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Owner Mode
Choosing an Owner Type – New this year is Owner, and you have the option which kind to be. There’s no wrong decision you can make here, although different types of owners give you different options. If you simply take on the persona of a real-world person (all of which are available) you’ll inherit their exact situation today; choosing Jerry Jones means you’re sitting on a massive pile of cash in a brand new stadium, while picking Alex Spanos in San Diego brings all of the stadium problems along with it. If you create an owner, you can do so by being a Former Player (which gives you a jump start on Legacy points but no cash), a Lifelong Fan (no cash either but popular with the fans), or a Mogul (tons of cash but a wary team and fanbase). Money is important as years go on if you want to rebuild, relocate, and/or hire great support staff.
Navigating Finances – Speaking of money, it will be as important as you need it to be. The only way you can ever “lose” in Owner Mode is by going bankrupt, which is really hard to do. As long as you’re winning games, fans will flock to the stadium. If the prices for all of your merchandise are within reason, they’ll get purchased. While it is fun to tinker with the prices of individual items like jerseys and French Fries, unless you get completely out of whack one way or the other, you’ll be making plenty of money. After all, this is the NFL.
Managing Your Staff – Some teams are run by high-functioning executives, and others aren’t. The nice thing about Owner mode is that it’s obvious right from the start where things are going well and where they’re not. Your challenge, of course, is figuring out what’s most important. Fan happiness? Marketing? Merchandise? Money is most important when you’re looking to sign players and coaches or build stadiums. The happier you make everyone, the more money you’ll have. Winning is the best way to make the needle move in the right direction; without that, you’re going to have a hard time.
Your Stadium – Some teams are in brand new buildings, others are not. Depending on what team you choose, you could be in a terrible situation (like San Diego) or living in paradise (such as Dallas). If you plan on sticking around awhile, it pays to improve parking and fan sections sooner rather than later. If you want to bolt for another city – which is tons of fun – then ignore everything and focus on winning. After all, new stadiums are very expensive even when the new city helps out. Charge a little more for everything and try to make a Super Bowl run. Building a state-of-the-art stadium is a massive investment – but worth it!
