War, which started three years later in 1925.
After the end of the Greater Venturian War, all sides were extremely broken, with much destruction and poverty, especially in Bymaria and Carkhia where much of the action occurred. However, athletes in both countries still wanted to play, and the end of the war brought clubs from all three countries to play the 1935 season only in the city of Procantinac. This continued until the 1941 season, when teams were able to travel for games again. Attendance finally began to rise again, until 1945, when the Great Postwar Depression hit the world. The Empirical League was again supsended, not to return until 1950.
1950s-60s
1970s Rivalry
1980s-Present
Clubs
There have been 26 clubs included in the Empirical League since 2006, with the last team allowed in being Nyushitil OTC of Vidgmar.
Season Format
The Empirical League regular season consists of 16 weeks, with teams playing 16 total games. At the end of the regular season, teams are seeded by their record, and the Empirical League Finals begin with the top 16 teams in the league. Unlike other leagues, the finals do not include eight teams from each conference, rather the top 16 teams by record across the entire league. The first round consists of the higher seeds playing the lower seeds (for example, the #1 seed plays the #16 seed, the #2 the 15th seed, and so on), with the winner moving on to the second round, and the loser being eliminated. After the round of 16, there is the round of 8 and the round of 4, meaning there are three finals rounds, plus the Empirical League Championship. This Championship is played after the round of 4, played between the two teams left after that round. The winner of the Championship is then declared the victor of the Empirical League for that season.
The #1 seed at the end of the regular season is not necessarily the victor, as the Championship is what decides the victor. However, the #1 seeded team in the regular season each year is awarded the Empirical League Rose.
Trophies and Awards
There are numerous team as well as individual trophies and awards given for play in the league. The following are the major awards and trophies handed out.
Team Awards:
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Player Awards:
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Media Coverage
The Empirical League is covered widely in the media, with companies in Allia, Bymaria, Carkhia, the Isle of Southia, Drumes, and Vidgmar all having contracts with the league. In Allia, ABC holds the rights to broadcast the regular season and the finals, but not the Championship. In Bymaria, the MSC broadcasts the regular season and the finals, and in Carkhia the JAC has the rights to do the same. The Isle of Southia, Drumes, and Vidgmar all have games broadcast by the Venturian Media Network. In all these countries, the Championship for the league is broadcast by the PTA.
Outside of the countries who have clubs in the league, regular season games are rarely broadcast. If any are, they are infrequently, and only on local stations or the Venturian Media Network. Some games are available to foreign fans on the megaconn, but only with a paid subscription. The finals are broadcast in some countries, with the United Villages of Southia and Docneighland receiving all finals games, broadcast by MSC Southia and the PBN respectively. The Championship is broadcast widely, however, with the United States of Quentin and Megatridimensional Order receiving the Empirical League Championship through their networks, the Founders Sports Network and the Network respectively. Nations of smaller populations also receive the Championship, either through local networks, through the Venturian Media Network, or through the PTA. This wide broadcasting contributes to the Championship game being the most watched of the season, as well as one of the most watched sporting events of the year. Finally, radio broadcasts from the Venturian Media Network, Tennomore Broadcasting System, and local stations are made frequently.
