Filed under: Sports Business and Media
Fantasy football used to be an exercise in friendship. Groups of guys would gather in their married friends' garages, drink a few beers, order pizza and draft their teams. Scoring was done by hand every week. They were considered obsessive nerds. This season, no less than 10 major companies are sponsoring fantasy in some way, and they are making it well-known. A vitaminwater ad for Norman Tugwater, a fictitious fantasy sports attorney played by Gary Busey, hangs prominently in Times Square. Fantasy Sports Trade Association president Paul Charchian -- yes, this organization exists and it has over 400 members, including representatives from ABC, CBS and NBC -- estimates that over 20 million people will play fantasy football this season. In June, the NFL announced it would be hosting a league-backed fantasy football game on NFL.com. In July, Sirius XM satellite radio launched a 24-hour channel dedicated to fantasy sports. Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew hosts a weekly show on the channel.
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