Fantasy Football

Blake Posewitz
August 4, 2016

As the NFL season comes to an end for many teams, so does many people’s dream for the beloved trophy in their Fantasy Football League. This season has brought mixed emotions for many people whether it be Le’veon Bell going out in week 8 or the uprising of Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert who has 12 touchdowns in 16 weeks. “Randall Cobb gave me sleepless night and I don’t know why I started him after week 6.” Junior Andrew Sessler stated after Cobb let him down this year.

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Winning Big-This screenshot shows a fans dedication to selecting the right players to win big. 
According to Forbes.com; 33 million people play fantasy football.  It is a source of entertainment that can really benefit businesses.  This may include drawing a larger crowd to restaurants and bars, increased cable channel purchases, many more parties and gatherings resulting in the purchasing of more food and beverages, and other incomes sources. Forbes’ analysts estimate fantasy football is worth  70 billion dollars.  ¨I can say I have spent money on fantasy football at local restaurants such as Buffalo Wild Wings, because they may have a channel with a game on I wanted to see,” shared Junior James Thone after being asked if Fantasy Football affected his spending.    However, for many, this is not just a game for fun, it’s a lifestyle. Some people use websites such as FanDuel where they have the opportunity to win large amounts of money. A local business owner tried his luck and came away with $100,000 in one week. In week 5 of the NFL season, FanDuel made a little over $3,000,000. If Fan Duel would have the same numbers throughout the whole season like week 5 they could make over 51 million dollars. New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, feels these sites have turned more into gambling sites than they about football.  He wants people in the state of New York to be reimbursed of their money spent on websites like FanDuel and for them to be shut down.   Whether for fun or for winning money, fantasy football is appealing to many different people for many different reasons. When asked why he plays, sophomore,  Sophomore Jacob Case said ¨I play because it gives me a reason to watch some teams I wouldn’t normally watch, and follow players I maybe otherwise hadn’t noticed. Itś a lotta fun.” he added. Story & Photo by: Blake Posewitz