Fantasy Football: The New Internet Porn

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_38/b4195081511463.htm?chan=magazine+channel_etc.

by alifaziz • 16 years ago

11 11 16 years ago

businessweek.com

Legion• 16 years ago

I love fantasy football. I'm a real football fan first and foremost, but fantasy football is great fun.

It does not take a lot of time to play fantasy football well, though. Some junkies truly overanalyze to death. Their desire to find an edge is so great that they latch onto some obscure little nugget and convince themselves that it's the secret they need to win.

nhebb• 16 years ago

Some junkies truly overanalyze to death.

I stopped playing it over 10 years ago because I was one of those guys. There wasn't much info on the internet back then, so I had newspapers, magazines, and Excel spreadsheets. I knew if was crap analysis, but sometimes letting your OCD side run loose is fun in its own way.

landyman• 16 years ago

I also love Fantasy Football. We play in a rookie keeper league where you can carry over rookie players that you draft into the next year. Looking into those rookies does take some time, partly because these are people you get to keep for the long haul, but it's before the football season, and we can easily do it while we're not at work. A lot of the "overanalyzers" don't win anyway.

It is a good way to get into a friendly competition with your friends and get into football. We do some office leagues and games every year because it's competitive and fun, and we don't find a huge hit to productivity. Most people do it on their own time at home.

hugh3• 16 years ago

I've never understood Fantasy Football, either the rules or the appeal.

Perhaps it's a chance for non-geeks to geek out about something in a socially acceptable way? On the other hand, maybe it's just about having an excuse to socially interact with your workmates in a non-work context?

ben1040• 16 years ago

On the other hand, maybe it's just about having an excuse to socially interact with your workmates in a non-work context?

I have coworkers that I will go out to drink with and have over at my house on weekends, and I have coworkers I don't associate with at all outside work hours. Somewhere in between are the guys in my office fantasy football league.

Goronmon• 16 years ago

It's entertainment. A game you play and can win. In the same way that Farmville is an easy time waster. Fantasy football doesn't require a lot of time investment if you are just trying to have some fun.

Add in the fact that it involves watching sports, which is something many already enjoy doing on it's own.

fleaflicker• 16 years ago

Lots of sports fans follows their local teams and say "if I were the GM I would..."

Fantasy sports let them try.

dailo10• 16 years ago

I quit playing fantasy football a couple years ago and I haven't looked back.

I understand for some people, fantasy football gets them more into the football game. But for me, I actually prefer to watch without such distractions and perverse incentives.

Now when I watch football I can just enjoy the game itself. I root for a team to score and win at the end, not certain players to score a TD or kick a FG.

jrgnsd• 16 years ago

Has this been monetized online in some way, or are most leagues run using a spreadsheet with the money tucked under a mattress somewhere?

In SA we have sites like superbru, but thats mostly free. What I'm thinking about is a site that manages not only the scoring and management of the league, but also collecting the buy ins and doing the prize payouts. For a small admin fee of course.

gcb• 16 years ago

i don't get it at all. but about monetizing this... i occasionally see people on the subway with a "fantasy football" magazine.

vsprabhakara1• 16 years ago

I recently did a bunch of research on this for my company Fanvibe. eMarketer, a research firm, estimates fans spend $500mm on premium content about fantasy, but the Fantasy Sports Trade Assoc. estimates the economic impact is about $4bn - the difference being people gambling "under the table". Look at what Fanduel is doing with regards to managing leagues and bets, and taking a cut.