In classrooms throughout the nation, students are slyly sneaking their phones under their desks in order to make waiver moves. Lunchrooms are buzzing with trade talk. Sunday afternoons are spent worshiping our lord and savior, Tom Brady. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, it’s fantasy football season.
But fantasy football is no longer the lazy Sunday afternoon pleasure that it once was. It is serious business. According to Elite Daily, the fantasy football industry generates over $1.6 billion a year in revenue. They also state that of all the people who have downloaded the CBS fantasy football mobile app, 50% use it daily.
For many users, fantasy football has become an activity that requires effort almost every hour of every day. Some people, such as junior Kevin Power, have gone as far as waking up in the early hours of the morning just to pick up a particular player off the waiver wire. ““I set an alarm for 3 o’clock in the morning, woke up, got to my computer, and picked up Mark Ingram,” Power said in response to a question regarding his dedication to the game. Clearly, fantasy football users have become more dedicated as the game has grown more popular, and it has become nearly impossible to be successful without some form of effort. 3 AM waiver pickups such as these may be the difference come playoff time, which for many users is quickly approaching.
Power is not the only student who possesses a distinct obsession to fantasy football. When Sophomore Will McCarry was asked about his dedication to the game of fantasy football, he said, “I’m definitely very dedicated. I check it (my team) constantly.” Fantasy football is no longer just a hobby; it’s a lifestyle.
It is not only kids who are spending massive amounts of time and money on their fantasy football squads, but adults are doing so as well. The Chicago Tribune reported that in total businesses lost $13 billion in productivity last fantasy football season. This may seem outrageously high, but in the same report The Chicago Tribune assumed that workers spent two hours per week on fantasy football. This estimate is merely an assumption, and thus may not be entirely accurate; meaning that lost productivity might actually be exponentially higher over the course of the fantasy football season than presumed.
Fortunately for all the poor souls who might’ve taken Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson highly in their drafts, there are new one week fantasy football leagues on sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel. The basis of these leagues is that you are given a salary cap, and you can draft any players you want. Each player has a certain salary value, so it adds a new element to fantasy strategy. Should you spend all your cash on a big time quarterback or spend it on wide receivers?
These sites offer many different leagues, varying from a $1 to a $1,000 buy in price on FanDuel, and the possible prizes are incredible! FanDuel pays over $10 million in prizes for each week of the fantasy football season. When other fantasy sites similar to FanDuel are considered, it is astonishing how much money is circulating throughout the country due to the industry’s success.
Fantasy football is on the rise, and although the football season is wrapping up, fantasy football is going nowhere anytime soon. What started as a small hobby for dedicated football fans has turned into a nationwide obsession, and as long as the NFL maintains its stability, fantasy football will as well.