Fantasy Sports are online prediction games where you put together a virtual team of real sports players. You earn points based on real life statistics that are converted into fantasy points. The better your player performs in real life, the higher your fantasy points.You play against other managers and their teams. Everybody manages a roster by adding, dropping, trading and selling players to keep winning.

The origins of the game are based in North America where the first fantasy sports games in basketball, American football, ice hockey and baseball were offered by Yahoo back in 1999. Other portals like ESPN or CBS followed shortly. Nowadays, there are millions of people around the globe who are playing some modality of fantasy sports game. Between 2012 and 2017, the number of fantasy sports games players went from 8 million to 15.5 million. Football, in particular, has positioned itself as a leader in the fantasy sports games market.

What makes Fantasy Sports so much fun?

Billions are made in the sports industry because those who play fantasy sports tend to watch more sports on television, visit websites more frequently and buy more merchandise. Here are some other reasons why it’s so catchy and popular.

Use of knowledge

Every fan has their own ideas about favourite sport, but rarely do they get a chance to prove it. Team selection, formations, and substitutions: it is all there and waiting for you to prove to us all your credentials. As a fantasy player you’re engaged with your team and the sport in general. You convert your (previously passive) knowledge about the sport (eg. by following news) into managing decisions for your fantasy team. And these actions have consequences. You become an active participant.

No more meaningless matches

You previously might never have considered following lesser important matches. But now you might have one or more fantasy players that are playing. Once you have a fantasy team, you can’t watch a game without being somehow invested.

Bragging rights and making friends

Playing fantasy, especially season-long leagues, means forming friendships that can last a lifetime. If everyone lives close to each other, draft day parties where everyone gets together are often held. Even if you join a league of people you’ve never met through an online portal, you’ll get to know those who are also big sports fans.Fantasy sports is also about banter and bragging rights. You want to compete and defeat your friendly league rivals (friends, colleagues, family). That dynamic makes fantasy sports an inherently social experience.

The thrill of victory

Winning a fantasy league is very difficult to do, especially when you are up against other knowledge fans over the course of a long season. Whether you end up throwing in a little money to “sweeten the pot” or not, winning is still a thrill. Few hobbies provide that kind of experience.

Competition

Sports fans love competition for a lot of reasons. The strategy involved. The unpredictability of outcomes. The way random chance can impact the result of any game or season. Fantasy sports are highly competitive, with like-minded fans facing off against each other – usually through websites – to compete for the championship.

Time off

Until you’ve found yourself in the middle of the work day wondering if you picked the right pitching rotation for your team’s current road trip, then it’s hard to explain how much fun fantasy sports can be. They provide a welcome break from the day-to-day grind of the “real world” and give you the chance to focus on something you love.

Fantasy sport is a great option for sports fans. Some may find they actually like sports better when they play fantasy. It’s a simple matter of picking a sport and finding a good league. Years from now, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to do it.