[udbacker58]

The Fan Interest function has great potential and is so close to doing what it is meant to do, yet so far away at the same time.

1) Now that we have the option to non-tender players (not offer arbitration) and take a FI hit if they leave, we should get a FI bump if we offer them arbitration and keep them in the organization.
2) Why are teams punished with FI hits when a player leaves via free agency because they will not listen to offers and want to test the market? Shouldn't fans be upset at the player for wanting to leave and not the team (who cannot keep him if they wanted)? Please eliminate FI hits when a player leaves by choice (won't listen to contract extension offers)
3) Have FI tied into things like how many games a player has played with a club and his rankings on the league/team leaderboards instead of his ratings.


Another thing that could be done (though it would be a big change) would be to add a Fan Trust (or whatever you want to call it) rating. All the Fan Trust rating would do is determine how quickly the Fan Interest rating raises/lowers; like Fan Loyalty but more fluid. Also, only let Fan Interest drop during the regular season, except in extreme cases.

When a player is signed, traded, or cut the Fan Trust rating is what is affected (not the Fan Interest). So, you trade your All-Star center fielder and let your aging veteran pitcher walk; the fans are not happy with the moves and your Fan Trust rating goes down. With a low Trust rating, FI would drop more quickly when losing and it would take longer to increase FI when winning. Winning/losing would affect the Trust rating, but not as much as it affects Fan Interest (fans are interested because you're winning, but wary that you will soon do something to muck it up).

Normally the Fan Interest would only go up/down during the season, but it could change in extreme cases. If your Trust rating is 100, any positive points from transactions would be transferred to Fan Interst; conversely, if your rating is 1, any negative points from transactions would be transferred to your Fan Interest as well.

This could make Fan Interest less fluid, thus making attendance less fluid, more closely mirroring real life.