Fantasy Football: Not Just for Dreamers
Fantasy football, which started as a way for NFL fans to imagine themselves as team owners and manage hand-picked rosters (ideally to championships), has evolved into a billion-dollar behemoth. Per Statista, the fantasy sports market in the United States is worth some $11 billion annually, with fantasy football fans (an estimated 29 million players) numbering more than double those of fantasy baseball (12 million) and fantasy basketball (11 million) combined.
Despite the word “fantasy,” there’s nothing imaginary about the money, competition, and impact fantasy football generates.
Fantasy football got its start in 1962, when Wilfred “Bill” Winkenbach, a part owner of the Oakland Raiders, collaborated with Bill Tunnel, a public relations executive, and Scotty Stirling, a reporter for the Oakland Tribune. Together, they created the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League (GOPPPL). The idea was simple: “draft” actual NFL players onto bespoke teams and score points based on the athletes’ real-life performance each week. The first draft took place in August 1963.
The GOPPL was a modest beginning at best. It would be six years before fantasy football migrated to a sports bar, growing nationwide largely through word of mouth. It eventually became a popular pastime on college campuses, where some of the earliest fantasy leagues were spawned.
Technology Scores a Touchdown
With the widespread adoption of the internet in the 1990s, fantasy football transitioned from a hobby to a commercially viable proposition. Major media outlets like CBS Sports began launching fully automated fantasy platforms online, freeing fans from the tedium of manually tracking scores, wins, losses, and other stats.
The 2010s marked another major turning point, thanks to improvements in mobile technology and greater internet accessibility. Daily fantasy sports (DFS) platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel emerged, allowing users to draft new teams daily or weekly. Not having to commit to drafting players and managing a team for a full season provided instant gratification and the chance to win money.
Fantasy football has grown from hobby to campus craze to media ecosystem. ESPN dedicates three different shows on Sundays specifically to fantasy football content. SiriusXM launched an entire radio channel focused on fantasy football strategy, injury updates, and predictions. Thousands of independent creators churn out TikTok and YouTube videos each week on start/sit decisions, advice on trades, and sleeper picks.
So, who’s playing fantasy football? While it may come as no surprise that 64% of players are men, it is increasingly popular with women. Their participation has increased from approximately 19% in 2019 to 35% today. Age-wise, the largest group of players is between 18 and 34 years old—digital natives. Education and income levels skew on the higher side: 84% of fantasy sports players have at least a college degree, and 65% earn more than $50,000 a year.
Game of Skill
Global projections suggest the fantasy sports market could skyrocket to $103 billion by 2033. In the U.S. alone, compounded annual growth is predicted to be 13% between 2025 and 2030. The massive growth potential is fueled by increasingly powerful mobile devices, constant internet connectivity, and the widespread trend of gamification, turning everything from fitness to education into a game. In addition, engaging in fantasy sports is not considered gambling but a game of skill in 45 states, opening up fantasy sports to an enormous potential user base.
As technology continues to evolve, so will the fantasy football experience. Features like augmented reality drafts, real-time stat tracking, and AI-powered coaching advice are already part of the user experience, and new capabilities will allow fans to further immerse themselves.
What began as a pastime for a few Oakland Raiders fans in the 1960s has transformed into a global multibillion dollar industry. Whether the lure is the quest for glory, the excitement of competition, or the possibility of making money, it’s clear that fantasy football is not just big business but the stuff dreams are made of.