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Fantasy Sports: The Players, the Platforms and the Profits

Published: February 07, 2007 in Knowledge@Wharton

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According to some industry estimates, fantasy sports is now a $4 billion industry and growing quickly. What is fantasy sports, who provides fantasy sports platforms, what are the most popular fantasy sports, and -- coming off the Indianapolis Colts' recent Super Bowl win -- can we assume there will be a Super Bowl for fantasy football, or for baseball, basketball or hockey? Knowledge@Wharton asked Kent Smetters, professor of insurance and risk management, to bring us up to speed on the future of this industry.

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Here's what you think...

Total Comments: 1

#1 All Sizzle, No Steak

I've been in my fantasy football league since the mid-1990s. This guy doesn't know jack about fantasy sports. Any league worth its weight already has rules built in to prevent collusion and/or throwing games to obtain the first draft pick the following year. Our commissioners have the option of voiding an obviously lopsided or questionable trade. Also, we have a "loser" playoff that is concurrent with the regular playoff. You have to actively play to win in order to get the first draft pick.

Also, these online leagues are a joke. They are either so basic to the point of being brain-dead or so tedious (salary cap leagues) that you'd need a degree in theoretical math to play.

What draws people to fantasy sports is the competition, the strategy, the camarderie, and the smack among league members. What keeps them is that it is FUN.

God help fantasy sports if Corporate America decides to step in.

By: Veronica Johnson, n/a
Sent: 12:28 PM Mon Dec.31.2007 - US

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