Welcome to the 2023 Bad Man Contest!
This contest is designed to test your handicapping skills throughout the entire NFL season. The concept is simple: you need to pick the winners of 5 games each week, based on the listed spread for the contest. You will earn 1 point for each correct pick and receive 0 points for each loss.
While picking the games may sound straightforward, the real challenge lies in becoming the crowned Bad Man Champion at the end of the year. Many have attempted it, but only a few have succeeded. Along the way, you will face past champions who stand in your path. If you manage to conquer them all, you will earn the title of Bad Man 2023 Champion.
Here are the rules for the 2023 Bad Man Contest:
1. The entry fee for the entire season is $100.00, and it is non-refundable. To pay for your entry, you can either send $100 via Zelle to freak@freaksforum.com (without any memo comments), or use the player transfer funds option via Bovada. You also have the ability to send a Money Order via regular mail. If you prefer the latter two options, please contact me for further details.
These are the only available options for entering the contest. The Bad Man contest will begin Sunday, September 10th, 2023 and conclude on Sunday, January 7th, 2024. Entries are open for the 2023 Bad Man contest as of this posting 5/28/2023.
2. Bad Man is based on selecting winning teams against the Bad Man contest line. Each contestant must choose five teams per week for each entry. It is not allowed to select both sides of the same game on a single entry. However, contestants can choose one side of a game on one entry and the opposite side on a separate entry.
3. Each contestant is allowed to submit up to two entries. Each entry will be treated as a separate entity for all purposes, including prize distribution. Freak reserves the right to approve aliases (Contest Entry Names).
4. Contest winners will be determined based on the total number of points accumulated during the regular Pro Football season. You will earn 1 point for each win and receive 0 points for each loss.
5. Contestants must submit their weekly selections to the Bad Man contest mailbox by 11:00 PM Eastern time each Friday, unless they wish to use a game that starts before the deadline. If a contestant wants to include any game scheduled to start before this deadline, they must submit their weekly selections prior to the start of those games. Thursday games, except for Thanksgiving games, will not be used in the contest.
Failure to submit selections by 11:00 PM Eastern time on Friday will result in zero points awarded for that week. This deadline will be strictly enforced, and Freak's decision regarding time deadlines will be final.6. Each entry is allowed to submit only one card of weekly selections. If a contestant has two entries, they must submit a separate card of weekly selections for each entry. If more than one card of weekly selections is mistakenly accepted for an entry, the first card associated with the entry will be considered the official selections of record.
Once you have submitted your picks, no changes are allowed.7. There may be occasions when selections need to be submitted by 11:00 PM Eastern on a Thursday evening. Contestants will be informed in advance if this becomes necessary.
8. The email you send with your selections will be considered the official entry of record.
9. If a game is canceled, postponed, or suspended, it must be played by Wednesday of that week for it to count towards the contest standings. Otherwise, the contestant will receive zero points for that game. If the start of the season is delayed, the contest will begin at the revised time. Additionally, if a game deviates from its original schedule in terms of time and location, it must be completed by Wednesday of the Contest Week to be eligible for grading as a "win" or "loss".
Selections in any game that does not have a win-loss result from the NFL by the end of the Contest Week will be considered as no action in the Contest, and no points will be awarded. However, if the NFL awards a win and a loss for a game before the Contest Week ends without the game being played (such as in the case of a forfeit), selections for the winning team as determined by the NFL will automatically cover the Contest point spread and score 1 point. Selections for the losing team as determined by the NFL will score zero (0) points.
10. Contestant selections will be available on the Bad Man Web Page no later than Saturday afternoon. Current standings will be posted on the Bad Man Web Page every Tuesday. Both current standings and selections will be publicly posted and can be accessed at
https://freaksforum.com/badman.shtml.11. The distribution of prizes will be as follows: 50% for First Place, 30% for Second Place, and 20% for Third Place. In the event of a tie for a position, the prizes will be split. For example, if two people tie for first place, they will split the first and second place prize money. If there is a tie among three or more contestants for first place, the three paying prizes will be split equally. If first place is won solely and there is a tie for second place, the second and third place prize money will be split among all second place finishers. Similarly, if first and second place are won solely and there is a tie for third place, all entrants tied for third place will split the third place prize.
12. For Bad Man to be considered valid, the Pro Football regular season must have a minimum duration of 10 weeks. If the regular season is shortened to less than 10 weeks, Bad Man will be canceled, and all entry fees will be refunded. Entry fees are non-refundable except in the case of contest cancellation. Entries cannot be transferred to another individual.
13. The deadline for signing up is 9 PM Eastern time on Friday, September 8, 2023.
14. Entry fees will not be refunded except in the event of Bad Man's cancellation.
15. Once the final winners are announced, a verification period of five (5) business days will be provided. Any disputes regarding the contest, results, or prize allocation must be submitted in writing to FREAK during this verification period. At the conclusion of this period, Bad Man results will be officially declared. In the event of a dispute, FREAK's decision is final.
16. All funds from this contest are paid out. Winners are encouraged to provide tips as a way to acknowledge the time and effort invested in the contest every week. Thank you in advance for your support. Any funds not collected by February 6th, 2024, which is 30 days after the final game of the regular season, will be forfeited. All prize winners will receive an email confirming the amount won and the instructions for sending the funds.
17. FREAK reserves all rights, including the ability to modify the contest rules and format or cancel the contest at any time.
18. FREAK has the authority to disqualify any participant from the Bad Man Contest if there is a belief of possible fraud, dishonesty, violation of contest rules, or other misconduct, regardless of whether it is related to this contest. This includes instances of harassment via email.
