The popularity of fantasy football has increased exponentially over the last 10 years. There are now over 60 million active fantasy football players with that number expected to grow even further in the coming years. There are a number of sports which have daily fantasy sports with leagues such as the NBA, MLB and NHL all having large player bases. However, the NFL/fantasy football is the most popular by some way. As well as American football being the most popular sport in the nation, it helps that it was actually football that gave fantasy football its start.
In 1962, part owner of the Oakland Raiders Bill Winkenbach met with a group of friends at a hotel in New York City and birthed fantasy football. Dubbed the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League, Winkebach and co would draft players from the NFL and now defunct American Football League to their fantasy franchises and accrue points based on their performance. That concept has remained the same in the 60 years since, with the advent of the internet and smartphones etc. making it a whole lot easier. Fantasy sport has now become a staple of American sporting culture, and its popularity is seemingly growing year on year. But what makes it so popular exactly and why should you get into it?
Put your knowledge to the test
We as football fans all have one thing in common: we all think we know best. Whether its benching the quarterback, calling a play or ‘zigging when he should’ve zagged’, we have all sat on our couch and become armchair coaches at some point. Well with fantasy football, we can see how much we really know. You think an All-star is in for a dud year? Don’t draft him. Think a quarterback doesn’t play well in the colder states? Drop him. Sure, we will probably learn along the way that we are not the experts we thought we were but learning about the statistics and trends along the way is all part of the fun.
Level of immersion
One of the aspects of fantasy football that makes it so fun to play is how immersed players can be in the sport. A study has found that the level of a player’s success in fantasy football is based on luck, not skill. You need knowledge of the game, players, and statistics to maximize your chances. This allows players to feel involved in the sport, almost as if they were truly coaching a real-life franchise! Many players even host draft parties with their friends before the season to put their team together, which brings us to our next reason.
Those who have played fantasy football know just how great the social aspect of the game can be. The draft parties add a great layer of fun as does talking about stats, players, and anything else you are passionate about when it comes to fantasy football. However, nothing is more fun than trash talking your friends. The bragging rights you can have over them when they are having a dud year tastes like sweet victory alone!
You can win big
The great thing about fantasy football with Draftkings is that there are thousands of leagues and competitions with many of them being free to enter. Some even have prize money winnings of an incredible $1 million. A lot also have guaranteed prize pools so even if you finish badly, you will still come out with money in the bank. Of course, it is important you can bet responsibly but with so many different leagues the best part is you can start low and work your way up to a level you feel them most comfortable at.
Find your fortunes elsewhere
There is nothing worse as a football fan than having to watch your team have a tank season. There is very little to be excited about when watching a team that would likely prefer to lose games to get themselves a higher draft pick. However, with fantasy football you at least have somewhere else to turn to get your fill of excitement. Sure, your team may be 1-13 but your fantasy team could be well up in the rankings, giving you all the more reason to keep invested in the season.
Seasons are short
Unlike the NBA and MLB, the NFL season has very few regular season games with just 17 between September and January. This means that you don’t have to dedicate every single day to your fantasy team, and everyone knows how life can get in the way of our leisure time often. Instead, you can relax especially with Draftkings, who allow you to make changes to your team right up to kick off time.
