Running head: BLURRING THE LINES 1

Blurring the Lines: The Sociological Impact of Fantasy Sports

Eric P. Butcher

HPR 630

University of Southern Mississippi

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Blurring the Lines: The Sociological Impact of Fantasy Sports

At one time, fantasy sports were merely a hobby for the most diehard fans. Today, they

are big business, with more than 35 million people aged 12 and older playing fantasy sports in

2012 (up from 9 million in 2005), according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association an

organization created in 1999 to support the growing industry. It now supports more than 120

member companies of varying sizes, conducts trade conferences, and issues awards.

The phenomenon has essentially created an entire subculture in the sport industry, with

leagues, broadcasting companies and others trying to cash in on it. According to the FSTA, the

average fantasy player spends $467.60 playing fantasy sports and has an average household

income of $92,750 ("Fantasy Sports Trade Association: Industry Demographics," 2013).

According to Steinberg (2012), the fantasy sport craze has opened doors for such endeavors as

fantasy sports insurance sales and attorneys who settle disputes between players.

This paper will examine the societal elements behind the growth of fantasy sport, with a

particular focus on applying the sociological theories of functionalism and conflict to this

cultural phenomenon. It will also seek to identify the elements that draw people to fantasy sports

and the potential negative aspects of participation.

Literature Review

Fantasy sports can be defined as activities where participants act as general managers or

owners of their own teams. Completely customizable, interactive, and involving nearly every

major sport from professional football to bass fishing, fantasy sports are primarily online services

that allow fans to simultaneously follow their favorite sports and actively compete and interact

with family, friends, acquaintances, or even strangers based upon real-world professional player

statistics (Dwyer & Kim, 2011). Setting up a team, or even an entire league, is a simple process
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for even the most casual Internet user. Leagues can be set up to automatically draft players;

however, the more popular option is to conduct a live draft, with league participants picking

their players in a designated order.

For many fans, fantasy sport participation is the closest way to participate in

professional sports without actually putting on a uniform and competing (Dwyer & Kim, 2011).

Participants have complete control over their rosters they can drop and add players, make

trades, and alter their starting lineups to give themselves the best opportunity to win. Teams are

made up of players from a variety of teams, rather than just a single one.

This characteristic can put fans in an interesting predicament having to support players

who are on rival teams, or happen to be playing their favorite team that day. As a result, Ballard

(2004) indicates that many fans more strongly connect with individual players than with teams.

This puts a unique spin on the typical competitive nature of sport fans. Given this unique

competitive nature, fantasy sport participation has created a new, highly-engaged sport consumer

who craves interactivity and real-time information combined with the traditional, old-fashioned

spectatorship associated with professional sports (Dwyer & Kim, 2011).

Functionalist Theory Applied to Fantasy Sports

Participation in fantasy sports has become as much a social phenomenon as the actual

sports themselves. Thus, the functionalist theory of socialism can be easily applied to both

activities. Fantasy sports provide many of the primary elements of functionalist theory

cohesion, consensus, cooperation, reciprocity, stability, and persistence. They give players the

opportunity to form social bonds with people they do not know and strengthen existing

friendships. The group is held together by a common, competitive interest in the league.
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As a result, fantasy sports become primary topics of conversation for avid players.

According to Gordon and Saito (2005), Americans are altering their real-life priorities, such as

work and family, to make room for an altogether pointless one: fantasy football. Thus, fantasy

sports become as much a part of players lives as the sports themselves or perhaps even more

so. They feature many of the same elements: sportsmanship, teamwork, dedication, and fair play.

Fantasy sports, like their real-life counterparts, allow players to participate in dynamic social

interaction among sport fans (Dwyer & Kim, 2011).

However, fantasy sports can mirror their real counterparts in negative ways. Players

can get too caught up in the game and behave unethically, or they can allow the game to usurp

more important aspects of their lives work, family, and other obligations. For others, it can

change the way they view the sport entirely. According to Leitch (2009), fantasy sports eliminate

one of the best virtues of sport, which is the ability to share a common obsession with a group

of common-minded people. They turn us away from the collective; they turn us inward. They

make us into little (well, littler) Dan Snyders, venal egotists who cant see past our petty desires

(Leitch, 2009).

Conflict Theory in Fantasy Sports

While fantasy sports may relate well with functionalist theory, they also share as much in

common with conflict theory. However, the level of conflict may vary depending on the nature of

the game (or league). Some fantasy players are involved at a more casual level, while others are

more significantly involved especially those participating in pay-for-play leagues that may

have major prizes or financial rewards at stake.

The underlying concept driving conflict theory is capitalism, which places the burden of

success solely on the individual. Indeed, fantasy sports can be seen as a perfect example of this
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concept in action; players are responsible for putting together a team, then putting the right

combination of players on the field to win the game. Capitalism has also led to the

proliferation of the fantasy sport industry, as players look for additional tools and information to

increase their chances of success, and companies step in to fill those gaps.

Fantasy sports share a close comparison to another activity gambling. Just as specific

values, norms, and language exist within the social worlds of traditional gamblers, these

components of culture have also developed in fantasy sports worlds (Bernhard & Eade, 2005).

Both activities can exhibit characteristics of functionalist theory and conflict theory, depending

on the circumstances and the players involved. A closer comparison can be drawn between

gambling and fantasy sport leagues that provide monetary rewards and other prizes for winners.

Summary and Conclusions

The increased proliferation of fantasy sports has become as much of a cultural

phenomenon as sport itself. People of all genders, ages, shapes, and sizes are playing on a regular

basis; in many cases, fantasy sports provide the same benefits that actual sport participation does

(other than the physical activity). As Dwyer and Kim (2011) indicate, instead of just following

their favorite team, fantasy players are given the opportunity to actively engage in operations

similar to those that occur in a professional sport teams front office. Because of this, fantasy

sports exhibit the same good and bad characteristics as their real-life counterparts.

Fantasy sports have created another interesting dilemma; according to Ballard (2004),

many players now have stronger ties to individual players instead of teams. Will this behavioral

change affect fan attendance? How does this potentially impact merchandise sales? Sport

managers must continue to study the effects of fantasy sports on fan behavior to ensure they are

meeting the needs of their customers.

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References

Ballard, C. (2004). Fantasy World. Sports Illustrated, 100(25), 80-89.

Bernhard, B. J., & Eade, V. H. (2005). Gambling in a Fantasy World: An Exploratory Study of

Rotisserie Baseball Games. UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal, 9(1), 29-42.

Dwyer, B., & Kim, Y. (2011). For Love or Money: Developing and Validating a Motivational

Scale for Fantasy Football Participation. Journal of Sport Management, 25(1), 70-83.

Fantasy Sports Trade Association: Industry Demographics. (2013). from

http://www.fsta.org/industry_demographics

Gordon, D., & Saito, S. (2005). A Healthy Fantasy Life. Newsweek, 146(9/10), 44.

Leitch, W. (2009). No escape from reality. Sporting News, 233(25), 10.

Steinberg, L. (2012). Fantasy Football Madness. Retrieved from Forbes website:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/leighsteinberg/2012/08/28/fantasy-football-madness/