Two weeks of preseason down and two weeks to go, what are you waiting for? It's going to be a great 2016 NFL season and we want you on our 50 person NFL Pick 'em Pool roster.

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." ~ Mario Andretti, Very Successful Race Car Driver

The second week of preseason is over. Some of us are thrilled that our team showed tremendous improvement and realize that we still have a ways to go. However, we do see a light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a freight train coming at us. Relax, it's still early. There's three weeks left until the beginning of the season and a lot will be accomplished in that time frame. The tale of the tape is generally preseason game #3. Mind you, some aspects of the game will not be shown until opening day so just stay strong and keep the faith. On the other hand, we're over halfway home on filling up our pool. Some of you that have played for years, we haven't heard from you yet? You know one of our signature sayings is, "You can't win if you aren't in!!!" And by all means, don't be bashful, invite a friend. We still feel it's going to be a great season and that includes our Bears and our pool. All of the pertinent entry information is stated below. We look forward to seeing your name on our 50+ man roster. Good luck and good picking.

Attention: Some of you are receiving this email and have already paid your entry fee. You are on more than one of our mailing list. Please accept our apology for the duplication.

Goal: 50 - Paid: 28 = To Go: 22  

Invite a Friend.......... Read on (We will reach our goal, but you can't win if you aren't in). 

Do you know NFL football, no really, do you know how to pick winners of NFL football games? If you do, now is the time to prove it. This is your invitation to participate in our 2016 Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica NFL Pick 'Em Office Pool. You've played in our pools before but we're going to give you the particulars to help you in making your decision to participate again this year.

The entry fee is $35.00 ($2.06 per week, the same as it's been since the inception of the pool) for the season (17 weeks) payable at the beginning of the season. The entry fee must be paid by 1:00 PM (EST), Monday, September 5, 2016. The Carolina Panthers play the Denver Broncos the first game of the 2016 season, September 8, 2016 at 8:30 PM (EST).

It is a Pick 'Em pool so you must pick the winners of each game for the week. Your picks must be made no later than thirty minutes before the start of each game. We suggest you make your picks before the Thursday games and make any changes that l are needed as you see fit. We monitor your picks, we can't change them but we can tell if they've been made. If they haven't, we will email or call you with reminders to make them.

Pool Name:  CSandT/AllsportsAmerica 2016 NFL Office Pool

Pool ID: 127705

Password: csat2016

Scoring: » For each correct pick, users will receive the number of points equal to the confidence rank that they entered for that game.

» The goal is to score the most points, which may not equate to the most wins

» The "catch" is that ranking numbers can only be used once

• Put high points on your most confident pick

• Put low points on your least confident pick

Tie-Breaker: Tie Breakers are calculated as follows:

If multiple players are tied for the highest points for any given week (or for the championship game in tournament type pools), the player with the closest tie breaker prediction, regardless if they are over or under, to the actual tie breaker value is the winner. If multiple players are still tied, then the player who entered their tie breaker value first*, wins.

* = The player with the earliest date/timestamp for entering their picks.

Please note that the date/timestamp is updated every time a player's picks and/or tie breaker are edited.

» Any player in the pool can pick any tie breaker value for each week.

Picks Deadline: (Each game's picks can be modified until the scheduled kickoff of that game.) However, we strongly recommend that your picks should be made no later than thirty (30) minutes before the start of each game. The reason is to avoid any hiccups with your computer that may cause you to miss games and lose points.

Through the Pooltracker website you can obtain vital game statistics and teams win/loss odds. We give you all of the tools you need to assist you in making your picks.

We generally get 35-37 players in our pool but now we have set a goal of 50 players. This pool is not a money maker for us but it's just a fun pool and we've been doing it for many years. Our goal is to raise the payouts. All of the entry fees are returned to the participants in the form of winners' payouts.

If you've had fun with this pool, don't be bashful, invite a friend so that he/she may enjoy the fun and feel "the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat". Also, this is a 17 week marathon not a sprint. When people see the pool, they think it's easy to just pick a winner but it's a little more difficult than that. You must take upsets, injuries, suspensions, weather, etc. into consideration. That's makes it a totally new ballgame and a little more difficult than one might think.

Again, we need 50 diehard football fans that love the sport and have confidence in their knowledge of the game their ability to pick winners. The entry fee is $35.00 for 17 weeks which also includes weekly payouts of: 1st place - $50.00 and, 2nd place - $30.00. We also have bonuses for the 1st and 2nd place players with the most accumulated points at the end of the season: 1st place - $200.00 and 2nd place - $100.00.

If we don't get 50 players, we will revert back to the payouts for 35 players. However, We know that we will get 50 players with everyone's help. Please help us get 50 players.

We made two major changes to our pool last year and we will continue with them this year, 1) You do not have to pick against the spread. Just pick the winner of each game and place your confidence points on them and 2) Your picks should be made thirty (30) minutes before the game(s) on the day the game(s) are played. If you miss Thursday's game(s), you will lose the highest number of points for that week (16, 15 or whatever the maximum points are for that week), however, you may still make Sunday's picks.  If we get more than 50 participants the payouts will increase proportionately.

To join, cut and paste the link below and follow the easy steps.  

-Cut and paste the link below into your browser

 www.pooltracker.com

Click the join the pool prompt and enter this pool credential information

The Pool ID is: 127705

The Pool Password is: csat2016

The PoolTracker Team

You are not on any mailing list from PoolTracker

and you will not be contacted by PoolTracker.  

We take your privacy seriously.

Urgent Notice: Pool Deadline: September 5, 2016.

You may pay by the methods listed below:

You can pay through Paypal (credit card or bank account) or by check.

To pay by Paypal: 

Go to http://www.paypal.com/, hit make a payment prompt and send your payment to chgtrnsprt@aol.com. Please use the family and friends prompt so that you don't incur any additional charges. When we receive your payment, you will receive a confirmation from Paypal and Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica.

To pay by check, use the entry form below:

Name:________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address:_______________________________________________________

City:________________________________

State:____________________________

Zip Code:____________

Email Address:_________________________________________________________

Telephone Number:_____________________________________________________

Please mail entry fee to:

"Chicago Sports & Travel/AllsportsAmerica Football Pool."

116 Fairfield Way

Bloomingdale, IL 60108-1538

NOTE: SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION(S) OR COMMENT(S), FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US BY EMAIL AT: CHICAGOSPORTSANDTRAVEL@YAHOO.COM OR BY TELEPHONE AT: (312) 593-0928. WE'RE HERE FOR YOU.  

Marion P. Jelks & J. Benjamin Scott

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica

Football Pool Co-Commissioners