Interactive system allowing simulated or real time participation in a league

A method for playing an interactive game among participants based on an event occurring in real time, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating real time score values indicative of performances of players involved in the event that are selected by the participants;
• (b) conveying to each participant the real time score values of the players;
• (c) based on step (b), selecting at least one player in the event to comprise a team for each participant of the interactive system;
• and
• (d) grouping the participants into a category or league.

An apparatus for providing an interactive game competition among an unlimited number of participants, comprising:

• (a) a central controller;
• (b) a plurality of data entry terminals remote from the central controller and directly accessible by the participants;
• (c) a data link linking the data entry terminals to the central controller;
• (d) a data register having stored therein a predefined database comprising a finite set of data values corresponding to specific elements wherein the data register is accessible to the central controller;
• (e) a statistical database which includes a set of statistics corresponding to elements of the data register;
• (f) an unlimited number of subset databases, each subset database selected by a participant and including a non-exclusive subset of elements of the data register, wherein any of said elements may be simultaneously included in an unlimited number of said subset databases;
• and
• (g) means for grouping the participants to categories or leagues of participants having similar rankings based on accumulated element values of a participant selected non-exclusive subset of elements.

A method for providing interactive competition among an unlimited number of remote participants, comprising:

• (a) accepting an unlimited number of team rosters each selected by a participant, each team roster selected from a register having a predefined plurality of members, wherein any member may be simultaneously included in an unlimited number of team rosters, each team roster being a non-exclusive subset of the register;
• (b) evaluating the members of the team roster according to statistics corresponding to the actual performances of each member of the team roster, wherein the statistics are evaluated according to a predetermined relationship;
• (c) assigning a score to each member based on the evaluation;
• (d) cumulating the scores of each member on each team roster to obtain a total score for each team roster;
• (e) ranking each team roster with respect to other team rosters on the basis of the total score;
• and
• (f) grouping the participants into categories or leagues of participants having similar total score rankings.