I will start with an apology to my readership about my absence. There was a health scare in my family a couple weeks back that needed my utmost attention. It has taken about four weeks in total to be sure that family member is well and I can now resume posting again. I thank you for your patience.
With the NFL season upon us, I am taking this opportunity to re-post an article I put together last September ... the Fantasy Sports Industry. Bigger and better than ever, the basis is on how fantasy sports are regulated by those who are the leaders in this industry and what businesses are within the governing body of fantasy sports.
Without further adieu, here is Fantasy Sports --- A Major Industry (Revisited).
Fantasy sports are games of fun played by men women and children of all ages. Yes I did say of all ages. I'm 51 and I am not the oldest player in the two local fantasy leagues I play (baseball and football). Fantasy games can be played in many different ways with different formats and can be played with many sports. I personally play fantasy baseball, football, hockey, and golf. I know there are many other sports such as basketball, auto racing, college football, college basketball, and soccer that have fantasy leagues. You know what? Fantasy sports has been around for ages, it seems. I have been playing for 21 years now in football and 20 years in baseball! I know for sure that fantasy sports has been around for longer than that.
But did you know that there is an organization that devotes itself to the fantasy sports industry? I sure didn't. This is no fly by night firm either. The organization I will speak of has been around since 1999 and has many major members, with a board of directors, special events, member benefits, a code of ethics, and even a Hall of Fame!
Welcome to Fantasy Sports Trade Association.
The Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) has what I find to be a very well organized website with all the information needed to become a member, what they do, and it's history. According to the site, The FSTA is a forum in which many fantasy organizations interact to improve the fantasy sports industry. There are newsletters distributed to members, networking opportunities, and recognition awards.
The committees of the FSTA include membership, conference, public relations, awards, finance, Web, and research. Some of the notable members include Jeff Christiansen of Fantasy Football Toolbox (a favorite of mine), Howard Kamen of USA Today, Danielle MacLean of CBS Sports, Peter Schoenke of Rotowire.com, and Charlie Wiegert of Fanball. The main job of all committees is to oversee FSTA operations and keep its practice to better the fantasy sports industry.
The Code of Ethics is pretty straight forward --- Honesty, Integrity, Credibility, and Gambling. The gambling code states that no entity will be granted membership whose primary function fantasy sports gambling --- cut and dried.
There are 103 members of the FSTA including notables as the aforementioned CBS Sports, Rotowire.com, Fanball, USA Today, and Fantasy Football Toolbox. Other well known entities include Ron Shandler's Baseball HQ, Electronic Arts (EA), ESPN, FFToday.com, KFFL Inc, Rotoworld.com, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, STATS, Turner Sports, and Yahoo!. You may want to take a gander to see if any of your favorite fantasy sites are members.
That's just an overview of the FSTA...visit their Website for complete information.
There is also a well written article in the online version of U.S. News and World Report titled "The Reality of Fantasy Sports". Many of the leaders of the fantasy sports industry present their thoughts on what is a growing industry along with analysis of the future.
Enjoy!
Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com
| hit counter |
Screen Capture Software
I had no idea about this fantasy group. That's good to know. Maybe they can tell me how to win my league. Also, sorry to hear about your family. I hope everything is okay.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dylan for your well wishes. Check this also http://www.fantasyfootballhub.com/
ReplyDeleteEverything you need for fantasy football. Many sites are pay sites but some are free. I use it!
Part of me wants to enlist others' help so I can defeat my friends, but my ego is too massive. I think I have to do it myself. Then again, I finished in last place last year. I have yet to hear the end of it.
ReplyDeleteOne aspect of fantasy sports that many neglect is the free agent/waiver wire transactions. I always scour the list directly after the league draft to see what others may have missed. This can be effective if you are in an auto draft league and even better still when individual defensive players are used.
ReplyDeleteI only do one IDP league, but that's definitely when the waiver wire becomes important. I picked up Patrick Willis when he was a rookie, stuck him on my bench, and now he's on of my keepers in that league (we keep two offense, 1 defense). The frustrating part, however, is the random Mike Sims Walkers or others who come out of nowhere and get scooped up by someone else simply because I didn't check my computer fast enough.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete