By Kevin Morra
Photography by Mike Guerreiro

Nothing more influential has contributed to the growth of  the sporting experience since the invention of the stadium (see Greece, 776 BC) than the evolution of Fantasy Sports
and predominantly, Fantasy Football.

As folklore has it, Fantasy Football was created by a group of Oakland sportswriters in the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the arrival of the Internet, did Fantasy Football grow from a group of hobbyists into a hugely profitable business. As of 2009, the direct consumer to business size of the Fantasy Football market has surpassed $800 million annually.

The concept is simple, fantasy football participants, often referred to as General Managers (GMs), enter a league with other fans wishing to compete against one another. Oftentimes, these leagues are created amongst friends or colleagues and, other times, leagues are developed strictly amongst strangers. The leading host sites are found on yahoo.com, espn.com and cbssports.com. On those sites, GMs draft and supervise a roster of NFL football players and earn points based on the players’ weekly statistics.

Overseeing this growing market is the FSTA (Fantasy Sports Trade Association), which helps regulate the industry and helps clarify the distinction between gambling and Fantasy sports, which has been a major concern by the various leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, etc.). According to FSTA President, Paul Charchian, “In the US and Canada, there are now over 22 million fantasy football GMs (up approximately 10% from 2008) and each of those GM’s controls an average of 2 plus fantasy teams each, correlating directly to approximately 9 hours, per Fantasy Football participant, spent every week researching players, analyzing statistics, devising trades and other key strategies a given GM will undergo throughout a football season. And this is a fully engaged 9 hours, which resonates extremely well with advertisers looking to hit this market. Fantasy GM’s are increasingly a highly sought after demographic by Madison Avenue and beyond. Fantasy GMs tend to be early adopters and super consumers of things that they are passionate about. And in the 18-49 year old male demographic, this oftentimes translates into beer, travel, computers and video games.

And the excitement for Fantasy Football has also translated into booming numbers on television as well. According to ESPN Vice President of Fantasy Sports Jason Waram, “The continued growth of fantasy football has also helped drive interest on our TV programs. ESPN’s “SportsCenter Fantasy Draft Special” (televised August 20 on ESPN) saw double-digit increases in both households (17%) and total viewers (15%) compared to the 2008 special.”
Following a lead from cbssports.com, we discovered a decade old Fantasy Football League during their annual Fantasy draft in Las Vegas. And what better place for 10 male friends, ages 28-42, from all over the United States to converge, than the Hooters Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. On Friday evening, the league’s GMs flew into Las Vegas from both the East and West Coasts of the United States, as well as a central Canada. Amongst the ten of them, the GMs rented four suites, which would become the setting for quick naps and showers in between go-karting, gambling, clubbing and overall celebrating, not dissimilar to what would be likened to a Vegas Bachelor party. The league itself is aptly titled, “Fantasy Ain’t Easy,” and this weekend was a testament to the fun and competitive spirit around Fantasy Football.
On Saturday Night, the “Fantasy Ain’t Easy” league gathered around a family style table in the Hooters restaurant, and began the grueling and tense four hour draft process that would determine their individual fantasy teams. Each of these teams represented the hopes and prayers that a winning team brings in the currency of bragging rights. Over beers and buffalo wings, these friends and fellow GMs poured over stats and reference sheets while they went around the table, in an auction style selection of the greatest players the NFL has to offer. In the end, all ten GM’s walked away with a self-selected squad that they would collectively invest hundreds of hours into over the coming months. Week after week, these GMs will sneak away from normal responsibilities (work, wives and sleep) so that they can strategically prepare to match their constructed teams against one another. Ultimately, there will only be one team standing, but the league as a whole, is comforted in knowing that in August of 2010, it will all start over again. n