Computer-implemented methods and systems enabling fan participation in calling plays at sporting and other events

A computing device for facilitating state-based participation in a football game thereby allowing fans to proactively participate in real-time in the football game, the computing device comprising memory containing instructions for execution by a processor, the processor configured to:

• initiate a sequence of states in response to a start of an activity during a real-time event, the sequence of states comprising:
• a poll creation state for a first time period, the poll creation state comprising determining, by the computing device, a set of plays from a plurality of plays at a time prior to an execution of a real-time play in the football game, the plurality of plays stored in a memory associated with the computing device, each of the plurality of plays associated with a play characteristic, the play characteristic including one or more of a play situation, a play package, and a play type, wherein the determining comprises:
• receiving a parameter indicative of a starting condition of the play,
• selecting at least two plays from the plurality of plays to form the set of plays based on a correspondence between a play characteristic associated with the selected plays and the starting condition of the real-time play, and
• assigning each play in the set of plays a score corresponding to at least one of (a) a first score associated with a predicted outcome of the play, the first score being based on historical outcome data associated with the play, (b) a second score based on historical data associated with the play, the historical data being aggregated across a plurality of teams, or (c) a third score based on historical data associated with the play, the third score being added to cumulative scores for fans that vote for the play and thereby providing a measure of relative coaching ability among the fans;
• a notification state for a second time period, the notification state comprising sending, by the computing device, the set of plays to a registered user computing device in a format such that the sets of plays automatically displays on the registered user computing device;
• a fan voting state for a third time period, the fan voting state comprising receiving, by the computing device, a voted play from the registered user computing device, the voted play corresponding to one play from the set of plays;
• a notification state for a fourth time period, the notification state comprising selecting, by the computing device, a winning play based on a result of the fan voting state and transmitting a communication to cause the winning play to be executed by players in real-time;
• and
• an activity in action state for a fifth time period, the activity in action state comprising receiving, by the computing device, a result of the real-time play based on the winning play;
• and
• when the voted play is the winning play, assigning, by the computing device, points to the voted play based on the score assigned to the voted play.