Fantasy sports is a billion dollar industry growing year over year with no signs of slowing down. If recent numbers released from the Fantasy Sports Trade Association are any indication of the future, we will continue to be engulfed in fantasy commentary, especially when it comes to football.
Back in 2012, 32 million fans played fantasy football, 5.8 million of them were women. In 2013, there was a slight increase of the amount of women playing with 6.7 million. But as the female audience continues to grow, where did 2014 leave us?
A staggering 17+ million women are now playing fantasy football, representing 1/3 of the overall marketplace consisting of 51.8 million fantasy players.
17 million is more than double the amount of women playing in 2013 vs. 2014.
What’s the theory for this dramatic increase? I like to think participating in fantasy football helps women understand the game more. Outside of your favorite team, many fans (not just women) don’t want another team unless you have a rooting interest and fantasy football gives us a rooting interest in a number of teams.
Other interesting tidbits from FSTA’s study include:
- Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) leagues are gaining popularity with almost one-in-five players playing DFS exclusively, compared to 8% in 2013.
- Fantasy sports players are spending an average of $465 per year for fantasy, up from $95 in 2012.
- Mobile and other emerging platforms (i.e. gaming consoles, internet-connected TV) now predominant way (56%) players consume fantasy.
- Fantasy players are more interested in sports because of fantasy, with 61% reporting they are watching more live sports because of fantasy and 60% saying they read more about sports because of fantasy.
We compiled many of the stats into an infographic below:
