Fantasy football has exploded. It’s become so big, in fact, that it’s gone global and can be played in as faraway places such as Nigeria and the Philippines.
According to a 2019 survey by the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association (FSGA), 19% of Americans who were over the age of 18 participated in fantasy sports. As you may or may not have expected, football was the most popular of the fantasy sports, with 78% of participants choosing the grid sport for their fantasy gaming enjoyment.
Of course, fantasy gaming wouldn’t be possible without some solid technology behind it. Below is a look at some of the technology that’s driving the world of fantasy football and helping it to be such a massive success.
The tech driving fantasy football
It was in the mid-to-late 1990s that fantasy football truly found its feet and became a smash hit. The concept of fantasy gaming had come about in the 1960s, but the 1990s would be the decade when the sport hit its stride. The channel CBS offered an online platform for fantasy football, and free sites also emerged.
Players at the time would, just as in the 1960s, record the results manually and add points up themselves. This all changed, however, when platforms began to introduce automatic scoring, which removed the need for fantasy football players to record the results by hand and monitor them. As a result, playing fantasy football become much more convenient and enjoyable.
Online stats and content
Online stats and content have made it all the more possible for fans to participate in fantasy football leagues. Fans can consume content and stats that will help them make decisions easier when it comes to how they manage and organize their fantasy football team. Websites, blogs, magazines, TV and more all offer valuable information on which players can capitalize.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence has also started to take on major importance in the world of fantasy football. Some fantasy football operators are teaming up with IT companies and using AI to analyse large amounts of structured and/or unstructured data. They’ll also analyse lots of different news articles and media coverage, and transform them into useful insights that can help fantasy football players make better decisions about their team. Some of this tech will analyse players and inform you who would be best to pick on fantasy draft day.
The impact of tech on fantasy football players
Innovations in tech have made playing fantasy football a truly exhilarating experience for anyone who takes part in a league. The incorporation of more and more tech into fantasy football has made it an experience you don’t only have to be a football fan to enjoy. Here are some of the benefits tech has had for fantasy football players:
Greater accessibility
To manage a fantasy football team well, you have to conduct some thorough research and follow the football results closely. If you’re not a major fan, this can be something off a chore, be difficult to do and feel a little off-putting. The tech being employed in fantasy football, however, is making it much easier to keep up with events in the NFL, even if the players don’t want to get too closely involved, and make decisions more straightforward. They don’t have to do as much independent research.
Greater resources
Managing a fantasy football team is very much about analysing the data. Knowledge and information are power. The arrival of the internet has created a plethora of extra resources. No longer do players have to rely just on TV and radio. They can check out stats in real time and find info on the internet. Some websites dedicate themselves entirely to advising players on who will be the best picks to make or on who will perform best (or who to avoid) for the season.
Fantasy sports on the go
The growth of mobile gaming has seen fantasy sports being played on mobile devices as well as at desktop computers. As long as a fantasy sports player has a decent mobile signal, they can check on the progress of a game or of their team and make any changes in strategy, whether they’re at work, at home or out and about somewhere.
More competitive scene
Fantasy sports have become a competitive arena in which lots of operators have materialized. The general accessibility to fantasy football that tech has created means some competitions are offering thousands of the nation’s currency in a bid to attract players.
Fantasy football is hugely popular. No matter how far away you are from the action on the grids, there’s a good chance you can still get in on the action and excitement of taking part in a fantasy football league. Why not give it a try?