Very few people in this country know what a fantasy sports league is. This pastime has been around in the United States since the 1960s. Its creator is considered to be the Californian Bill Winkenbach, who founded a fantasy football league in Oakland in 1962. Eight participants took part and equipped their teams with the players of the NFL.

These days there are fantasy leagues for every sport imaginable, and most of them take place online. This hobby is pursued by more than 50 million people in the United States and Canada. And in this country, too, more and more sports fans are interested in it. But how does fantasy sports actually work? And how can you participate?

This is how fantasy sports work

In fantasy sport, the participants form a virtual team, which they fill with active players from the current season. To stay with the American football example, a team can consist of a quarterback, 2 running backs, 2 wide receivers and various other players . there

Over the course of the season, the selected players receive points for their performance on the field, for example for touchdowns, passes or field goals. The fantasy team with the most points at the end of the season wins. Often the "coach" of this team receives a small prize money from a pot that all the members of the game have paid into.

Successful in fantasy sports

In order to play fantasy sports successfully, one should be very knowledgeable. It is important to analyze the players' performances over the last season and also to include knowledge of injuries or personal problems. Members of a football league can also use the NFL odds use the season to help select their players. This makes it easy to see which players are currently reaching the most passing yards or have the best defense. However, once the season has started, all that remains is to regularly update the score. Changes in the list are then no longer possible.

Online or offline?

If you have a group of friends who want to take part in a fantasy sport, you can basically start your own league with a pad and pen. But it is much easier online. There are different providers of fantasy leagues. All you have to do is register there and set the rules for your own league. Those who cannot find enough interested parties in the Freundeskreis will find enough like-minded people there. The biggest advantage, however, is that in some sports the statistics are recorded automatically. League members can simply log in to see where they stand. This saves you time-consuming calculations.

Fantasy leagues also exist in Germany.

Fantasy leagues also exist in Germany.

Fantasy leagues in Germany

The number one fantasy league in Germany is of course not American football, but soccer. For some time now there has even been an official fantasy manager of the Bundesliga, where players can win tickets, jerseys and similar prizes. But also a German NFL Fantasy Manager is now on the market. Nevertheless, fantasy leagues are more of a marginal phenomenon in this country. In private syndicates, bets are usually made on the outcome of games, which is of course much less complicated. It is unlikely that fantasy sports will ever achieve the same status in this country as it does in the United States. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't make sense to start a small fantasy league with friends. That makes the sports season a little more exciting.


Last updated on 26.05.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX / Affiliate Links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API. * = Affiliate links. Images from Amazon PA API