ONTARIO, Ohio – An estimated 56.8 million people in the United States and Canada will participate in fantasy sports this year, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.
That maps out to 14 percent of the entire American population and 19 percent of the Canadian. Of those who play, 73 percent claim that fantasy football is their favorite in which to partake.
The question for so many: why?
Surrounded by people enjoying chicken wings and cold beer at Buffalo Wild Wings in Ontario, Mansfield natives Zach Massa and Jason Chapman, fantasy football veterans, provide insight into the craze that has grown at a rapid rate in the last decade.
For starters, Chapman said, it is another way for people to enjoy their favorite sport, especially people in north central Ohio, who frequently root for the Cleveland Browns.
“I’m a Browns fan, so I don’t always have a lot to root for,” he said. “So when I draft (Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver) A.J. Green or (Pittsburgh Steelers WR) Antonio Brown or (Indianapolis Colts quarterback) Andrew Luck, I’m like, ‘yeah, he threw three touchdowns today or he had a long run – my team’s up.’
“It gives me something else to pay attention to on Sundays.”
Massa agreed.
“It gives you something a little more in depth, something to be invested in,” he said.
According to the FSTA, in 2005, 12.6 million people in the U.S. and Canada played fantasy sports, more than four times fewer than today. Going back even farther, only 500,000 took part in fantasy sports in 1988.
That rise in numbers, Massa believes, is because of technology and the ease of access.
“You don’t have to worry about waiting for the paper to come out on Monday or even Tuesday to check all the stats and handwrite everything,” said Massa, explaining how players used to chart fantasy scores. “ESPN and Yahoo make it so easy.”
Massa and Chapman both have point per reception (PPR) leagues, meaning that receivers receive a designated score for every catch they make. That is just one of many variations of the game, including standard, keeper, dynasty, and auction formats.
A lot can go into planning a strategy, Massa said. Keeping track of injured players, depth chart changes, and rising players in free agency and in waivers can at times take hours.
Chapman added that it’s “a lot like studying for a test.”
“If you don’t do that, all of a sudden you’re starting a guy that’s going to be out for three weeks, and you missed him,” Massa said. “So there’s going to be a zero right off that bat.”
In a game where fractions of a point can be the difference between winning and losing, that zero can make a significant impact, especially if money is involved.
Sixty percent of all fantasy sports players pay a league fee, according to the FSTA. Those fees are much like paying annual club dues, Massa and Chapman explained.
There are some, however, that debate whether or not paying fantasy sports dues is a form of gambling, especially with the rise of daily league sites such as DraftKings.com and FanDuel.com. The FTSA reports that players annually spend an average of $465 on fantasy sports, which includes all expenses in addition to league dues.
Neither Massa nor Chapman said they felt fantasy sports were a gateway to gambling.
“I’ve actually found that, after doing it before without pay, we’ve had the problem of people quitting and not playing throughout the year,” Chapman said. “When you have nothing to play for, nobody wanted to play.”
The incentive of “even just a few bucks” gives players a vested interest, Chapman added.
Something both Massa and Thompson have initiated in their leagues is a payout to the team with the highest point total each week. Not only does that provide an added incentive, it keeps players from tanking – losing deliberately – for future gain, such as having the first draft pick the following year.
“You still want to fight a little bit to see what you can get for points to at least get half of your entry fee back,” said Massa, whose league dues are $25.
According to ESPN’s projection rankings, the top three players for the 2014-15 season are Pittsburgh Steelers runningback Le’Veon Bell, Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, and Green Bay Packers RB Eddie Lacy.
A few other stats*
While men traditionally have dominated fantasy sports, women now account for 34 percent of all fantasy players.
In addition, the average age of each player is 37 years old and more than 57 percent of players hold at least a college degree.
Supporting Massa’s claim about technology, 37 percent of fantasy players primarily use their mobile device to manage their leagues, a growth of 12 percent since 2012.
*All statistics were reported by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.
