Playing a “sport” from the comfort of your computer chair

Posted November 21st, 2006 by Scott

Did you ever dream of becoming a professional athlete when you were a child? How many times have you sat in front of the TV screaming at the top of your lungs for the coach of your favorite team to take someone out of the game? An online phenomenon has swept the nation over the last decade, putting the power of coaching a team into the hands of the everyday viewers. It’s called Fantasy Sports. Currently, there are anywhere between 15 and 18 million fantasy sports players in the US. The competition covers a wide range of sports including football, baseball, and basketball.

When football season comes around office spirits tend to rise as fantasy league participants take charge of their own fantasy football team. A Washington Times article stated that companies could lose an estimated $20 billion in productivity a year because employees spend an average of 10 minutes per work day managing a fantasy football team. Despite the negative impact on productivity, some executives have learned to live with it. In the same article, CEO John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas stated, “The potential damage to morale and loyalty resulting from a fantasy football ban could be far worse than the loss of productivity caused by 10 minutes of online team management.”

What exactly are you part of when you join a fantasy league? Many users sign up for fantasy leagues merely to be able to talk about it around the office with colleagues. Others use fantasy as a way to stay in touch with friends from whom they have drifted apart over the years. And believe it or not there are even those sports fanatics who actually think they should be a coach in the NFL. Whether you’re a first time player or a defending fantasy trophy holder, everyone is brought together to be part of the same social channel.

Entry Filed under: Entertainment