Picture it. A diehard Dolphins fan of twenty years rooting for Tom Brady to throw his fifth touchdown pass. A few years ago, this scenario may have raised a few eyebrows, but if this fan were to say, “He’s on my fantasy team,” no further explanation would be needed.
Fantasy football has become a cultural phenomenon, and anyone who’s anyone plays it. Some play for money, while others play for fun and bragging rights. Playing fantasy football gives you the power of both the general manager and head coach. You are responsible for drafting players, signing free agents, proposing trades and choosing his or her starting lineup. How well a player performs in real life determines how many points you’ll receive from him in fantasy football.
Jeffrey Fountain, Ph.D. and associate professor of sport and recreation management, believes there are several factors that have contributed to the growth of fantasy football.
“Fantasy football has increased in popularity over the years for several reasons. Some reasons include the increase in the availability of the Internet to more homes, allowing for more sport fans to have access to online fantasy games,” he said.
Fountain said football also has a favorable schedule for casual fantasy owners not wanting to spend every day managing their rosters.
“A fantasy owner can set their roster any time during the week and be done with it,” he said. “Then, there is the television coverage, along with the live streaming of stats that has also allowed fantasy owners to monitor their players in real time and feel more involved with their fantasy teams.”
Peter Finley, Ph.D., and assistant professor of sport management, acknowledges that fantasy football has been positive for the sport but also comes with some drawbacks.
“Students tell me all the time that they watch games just because they have one player involved, especially a quarterback or running back. I’ve even watched a Monday Night game just to see if my kicker would nail a few field goals to put my team over the top,” he said. “But there is a concern that it causes a disconnect with real, local teams, and that we would rather watch games on television, with all the highlights, than experience a game first hand.”
NSU alumnus, Parker Starson, plays fantasy football for money. He said it has increased his knowledge about the different players in the league.
Junior crim-inal justice major and New England Patriots fan, Kevin Meagher, loves playing fantasy football and was the Super Bowl champ in our fantasy league last season.
“I’d say my favorite part about fantasy football is the friendly competition with friends and the trash talking that goes on,” said Meagher. “I think it’s so popular because people like to be competitive, and when it involves sports, especially football in America, there’s nothing better.”
