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good! And it's got no commercials."
talk a little smack, talk some trash.
The most significant non-tech-
That's the fun part."
The smack, the trash talk, the hot
nological development in fantasy
virtual contest, all estimated to have
sports' history was passage of the
drawn 27 million American adults
Unlawful Internet Gambling En-
into fantasy sports, has penetrated
forcement Act of 2006. The act,
pop culture to the extent that it
which made transactions between
can now count a television sitcom
financial institutions and Internet
as an achievement. FX's comedy,
gambling sites illegal, specifically
The League, which follows a goofy
excluded fantasy sports based on the
group of friends through the fantasy
assertion that they are games of skill
and, therefore, legally, not gambling. football season, "is a little extreme,"
says Pesick. "It's a lot extreme, but
Prior to this act — as well as a le-
gal resolution to the dispute over the it's pretty funny."
And the fun is not limited to
proprietary nature of player profiles
grownups. Ean Otis is a seventh-
and statistics — fantasy sports had
grader at Walnut Creek Middle
not been embraced by the profes-
School in West Bloomfield, a Lions
sional sports establishment.
fan and a two-year veteran of his
"They're probably the most politi-
cally correct organization anywhere," neighborhood fantasy football
league. He estimates that 25 percent
says Mark Mayer, managing editor
of his friends participate in fantasy
of GamingToday.com , about the
sports. The secret, according to
NFL. "They don't want to have any-
the budding entrepreneur, is good
thing to do with gambling."
management: "If your player gets
Since 2006, however, fantasy
injured, get rid of him," Otis says.
football has enjoyed long-lost child
Websites, mobile apps, television
treatment from the NFL. "An
shows. What's next? In a pastime
enormous part of their business has
come from fantasy," says
CO
Charchian.
I 4. : , ,-t , P . ‘7: =-,.• si
"As a sports fan, you pay
_
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more attention to the league
opricettits
..,..
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,..,.._,._,..
formaisclivRie s.:
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, : val
as a whole than just your
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;
' ' " e c v e n is 'lit: g ,-1
team," says Dossick. "I want
g I firstr2 it12 so,av
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to go to a place and watch a
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[Buffalo] Bills game because
11°!,,I XganiingaBgry7'i
mutted
my player might be playing
7 country5 ail I ,,,:- g t., .,1
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that day."
r volict
efech Iii
opinion -1 i ;
"I got involved in fantasy
&. 6_ ,.Q., ., . 3
ott sit . , 2. ii1 ; Nevadan
football for one reason and
.6_ x f..) a 0 .,,,,..cp . ...., ::: ...
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one reason only," echoes
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.c"erLI fil 2 IiL:
Grant Kravitz, a vice presi-
Arne"ncans
'
1 ke-,-:
dent at Troy's MartinJAY
attention
ril.b°n
7tif
i
=games
Digital. "As a Detroit Lions
wpm 1 t');-.,,, opened cDt'al t em "l'n'
fan, it made football more
ri. 0 5 . E co
2 f g 1 toPPortin9maY4( -10 ay,,,',
fun to watch. It allowed me
,--.
.31 : ; =',. al though (pc co o
-,,
to enjoy the game in an era
.„ .19,,si
g' gi -f-, i mparitnutuel= . z:=,
when the Lions didn't do
-- $o
gl oarrnit ccr)
5 1,. il'
cnone
well. There's more than just
-1. 4 1 141 1
ftenogf
a
a • braiotO
the Lions. I care what hap-
pens in the Seattle-Arizona
game."
According to Charchian,
s
F
mbrmde'c<
pu lc
40 percent of leagues play
- 00
with no financial stake, and
t„. •state t , z .
90 percent of the remain-
der play for $250 or less
per team. "There's just not enough
where lousy draft
money at stake to call it gambling."
choices or injured
Though, he says, "there are stories
players might lead
out there of crazy numbers."
to mid-season
Carlin says that he was in "an
doldrums, the
extremely high-end" league, and
obvious offshoot is
the entry fee was a whopping $800.
the weekly or even
"People that do fantasy — it's not
daily game.
usually for the money — it's the ca-
FanSaloon.com is one of the
maraderie and the competitiveness."
most recent websites to pop into
"It's about fun," says Mayer. "And
this niche. Justin Becker of Fan
people will pay for their entertain-
Saloon said that two months after
ment."
its launch, marketing only to the
In addition to love of the sport
400,000 users of its sister site Gam-
and the fun of having a little skin in
erSaloon.com (an online video game
the game, much of the allure is the
tournament site), Fan Saloon was
same simple enticement that has
seeing 1,000 hits a day. "In fantaSy
drawn little boys and men to sand-
sports, the most exciting day is draft
lots, baseball diamonds, the gridiron
day," says Becker. "Here, you get to
and fields of all shapes and sizes
have that day every day."
from time immemorial. It's a chance
Russ Bliss recently paused in his
to hang out with the guys.
player injury and performance prog-
"Draft day is like the best day,"
nostications to make a prediction
said Carlin. "It's like a four-to-six
about the future of the industry.
hour event that is the most fun of
"The technology has made it
incredible," he says. Sometime in the
anything."
"Fantasy football is what I wait for. next decade, players will be able to
It's my one enjoyment during the
go to their TV/computer, select their
NFL season," says Kravitz. "There's
players and "you'll be able to see your
fantasy team against your friend's
nothing you can do to control the
fantasy team in real time."
outcome of the game. But it's fun to

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