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Image source: grilliningrafton.com
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Fantasy sports are a fun game that allows groups of friends to play team manager of an imaginary team roster using the names and statistics of real players. The teams compete based on the statistical performance of real players in real games, which are converted into points. The team with the highest points wins.
Now, I’m not going to expound how much more complicated real team management is compared with the stuff in fantasy leagues or how complex dedicated players can be in terms of the math involved. However, fantasy sports are still very much a subject of interest in sports management.
Sports managers are just beginning to realize how profound the impact of fantasy sports fans to the business side of sports. Fostering engagement with the fantasy sports community, therefore, is seen as something sports managers and franchises should consider.
Fantasy sports players share many things in common with other sports fans. One study suggests that fantasy players are often more passionate toward their favorite teams in real life than the players they select for their fantasy teams. Catering to these fans, however, shouldn’t just rely on what has worked for average sports fans.
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| Image source: yellowhammernews.com |
One thing that separates fantasy sports fans from other fans of sports media is that they are heavily invested in statistics. This turns out to be one of their crucial advantages as a demographic. Fantasy sports hosts often rely heavily on sports teams for access to this data.
Because of their need to fill their spreadsheets and improve their scores, people playing fantasy sports often tune into sports games religiously. The greater exposure to sports opens up many opportunities for marketing.
Christopher Halajian, wine connoisseur and sports management student. Catch up on me and my interests on Twitter.
