‘The Sharps’ App Launches Peer-to-Peer Sports Prediction Tournaments Ahead of NFL Season
Founder Rob McCall's new app pits bettors against each other in skill-based NFL, MLB, and soccer prediction tournaments — complete with a patent-pending 'Sharp Score' to rate handicapping skill.
A new app called The Sharps is betting that sports fans want to prove their handicapping skill against each other, not just against a sportsbook’s odds. Founded by Rob McCall, the platform runs peer-to-peer sports prediction tournaments and is rolling out its flagship NFL contest just as the 2026 football season approaches.
The Sharps is available on the App Store and Google Play in 173 countries and 47 states, with free play offered as the only option in Washington, Nevada, and Kansas. McCall, who previously worked in the cannabis industry and competed in high-stakes blackjack tournaments, built the app to be flexible enough to operate as a game of skill, a daily fantasy sports product, a sweepstakes, or free play depending on where a user is located.
A Credit Score for Bettors
McCall’s central innovation is something he calls the “Sharp Score,” a metric designed to measure a sports bettor’s actual skill the way a golf handicap measures a golfer’s. He has a patent pending on the algorithm and has reached out to the Sports Betting Hall of Fame and other industry figures to help legitimize it.
“When people go play and they’re like, ‘Hey, I wanna buy this guy’s picks,’ you can look at his profile and see his performance,” McCall said. “You can see what he does well, where he’s good, and where he’s not so good. It’s like a credit score.”
McCall said he wants the score to be “universally known and signed off on by the people who matter, not just some random guy who created it.” He’s currently based in Phoenix but plans to relocate the operation to Las Vegas.
How the Contests Work
The Sharps runs tournaments over daily, three-day, weekly, and monthlong windows, currently covering MLB, WNBA, the NFL, soccer, and international baseball leagues including Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. McCall is also preparing to launch private leagues aimed at daily fantasy sports enthusiasts.
The app’s flagship product will be its weekly NFL tournament, which McCall described as a $100 buy-in with $10 going to the platform. He said he expects a “lottery effect” once a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool for a $100 entry becomes available, predicting a surge of new players the following week.
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To prevent a single lucky pick from deciding a winner, bankroll limits scale throughout the week:
- Days 1, 2 and 3: 25% of bankroll max on any single play
- Days 4 and 5: 50% max
- Days 6 and 7: 100% max
“I’ve eliminated the ability for one play to win a tournament,” McCall said. “You have to perform over a period of time. I wanted you to prove that you’re good, not just lucky with a parlay.”
The Sharps will also hold an annual bracketed tournament featuring the top 64 Sharp Scores across four majors, with the winner receiving a custom “SMF Belt” modeled after the UFC’s BMF Belt.
Positioning Against Traditional Sportsbooks
McCall framed the app as an alternative to conventional sportsbook promotions, criticizing what he called “predatory behavior” tied to bonus offers. “I’m a player, and I love the sportsbooks, and they’ve done a good job,” he said. “But the problem for me is I just feel like there’s a lane for people to come in for $10 and get all that week’s worth of action.”
He also pointed to a free weekly league open to anyone, which he said is aimed at giving people without gambling budgets a way to stay engaged. “It’s also good for somebody who might not have money to gamble, but still wants to have something in the game to watch and compete,” McCall said. “I feel like you should give that to everybody.”
The app includes 10 years of historical data across every sport it offers, which McCall said is free for all users to access. He was named one of five finalists for startup founders at SBC Summit America in June, and said The Sharps will support a different non-profit organization each week, citing Gamblers Anonymous and Autism New Jersey as potential partners.
As football bettors weigh their options heading into the fall, platforms like The Sharps add another wrinkle to how fans can engage with the sport beyond traditional wagers or standard daily fantasy sports contests.