Fantasy football is a market worth 9.48 billion U.S dollars in 2022. This fantasy sport is played by over 11 million players worldwide, mostly being middle aged men. Fantasy football started on the 7th of this month for their 60th year.
It’s all thanks to Bill Winkenbach from Oakland California a part owner of the Oakland Raiders team who started fantasy football. He and some friends gathered in a hotel in NYC in August of 1963 for their first fantasy football game. Their team was called the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League(GOPPPL). Mr. Winkenbach and his friends made the rules which we still go off of today although they vary with which league you play with.
A league usually consists of 10 or 12 players. Steve Valenzuela states, “I have played in a league of 11 other players for about 10 years, and I plan to keep on playing.” The players start drafting their football players a week before the NFL season begins. Each player is able to pick a quarterback, one or two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, a flex, a kicker, and a team defense. They do this fairly so that no one gets all the good players, by using a tactic called “snake draft” where they take turns picking a player. In order to win the players have to rack up the most points. One gets points based on the performance of their football players. The amount of points you can get for instance on a touchdown or for passing touchdowns, 25 yards passing, yards or a field goal can differentiate based on what fantasy football league you play with. Winners of their league usually get a trophy ring or a plaque and money.
As the years go on Fantasy Football is getting more and more popular. So there is more of a competition for the 1st place title. This year the number one pick for Fantasy football was Johnathan Taylor from the Minnesota Vikings with him ranking No 1 in the league. He has shown improvement every year since his rookie season, from ranking No 3 last year to No 1 this year. Miguel Soto states, “ After doing my research on the football players this year I wasn’t surprised to see Taylor being ranked number 1. I mean he is in his prime. Everyone in my league wanted him as one of their players when we were choosing who we wanted, sadly I wasn’t able to get him.”
Not only is fantasy football fun for the billions of people who play it, it also helps the NFL by promoting it. Fantasy football helped the NFL to gain new viewers and fans who were previously not interested. They can now be active in the sport with others helping to promote the NFL overall.
Many people think that fantasy football is just a game when it is so much more than that. It is about predictions, observing and researching. On the outside it might seem easy, but this million dollar revenue is so much more than that.
