Fantasy Fortune

It has long been the tradition of most NFL sports fans to get home from church, watch their hometown team, and pass out on the couch for the rest of the afternoon; captivated by finishing the list of chores from their significant other by nightfall. However, the emergence of fantasy football has significantly increased the range of games, athletes, and teams sports fans are wanting to follow.

Fantasy football allows regular men and women to engage in the NFL to a remarkable degree. They are able to live and die by the same sword the athletes on their teams do. Fantasy football has owners constantly monitoring scores, stats, highlights, and games they would have never watched before. You can find people in Detroit with Randy Moss jerseys or people with Eagles gear in Oakland. Not because they necessarily have always supported the team, but because their involvement in fantasy football has propelled their interest in players and teams outside of what they grew up on.

Fantasy football allows people to connect more closely with athletes and teams. It contributes to accessibility and the complete football experience. Furthermore, many sports stations devote large amounts of airtime during the week for expert analysis on fantasy football. They are able to market big games based on what players are playing in them; catching the eye of fantasy owners who have that player. People play for money, enjoyment, and love of football. The industry has done nothing but grow and generate money for the NFL and companies like ESPN. Fantasy football appears to have a profound, addictive impact on the die hard football fan.

From a marketing standpoint, fantasy football has benefited the NFL and sports networks greatly. It has escalated jersey and merchandise sales and increased viewer ratings of games. Fantasy football has allowed people to fall in love with players and the star power they possess. Fantasy football has networks like ESPN filling time slots with analysis, predictions, and advice; all for a made up world of football team management. Participants are able to climb into the driver seat of football coaching and make decisions on who to start or sit; much like in real life coaching. Fantasy football has entire magazines dedicated to its followers. ESPN and Yahoo! have entire sections of their website for fantasy matters. It's hard today to talk about NFL football without the mention of the player who broke your team's season or your thoughts on the upcoming year's projections. Fantasy football has become a tradition for the football fan.

Fantasy football has added a kick to the NFL in terms of both profits and interests. It has replaced the historical traditions of only following hometown teams. You will find more people in today's world talking about their fantasy results on Mondays then the actual results of the game. People find themselves pitted against their favorite teams because their fantasy interest in the gain outweighs the support their favorite team. The interest fantasy football has generated for the game and its players is remarkable. It's economic impacts and marketing opportunities are equally impressive. Fantasy football does not appear to be going away anytime soon, which appears to be a positive statement for all parties involved.