Fannect goes live and waits for the big nod from Bill Self
It’s game day for Fannect.
Inside a space on Grand last occupied by the clothing boutique Method, Hunter Browning, Will Coatney and their team wait for an e-mail from Apple. Six days ago, they submitted their sports app for approval.
“We’re on edge,” Browning says. “I’ve got push notifications on every e-mail. I really wish people wouldn’t e-mail me today.”
“Ninety-five percent of the apps get approved within six days,” Coatney says, “and today [February 13] is the sixth day.”
Apple receives 26,000 submissions a week from developers hoping to be added to the more than 700,000 apps in the giant company’s store. Free apps, such as Fannect, often get discarded.
“You have to be cool to get noticed,” Browning says. “And if you don’t do being cool right the first time, you’re never going to be cool.”
The Fannect team isn’t afraid of a little competition. That’s the heart of its app, which is meant to rank the most passionate fanbases in college and professional sports. Is Mizzou more devoted than KU? Who would win a street fight between Ohio State fans and the Michigan devout? And who exactly is the No. 1 Notre Dame fan? Fannect’s creators say they can provide the answers.
