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Get ready for chicken wings, commercials you don't want to miss, beer and Beyonce because Super Bowl 50 is just a few short days away. Die-hard football fans and fans for the day will gather in front of TV screens across the U.S. to cheer on the Carolina Panthers or the Denver Broncos when the two teams go head-to-head at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday.
We all cross our fingers in hopes that our favorite team wins, but when it comes down to it, it's all about which team steps up its game to defeat the competition for the biggest title of the season. However, that doesn't stop us from predicting who will become the champions. In fact, late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon is known for using puppies to predict the winner of major sporting events, and EA Sports uses its Madden NFL video game to do so — finding this year that the Panthers will defeat the Broncos 24-20.
And now mobile gamers can get in on the action using the sports-prediction app called Frog Picks.
Developed by the team at Science Mobile LLC, who previously launched the teen social entertainment app Wishbone, Frog Picks allows sport fans to choose who they think will be victorious in all types of major sports.
"Frog Picks is the ultimate sport lover's sport prediction app. Each day thousands of sports fans put their IQs to the test by predicting the latest sport outcomes from all over the world, from the NFL, NBA and MLB to College Football, and European soccer and rugby leagues," the team told Tech Times.
The user is presented with 10 different games, matches, or fights that will take place the next day, and must decide who will win.
"The questions and games are chosen the night before by our sports editors. We choose the most exciting games based on schedules, recent events, and what trending in the sports world," the team said. "This is something that needs a human touch to accomplish."
Once the user taps on their choice, they see a percentage of how many other users also picked that team or athlete. They have until 3 p.m. to make their prediction, and the next day, the crowd's scores will be placed on a leaderboard, with the user aiming to reach the top.
"Fans love to see how well they know their sports and if they do better than their friends. There is definitely a strong sense of competition amongst the fanbase and that breeds interest," Science Mobile said.
Named for their mascot (the green color symbolizing good luck) and allowing the user to step into the role of a sports analyst, Frog Picks hopes to tap into fantasy football fever, while replacing betting with just plain old bragging rights. "Professional sporting leagues have been associated heavily with money and illegal betting now more than ever. We wanted to bring back the fun in being knowledgeable in a variety of sports. You don't need money to know sports," the team said.
The app is free to download, and the user doesn't have to pay a cent to "bet" on their winning team.
Even though fans won't be able to cash in on their prediction as they would if participating in Super Bowl boxes, they can still speculate who will win the big game in a fun and engaging way. The Super Bowl questions will be available on Sunday morning, but Frog Picks has been featuring some coverage leading up to help players get their best predictions the day of.
So who is Science Mobile rooting for? "Carolina has the number one overall offense in the league, is sixth overall in defense, and has a 17-1 record. We understand that the stats aren't always what wins Super Bowls but here we're all about the numbers. For that reason, we feel the Panthers will win SB50," they said.
Frog Picks is available to download for iOS and Android.