Have you ever guessed how big fantasy sports are? Go ahead guess… in 2007-08, 27.1 million Americans played at least one fantasy sport. That number is going up exponentially as the years pass. In 2011, 35 million Americans entered the world of fantasy sports (that’s 12 percent of the population of the U.S.).
As with many other tech-geek startups, it had small beginnings in mom’s basement. However, after a little while, it gained some real steam and began to get recognized. Fantasy Sports really started to hit its stride in the late 80’s and 90’s. People would form clubs with a buy-in (a fee that would be collected later by the winner), assemble their teams and play away.
The premise of fantasy sports is pretty simple. You pick your sport, then you assemble a team of your favorite athletes at all the applicable positions (you have to make sure that you have a full roster. No basketball teams of all guards). Then, you assemble each players’ stats for their games and score your team accordingly. The team with the most “points” at the end of the season (post season not included) wins.
Once fantasy sports hit the web, it started to become a legitimate industry. Organizations like RotoNews.com (and others like it) sprung up so that fans could see why someone from their team didn’t play. From that genesis, more sites, tools and ways to play began to spring up. Innovation has driven the industry thus far, and it doesn’t seem like it is going to slow down.
As sports continues to evolve, it seems as though fantasy sports will evolve with it. Different packages and options will allow fantasy buffs to get as much info on their players that they can handle (for example, channels like NFL League Pass that can let you see every game being played, which allows you to keep an eye on every member of your fantasy team).
If you build it, they will come, and fantasy sure has come. As things expand, we may start to see fantasy American Idol drafts, or fantasy Jersey Shore. With online innovation, and a market to drive it, the possibilities are truly endless.
Author: Andrew Snow is a freelance writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers helps people determine if an online education is right for them and helps them understand which online courses and online schools they can choose from to reach their goals.