Naman Shrestha
Who thought that a football-themed game could be played between just two players? Michael and Frank Silva not only thought about it but created an interesting tailgating game around it. The former made an appearance in the second episode of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ season 17, where he pitched the game he and his brother founded — QB54. After explaining the simple rules of the game to the Sharks, he also delved into the success of the company and its huge potential.
QB54: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
In 1983, 9-year-old Michael and 12-year-old Frank Silva were just two brothers bored in their home on Thanksgiving Day when they came up with a football game of their own. Since their friends were at their family’s house to celebrate the day, they had to find a way to play football with just two people. Using garbage cans, a Nerf football, and the CB antennas from their father’s pickup truck, they created a new game to keep themselves entertained and called it the QB Thanksgiving Classic. Explaining the backstory of the game, Michael told My Central Jersey, “We said, ‘Let’s try to throw the ball into the garbage cans.’ If you get it into the garbage cans, it’s a touchdown. Then you kick the extra point through dad’s CB antennas. And we were like, ‘Oh, this is fun.’ And we just kept playing it. Our parents thought we were crazy, but we thought we were geniuses.”
Little did their parents know that decades later, the game would become a business for their children. However, before that, Michael would graduate from Manalapan High School and earn his Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Rutgers University in 1996. He then joined the US Department of Labor as an NJ Regional CAS. In the same year, he also landed a job in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), where he started out as a Compliance Officer and Industrial Hygienist, and slowly moved up the ranks over the years, becoming an NJ Compliance Assistant Specialist and is currently the Assistant Area Director. Between November 2010 and September 2011, he was employed at Sabert Corporation as the Director of Environmental Safety and Health.
In 2012, he switched to Tabtor, where he served as the Head of Sales. Moreover, since 2004, he has also served as the co-owner of MPNC Rentals LLC. In Thanksgiving 2015, when Michael visited Frank in Georgia, they decided to play the Classic again. This time, they modified the game slightly to make it more challenging yet more engaging. While they were playing, they were joined by a neighbor who enjoyed playing their game so much that he returned to play with them the following day. Realizing that they were onto something special, they decided to patent the game.
Talking about creating a prototype for the game, Michael said, “I ran to Home Depot, got a bunch of PVC pipe, cut it up to certain specifications, and I put it on the back of the chair, and it worked perfectly. And so the next step was I needed to figure out the chair. My mother-in-law cut open a hole in the seat of the chair and added a mosquito net to it, so it would catch the football. Now I have my prototype.” That’s how QB54 was born. The “54” in the name refers to the number of wins the team needs to secure the game. “We pulled that number out of the air, it just felt right, and you know what, we find most games end exactly on 54,” he added.
After establishing QB54 in June 2016, they took the prototype to Ocean City, New Jersey, where they were given orders for 15 games. Given the rise in demand for the game, they launched their online shop in August of the same year. The rules are quite simple; players must earn points by scoring through touchdowns, interceptions, completions, and field goals. They can score points by throwing the ball into the net in the chair’s seat or kicking it through the goalposts attached to the back of the chair. The first team to get to 54 points is the winner. Being a lightweight apparatus, QB54 includes a kicking tee, two camping chairs, an air pump, two field goal posts, and a carrying bag, making it easy to transport.
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QB54: Where Are They Now?
What started with two brothers playing with garbage cans and a CB radio antenna has evolved into a profitable business now operating in more than 500 schools and NFL locker rooms. Over the years, QB54 has also collaborated with major beer and liquor companies. Not only is it available on the official website of the company, but it can also be purchased from 200 Dick’s Sporting Goods stores nationwide and on Amazon. According to reports, Michael and Frank Silva have made more than $7.5 million in sales. The QB54 game sets are available in three different colors — the Limited Edition Navy Blue Game Set and the Limited Edition Red Game Set for the discounted price of $189.99 each, and the Black Game Set for $169.99.
Besides that, the website also offers USA and Military Fan Flags, NCAA Fan Flags, NFL Fan Flags, NCAA Footballs, Gift Cards, NFL Footballs, and other accessories, such as Scoring Kit and Football Bundle for $52.97, 1 Pair of Referee Flags (contains two flags) for $37.97, Trucker Hat for $19.54, and more. They also provide replacement parts in case of damage to the set. They also tend to hold discounts on certain products quite frequently. The founders go to football stadiums, especially MetLife Stadium, and let volunteers try out the game in the parking lots, marketing and raising awareness about their brand in the process.
