This weekend, 500 fantasy football devotees dreams came true. What does the boom in imaginary sports mean for the real thing?
These days, Bill Winkenbach wouldnt recognise the activity he started back in 1963, when what barely qualified as a cottage industry made its first appearance on the sporting scene. It has since become a business behemoth, a cornerstone of the National Football League as the new season approaches.
The simple fact is, fantasy football is a billion-dollar business, and the staging of the inaugural ESPN Fantasy Football Convention in Orlando last weekend signified a level of approval that could even, given the demographics involved, threaten to put the real game in the shade.
I just love fantasy football. I spend half the year anticipating the season, and the other half being in it. I am in 10 different leagues and have 500 bucks invested in the process. When I first heard about this, it was just the ultimate possibility, and it was my wife who said, Lets make this happen. Im just totally thrilled.
My first experience of fantasy football was as a junior in high school, when my best friend asked me to play. I thought it was the strangest thing Id ever heard. It was just plain weird. But once I got into it, I was hooked, and I think that is the experience for the majority.
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 10 hours ago.
These days, Bill Winkenbach wouldnt recognise the activity he started back in 1963, when what barely qualified as a cottage industry made its first appearance on the sporting scene. It has since become a business behemoth, a cornerstone of the National Football League as the new season approaches.
The simple fact is, fantasy football is a billion-dollar business, and the staging of the inaugural ESPN Fantasy Football Convention in Orlando last weekend signified a level of approval that could even, given the demographics involved, threaten to put the real game in the shade.
I just love fantasy football. I spend half the year anticipating the season, and the other half being in it. I am in 10 different leagues and have 500 bucks invested in the process. When I first heard about this, it was just the ultimate possibility, and it was my wife who said, Lets make this happen. Im just totally thrilled.
My first experience of fantasy football was as a junior in high school, when my best friend asked me to play. I thought it was the strangest thing Id ever heard. It was just plain weird. But once I got into it, I was hooked, and I think that is the experience for the majority.
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 10 hours ago.