A normal sports fan can just watch and enjoy the game of their favorite team. But a serious sports enthusiast knows even something more: they know a lot about the game, the team, the best and the not so good players, as well as all the stats and trivia related to the sports. Remembering them, watching the game intently, and following to the details is time consuming but it’s nothing to the sports enthusiast. They could go on all day talking about the sport.


During the 80s, there was a game, called fantasy sports, invented for sports fanatics who know more that just the team standings in the league. In the fantasy sports, followers of the league or the game can select their favorite players in every team. Using the stats their favorite players put out in every game, they compare game stats and determine the winner in that round. By the end of the season, the stats accumulated by the players are calculated to determine the winner. As the formal creation of this type of game started during the 80’s, internet was way far from their minds but the mechanics are already there. From the set of rosters, participants draft their players to avoid duplication. It’s like creating your own team but it’s not about winning, but it’s all about numbers and stats. Even though the growth was slower compared to today, there were at least half a million players in fantasy sports by the near end of the decade. When the game was invented, it was all about baseball. As the 90s came, it has been applied to other sports as well.

When internet came, fantasy sports got bigger in an exponential level. Besides being recognized across the country, it’s now a hobby for all sports enthusiasts worldwide. Internet sports sites have their own fantasy sports in every league that you can sign up for before the start of every season. You can sign up for free, join a league and compare your results against other players who signed up for the league that you also joined in.

Fantasy sports gradually became a point of reference for some gamblers who just love to compare numbers and earn money at the same time. Because of gambling, fantasy sports may have taken a slight wrong turn as some of the participants in the game don’t enjoy the game anymore, but only gamble on the numbers. But there are still millions of passionate users who want to join a league solely because of the love of sport.

Winning in fantasy sports requires a good analysis of the league, the players and their opponents. Most of the time, participants have to study their opponents of their players carefully. If they can find any mismatch in their game, they can easily exploit and expect the stats to go up. Participants also have to change their roster if any of their players is placed in the injury list.

Now, fantasy sports are a completely different disciple compared to the sport itself. There are dedicated sites to fantasy sports and sports shows of every league. It has now become a million dollar industry that will not fade in anytime of the season. The numbers are there, so why not use them for fun?