Sustained Unprofitability Fan Interest penalties
League rules require teams to make strides towards profitability. There are two circumstances which can trigger financial-related Fan Interest penalties:
- Losses beyond -$25,000,000 are erased upon the end of a season, but there is a penalty to fan interest for every $2.5M below -$25M a team ends a season with.
- The first time a team ends a season in the red, the team goes "on watch". Until the team finishes a season in the black, the team will suffer a fan interest penalty at the conclusion of every subsequent year in which it:
- Remains in the red, AND;
- Fails to make progress towards break-even cash on hand.
- Kalamazoo
- Palm Springs
- San Antonio
- Canton
- Connecticut
- Duluth
- New Jersey
- New Orleans
- Tempe
Teams are evaluated in a number of different areas related to on-the-field performance, including (but not limited to) won-lost record, attendance, revenue and expenses. All evaluative criteria are examined over a one, three and six-year period, with greatest weight placed on three-year performance. Team data is entered into a custom formula that generates a percent chance for Fan Loyalty and Market Size gain/loss for each team. While many teams will have only a chance to gain or lose ground, some teams may have a chance for both, while others may have no chance to change whatsoever.
Once the percentages are generated, a roll is made against the gain/loss chances for each team; one roll each for Fan Loyalty and Market Size. A "failed" roll is one that is within the percentage chance for loss, while a "passed" roll is one that is within the percentage chance for gain. Whenever a roll fails or passes, there will be a one-level adjustment down/up in the applicable area for that team. Because Fan Loyalty and Market Size each get their own roll, it is possible for a team to experience a drop in one area and a gain in another.
The system is designed to produce a relatively small number of changes per year (in fact, it may produce no changes in some years). There is also protection built-in against rapid changes. A minimum of two years must pass between fan loyalty changes, and a minimum of three years must pass between market size changes. Finally, winning the Planetary Extreme Championship grants you exemption from Fan Loyalty/Market Size drops for the next three years.
In 2012, the following teams experienced performance-based Fan Loyalty/Market Size adjustments:
- Bakersfield: Market Size INCREASES to "ASTRONOMICAL"
- New Jersey: Fan Loyalty DROPS to "Very Good"
- New Jersey: Market Size INCREASES to "Very Big"
- Yuma: Fan Loyalty DROPS to "Above Average"
:eek: Not sure whether to be happy or sad. A bigger market should help me in the long run make more money. But sucks to lose some loyalty since I am not "winning" yet my attendance will be more chaotic I guess now. 
