The Miami Dolphins on Thursday announced they have signed on to be a partner for the Ultimate Fan Facebook application. Ultimate Fan is the first social football game that is all about the fans.
The partnership is being announced just in time for the Jets-Dolphins game that will take place Sunday night at Miami. Ultimate Fan was spearheaded by the Jets, created in conjunction with game developer Arkadium, and a custom-branded Miami Dolphins version of the application will now be available to fans of the team.
"We are very excited about giving 'Finatics' an innovative and unique way to show their team pride in the social networking world," said Jim Rushton, senior vice president of corporate partnerships and integrated media for the Dolphins. "And the timing is perfect since we're facing our archrivals this week and there's tremendous social media activity engagement by our fans. We encourage all Dolphins fans to log on and join in on the fun to face off against the rival team's fans."
Since its launch on Sept. 8, the Ultimate Fan application has grown rapidly and now has more than 200,000 monthly active users. New features will continue to be rolled out on a regular basis, including sponsored items and more ways for fans to interact and compete with each other.
"We're very excited to have another NFL franchise join Ultimate Fan," said Jessica Rovello, president of Arkadium. "The Jets and Dolphins have had one of the league's great rivalries on the field. Now their fans can extend this rivalry into the social media sphere."
Ultimate Fan is the first revenue-generating Facebook application to be backed by NFL teams. Not a football simulator or a fantasy league game, at its core Ultimate Fan lets fans be fans by doing online what they would normally do at home and in stadiums. From rooting for their favorite team to predicting game scores to holding a virtual tailgate with fans all over the country, there is a component of the game for everyone, no matter what team people are cheering on.