During the American football season, conversations in high schools aren’t just about grades or weekend plans. They’re about injury reports, trade rumors, and draft projections. Fantasy football which was once a hobby that belonged to football adults and superfans, has now become a passion for high school students across America.
Fantasy football has become more than just a game; however, it is shaping how teenagers interact with sports, data, and even money. Fantasy football has grown on many platforms to become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Its influence has reached younger audiences in ways that involve competition, community, and even player funds.
The fantasy football industry is exponentially growing over millions of players in America over the past couple of years. A growing number of these participants are under 18 years old. Major platforms and media companies have leaned into this trend, offering beginner leagues, teen-friendly content, and tutorials.
At its core, fantasy football allows players and fans to manage the teams that they assemble. They will draft real NFL players to their team, with each player earning them points based on weekly performance. The range of players and teams across leagues allows for friends to compete against each other in groups. While the format has mainly stayed the same, the culture around fantasy football is evolving at a rapid pace.
Senior Kelly Morgan has been an avid fantasy football user for years now and has noticed an abrupt change in the way it is utilized. “It was at one point solely on paper, and now it is all online, and can be monitored and updated in real time.” Fans and users seem to have taken leagues and participation to the extreme.
Kelly said, “It puts new expectations upon players, and journalists may analyze them and write about them based on their fantasy football performance instead of how good they actually are.”. Journalists and professional analysts may push unrealistic expectations onto players. The extreme amount of stats and projected points creates stress in players across the league, in turn hurting their abilities on the field.
Now, with this being said, there are various platforms such as ESPN, Yahoo, and even Sleeper, which allow players to compete and utilize their leagues a little differently. The variety in apps allows students to monitor their teams in real time – often during lunch, passing periods, or even in class. Some administrators and teachers could see this as a distraction. While others would argue the opposite.
Fantasy football gets students engaged with numbers, analysis, and decision-making. Fantasy league owner Vincent DeCicco says, “As far as teaching valuable skills, numbers and statistics, it would be helpful, and depending on the future career, whether it’s accounting or anything having to do with finance”.
The financial aspect of fantasy football is also not lost on teens. Some leagues involve small buy-ins or lunch money put together. In doing so, students are learning how to manage risk, follow trends, and make calculated choices.
But there are some concerns too. Experts warn that fantasy football’s resemblance to sports betting, especially the daily fantasy format, may blur the line between fantasy football and gambling behavior. Vincent DeCicco claims, “I think just because it’s more readily available on platforms and there’s more gambling apps, it has more of an appeal to teenagers”.
Despite the slight concern, many high school students say it’s just another way to connect. Leagues bring competition between friends and also a sense of community among all players. With banter between teams, and group chats exploding over a Sunday night upset. Fantasy football has become sacred in the National Football League community.
It’s clear more than ever now, fantasy football has become more than a game. For high schoolers across the nation, it has become a weekly routine and mix of sports media, statistics, and new fan perspectives
