{"id":5,"date":"2021-11-18T23:48:58","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T23:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2021\/camras\/?page_id=5"},"modified":"2021-12-18T07:55:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T07:55:00","slug":"title","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2021\/camras\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Noah Camras<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average sports fan may have no idea who Bill Winkenbach is. I for one did not before writing this. Wilfred \u201cBill\u201d Winkenbach may be one of the most influential figures in sports history. His ideas have forever changed the way we watch, follow and consume sports. He has forever changed what it means<\/em> to be a sports fan. To those of you who have no idea who I\u2019m talking about, that\u2019s okay. It will all make sense soon. But I can tell you one thing. There\u2019s a good chance Bill Winkenbach has impacted the way you<\/em> watch sports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The year was 1962. Winkenbach, then part-owner of the Oakland Raiders, was with some friends in a New York City hotel. Winkenbach, Raiders Public Relations Director Bill Tunnell and Oakland Tribune sportswriter (later turned Raiders PR Director) Scotty Stirling were discussing their beloved sport of football. However, there wasn\u2019t much to love at the time. The Raiders were in the midst of an ugly 1-13 season. In the hopes of finding a way to combat the pain of their team having a down year, the three friends began to brainstorm. They landed on a crazy idea that allowed each person to be somewhat of a general manager to their own team. At the beginning of the season, each manager would draft players to their team, and benefit from real player statistics from every game. Before the following football season, Winkenbach and his friends created the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League, or the GOPPPL for short. The GOPPPL will forever be known as the world\u2019s first fantasy football league. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The draft card from the GOPPPL’s inaugural season (courtesy: Andy Mousalimas).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Participation in fantasy sports has skyrocketed over the last three decades, with fantasy football convincingly leading the charge. A 2019 survey<\/span><\/a> from the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association found that 78% of people who participated in fantasy sports played fantasy football. The next highest was fantasy baseball with 39%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The survey also looked at overall participation in fantasy sports. In 1988, an estimated 500,000 people played fantasy sports. In 2007, that number rose to 19.4 million. In 2017, the most recent year the study gathered data, there were an estimated 59.3 million fantasy sports participants. That means more than 46 million people played fantasy football in 2017. Put those people in one place and that\u2019s the 31st largest country in the world, ahead of Argentina, Canada and Australia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So fantasy football is popular. Clearly. But that\u2019s hardly the most interesting thing about it. Fantasy football is changing the sport of football. Some say it’s improving it, others say it’s ruining it. But no one can argue that it\u2019s making an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“It changes the way people approach games. People are more likely to care about the outcome of a game for a team that may not be their favorite. It makes every single regular season game feel that much more important.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jake Shoyer, 21, 8 years of fantasy football experience.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t think that the NFL would be where it is today without fantasy football,\u201d said Michael Fabiano, Sports Illustrated’s Senior Fantasy Analyst. Before fantasy football, people were passionate about their favorite team \u2014 and only their team. Fabiano, who has worked in fantasy for over 20 years, including 15 years with the NFL said, \u201cNow, people no longer care just about the teams they root for or the teams in that division, they care about everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stefan Sleep, an assistant professor at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, co-wrote and researched a 2019 study on the NFL viewer. His findings bear out Fabiano\u2019s viewpoint. \u201cYou used to care about a certain team in a certain area,\u201d Sleep said about the average NFL fan. \u201cNow you care about all the different teams \u2026[and] as you pay attention to all teams, you lose a connection to your team.\u201d This is one side of the coin. Fans are caring more and more about their fantasy teams, and, in some cases, less and less about their hometown teams. Sleep, however, says fans aren\u2019t necessarily caring about their favorite teams less. Rather, he says they have a \u201cdual identity\u201d to both their professional team and their own fantasy team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI think it\u2019s made folks more into their own fantasy football team than a fan of the local team. Also [they\u2019re] way more into individual stats than [they] would be without fantasy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jana Goldberg, 44, 12 years of fantasy football experience.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This dual identity has greatly impacted the NFL. \u201cViewership is the biggest impact fantasy football is having on the NFL,\u201d said Peter Schoenke, who helped found Rotowire, the first ever fantasy-centered online publication, in 1997. \u201cIt makes the average fan go beyond just their local team so they suddenly care about a Thursday Night game between two teams [they don\u2019t care about].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is evident in the league\u2019s Thursday Night Football ratings this season. The first Thursday Night game of the year between the New York Giants and Washington Football Team brought in an estimated 7.33 million viewers on the NFL Network, the largest season-opening TNF audience since 2017. Week 4\u2019s TNF broadcast between the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars brought in 8.5 million viewers, the NFL Network\u2019s most-watched TNF game since 2018. Week 6\u2019s TNF game saw 14.5 million viewers across all platforms \u2014 NFL Network, Fox, Amazon Prime Video, Twitch, Yahoo Sports and Fox Deportes \u2014 while Week 7 brought in 13.1 million viewers. In Week 8, a battle between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals became the third most-watched TNF game since the NFL partnered with Fox, when 20.4 million viewers tuned in. Thursday Night Football was the second most-watched<\/span><\/a> television show of the 2020-2021 year, trailing only NBC\u2019s broadcast of Sunday Night Football. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I am more excited to watch a below average Thursday night game between Carolina and Jacksonville if I have a player or two ‘playing\u2019 for my fantasy team.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heath Blumstein, 57, 18 years of fantasy football experience.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The league is clearly paying attention to these numbers. In an interview with Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association, David Jurenka, the Senior Vice President of Media for the NFL\u2019s Los Angeles headquarters, described fantasy football\u2019s impact on viewership. \u201cIf your team is 1-10 and yet your fantasy team is 10-1, I would argue you\u2019re just as engaged,\u201d Jurenka said. Even for a diehard football fan, watching your 1-10 team tank for the first overall pick in next year\u2019s draft is never fun. Just ask Bill Winkenbach. But with fantasy football, you always have something to play for \u2014 and therefore a reason to keep tuning in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Since I\u2019ve started playing I follow football a lot closer as a whole, instead of just following the Chicago Bears. I also think that fantasy football has made the sport more enjoyable to watch at times, especially when a fan\u2019s team is not doing well.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jai Choudary, 21, 8 years of fantasy football experience.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Individual NFL teams have taken note of fantasy football\u2019s impact on the league as well. David Weingarten, who works in Community Affairs and Engagement for the Los Angeles Rams, said that the team\u2019s fantasy football leagues keep fans engaged during the season. \u201cWe\u2019re in year two of our season ticket member league,\u201d said Weingarten, and \u201cwe have about 34 head-to-head leagues this year.\u201d With 34 head-to-head leagues \u2014 the standard fantasy football set-up where people play against one another to win \u2014 and about 10 or 12 teams per league, approximately 400 season ticket members are engaged for a full season of fantasy football directly through the Rams. They also have the opportunity to win prizes. Not only does this keep these fans interested no matter how the Rams play, but it incentivizes buying season tickets \u2014 and that means coming to games, spending money on food, spending money on team merchandise and so on. Even if the Rams lose, the organization wins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Fantasy football allows for people to be NFL fans rather than fans of individual teams. Overall I believe this increases the amount of time people spend consuming NFL content.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michelle Mankoff, 21, 11 years of fantasy football experience.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cFantasy players are the best consumers of the NFL product,\u201d said Rotowire\u2019s Schoenke. Research shows that fantasy players go to more games, buy more jerseys and watch more football on Sundays. A 2002 survey conducted by the NFL found that the average male spent 6.6 hours a week watching the NFL. Fantasy players, however, watched 8.4 hours per week. Schoenke said that this was the key research that led the NFL to shift its views on fantasy. Instead of looking at the increased popularity of fantasy football as a negative, the NFL started promoting it to their viewers. The league\u2019s best players even began to star in fantasy advertisement campaigns<\/span><\/a>.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“It gives people a reason to root for players who aren\u2019t necessarily on their favorite team. The NFL is now more individual-player focused than ever.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zach Fallas, 21, 10 years of fantasy football experience.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The NFL\u2019s embrace of fantasy football has also paved the way for the NFL RedZone channel. The RedZone channel, founded in 2009, gave fans a new way to watch football. Rather than watching one game, or flipping between two channels, the RedZone channel\u2019s whiparound coverage brought fans all the action from every game in real time. This kind of coverage has helped solve one of the NFL\u2019s biggest viewing problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2020 study<\/span><\/a> by FiveThirtyEight.com looked into the average amount of action in an NFL broadcast. Although most broadcasts last well over three hours, they deliver \u201ca total of only 18 minutes of football action.\u201d Other studies have even found those numbers to be as low as 11 minutes of action. This means fans tuning in to the local CBS or Fox NFL game on an average Sunday are giving more than three hours of their time to watch less than 20 minutes of football. In contrast, the RedZone channel, which constantly switches from game to game, brings fans nonstop action. As hosts Scott Hanson and Andrew Siciliano famously begin every telecast, it offers \u201cseven hours of commercial-free football.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, while the RedZone channel was able to solve the problem of a lack of action, it wouldn\u2019t have been able to take off without fantasy football. As NFL fans know, it\u2019s sometimes difficult to keep up with all the action on Sundays, as up to 10 games can be occurring simultaneously. If you\u2019re trying to keep up with all of the players on your fantasy team, it could be nearly impossible. But the RedZone channel was able to provide the solution to this problem, and do so in a way that really mattered to fantasy football players. Hanson, Siciliano and the RedZone channel vow to show \u201cevery touchdown from every game.\u201d While touchdowns are the most exciting part of football, a last second touchdown in a 41-13 game doesn\u2019t really mean anything \u2014 at least not to the average NFL fan. To the fantasy player, however, that touchdown could mean everything. That touchdown could be the difference between your fantasy team winning and losing in a week. It could be the difference between your fantasy team making the playoffs or not. It could be the difference between you making $350 or $0 (more on that later).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading up to its 200th episode last year, research estimated that 1-1.5 million people tuned into the RedZone channel each week. \u201cA huge portion of their audience is paying attention because of fantasy,\u201d said Sports Illustrated\u2019s Fabiano. \u201cAnd those guys both play fantasy,\u201d Fabiano said in reference to hosts Hanson and Siciliano, \u201cSo trust me, they\u2019re paying attention, too.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I personally grew up a massive Cowboys fan. But now on Sundays I tune into whichever game has my biggest fantasy asset at that time. Which is a shame because the Cowboys have an awesome young core of players to be excited about. But fantasy has made me a fan of individual players rather than teams…I also have very little interest in physically going to a football game because I\u2019d spend the whole time checking on my fantasy players.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ross Stripling, 31, a former Los Angeles Dodger and current Toronto Blue Jays pitcher, 11 years of fantasy football experience.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Evan Rosenblum, the former Executive Producer of TMZ Sports and current Head of Triller Sports, says with fantasy, there\u2019s more than just hometown pride on the line. \u201cBefore fantasy football became the juggernaut that it is, fans would follow football to root for their favorite teams. There was a sense of city pride and team pride,\u201d Rosenblum said. \u201cNow you have people that are so invested in how individual players produce because it\u2019s more than just pride on the line \u2026 there\u2019s an actual financial incentive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This financial incentive Rosenblum mentions is an interesting addition to the equation. A recent survey<\/span><\/a> by OppLoans found that the average buy-in for a fantasy league this year was $50. This means that at the beginning of the fantasy football season, every player in the average league put $50 into a pool \u2014 a 10-team league would have $500 in the pool while a 12-team league would have $600 and so on. At the end of this season, that pool of money would be divided in some way among the best teams in the league, with the winner most likely getting the majority of it. The survey found that the average first-place prize for a league was $350, meaning second and even third-place finishers can receive money as well. The aforementioned Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association survey found that 73% of fantasy players pay for a non-cash prize, while 68% of fantasy players spend money on a league punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Instead of caring about a specific team, fans now only seem to care about how their players perform regardless of the team they are on. People may cheer for a player to do well against their favorite team and won\u2019t care if their team loses as long as their fantasy player gets enough points for the week. “<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe Labelle, 20, 3 years of fantasy football experience. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A punishment is a common way for leagues to ensure that everyone in the league remains engaged. A league will \u201cpunish\u201d the person who finishes in last place, incentivizing them to continue participating even if they don\u2019t have a chance of winning. Sometimes this punishment is chosen by the entire league, while other times it’s just chosen by the winner. There are no standard rules for what a punishment should be, and many leagues get creative with it. Punishments have become a great way to ensure the league is remaining fair, and that no one gives up because they\u2019re losing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before fantasy, the decision was simple: you root for your favorite team. Now, the question is, do you a) root for your favorite team or b) root for $350, a trophy and not getting punished by a bunch of your closest friends looking to publicly humiliate you. This decision is definitely a little tougher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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