• by Laurie Petersen , October 16, 2006

Procter & Gamble's Prilosec over-the-counter heartburn medication has teamed with Elisabeth Hasselbeck of "The View" to create a Fantasy Football league for women who don't "get" the game at Herfootball.com.

The site kicked off at the beginning of the NFL season, but was officially announced by P&G on Friday. Company officials did not return queries about why they thought women would find this notion appealing, just what the connection is with the OTC brand, and how much promotion will go into the effort.

"Women are typically buyers of these types of products for the family," offered Naomi Ostrove, a spokesperson from P&G's PR agency Manning Selvage & Lee. Despite the connection to "The View," Ostrove said she did not think the site would be promoted on the daytime talk show. Hasselbeck is the wife of New York Giants quarterback Tim Hasselbeck.

Fantasy football leagues are wildly popular on the Web, but the NFL does not break out a "women's version" because fans are fans and men and women are equally passionate about playing, according to Lisa Baird, NFL senior vice president of marketing.

The purple and pink Herfootball.com site offers Football 101, an interactive tutorial on the basics of football, an "Ask the Expert" section where women can get feedback from former San Francisco '49er Steve Young, and recipes for heartburn-friendly ways to prepare for game day.

Weekly fantasy football high-scorers will win points they can use in a merchandise auction, including a chance to win a trip to the Super Bowl.

Registering for the P&G league requires completion of a three-page online survey about frequency of heartburn and preferred heartburn products, along with a number of questions measuring "degree of influence" as a consumer. (For instance: "When you last found a product, idea or service that you really liked, how many people did you tell about it?") Those claiming a sufficient frequency of heartburn (at least twice a week) are eligible for a free product sample.

For each woman who participates at HerFootball.com, Prilosec says it will also donate $1 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, up to $50,000.