Fans By Fantasy
Is ESPN's Fantasy football keeping fans engaged? Whether you are playing with family, friends, or strangers, fantasy football is more than a game within the game. ESPN’s Fantasy App also provides you with stats, updates, recaps, and highlights, allowing you to play, watch, and learn.
In 1962, Bill Winkenbach, majority owner of the Oakland Raiders, invented fantasy football. The first public fantasy league was established at an Oakland bar, and by the 1980s, over a million people had begun playing fantasy football. Decades later, fantasy football is now a multi-billion-dollar industry that brings millions of fans together.
Leading up to the 2024 NFL season, ESPN Fantasy Football app marked another all-time high, with more than 13 million people playing the game for the first time ever. In August, leading up to week one, ESPN’s Fantasy app was at the top of the charts among other fantasy apps, accounting for 9.3 million visitors, which was 3.7 million more than Yahoo!.
The NFL is currently the highest-earning professional sports league, with an annual revenue of $20 billion. They had an average viewership of over 17 million during the 2023 regular season, meaning that a majority of viewers also play ESPN’s Fantasy.
These millions of players not only enjoy the competition within the app, but also the ability to create their team, making themselves a coach, manager, and owner all in one. Like the NFL, each fantasy league starts with a draft, allowing you to select which player and positions you want to pick first.
After your draft, each week you are in charge of setting a line-up, with the ability to trade, pick up, and drop players you wish in order to secure wins every week. Each player in your starting lineup can earn points based on their game stats (touchdowns, passing, receiving, catching, rushing yards, blocks, etc.). At the end of each week, your starting players' points are combined and compared against your opponents to determine who won that specific week. This weekly competition and control keeps users engaged with the NFL and their fantasy team.
Exceeding more than just live up-to-date features, ESPN’s Fantasy app also brings communities together. Connecting with people through the app is a huge aspect of the overall game. Like the regular NFL season, each week you are matched up against a different opponent. This allows you the opportunity to expand your social network and interactions each week, building and adding to community connections. This kind of engagement is a huge goal for ESPN’s Fantasy app and ESPN as a whole.
One of the most valuable aspects of sports is the way they bring people together. Whether you support the same teams/players or not, sports are one of the most common topics of conversation among communities. ESPN’s overall mission is to serve fans by providing them with a reliable network to watch sports and create relationships among supporters. Fantasy is a deeper way to build and grow your social circle. Just like teamwork is crucial for players, it is for fans as well.
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