Fantasy Sports

The thing I have always found so fascinating about fantasy leagues is that it encourages the person behind the computer screen to be more learned and more educated about their respective sport as a whole. While I might be the biggest Philadelphia Eagles fan, Fortunato’s assumption was true. If I were not a fantasy user, I would merely be concerned with the well-being of the Eagles and the teams that have an impact on the Birds in the standings. Fantasy sports require one to understand many different teams in the leagues, as their players’ performances, across the league, not just on their respective home teams, affect their fantasy standings, which manifested itself in the viewership of nationally-televised football games.

ESPN, FoxSports, and other media outlets have now developed special fantasy sites with their own rankings, educating users on which players they predict will perform well that week, and therefore deserve a start. Entirely new markets, as Randle and Nyland pointed out, have been created based on the advent of these leagues. “Bringing in an estimated $1.5 billion in advertising and subscription fees, fantasy sports has gone from hobby to big business” (144). I was surprised to learn the sheer size of the market. These “monster sports media users” must be educated about their sports and about their players in order to succeed, so it’s no surprise that they are consuming sports news more than ever.

But the consumption by fantasy users doesn’t start and end with the regular season. The sport ends up generating interest year-round, as users must be educated on injuries, acquisitions, and development throughout the offseason to make the best possible draft picks come draft day and continue to understand the nuances of their players throughout the season.