History

Fantasy football stemmed from the ideas of a man named Wilfred Winkenbach. In the mid-late 1950s, he had developed the first fantasy sport, fantasy golf, in which each participant would draft a team of professional golfers and the lowest combined score at the end of a tournament would win. He then applied this concept to baseball, using home run hitters and pitching statistics.

By 1962, Winkenbach, who had owned part of the Oakland Raiders, had arrived at football, presenting his idea to two writers for the Oakland Tribune in a Manhattan hotel. The three quickly formed an eight-team league, based on the point system they came up with that night: ten points for an extra point, 25 points for a passing touchdown, 25 points for a touchdown reception, 25 points for a field goal, and 200 points for a punt, kickoff, or interception returned for a touchdown.

The early years involved few leagues, but serious players. Several people stopped after several years, as it was too strenuous looking through statistics every week and remembering to call in with their starting rosters. The game was a fun idea, but had yet to become convenient enough to be the phenomenon it is today.

The convenience came over 30 years later, on the heels of the Internet explosion. Players could now update their rosters any time they wanted to online. Points could be displayed just hours after the last game of the day, calculated by an impartial computer instead of any particular members. Instant messaging and e-mail made it easier to discuss player trades between owners. With less work involved, leagues could be based on a greater variation of statistics and be presented in many new and exciting ways.

As the capabilities of the Internet continue to grow, and as several major sites compete for their share of the ever-growing amount of participants, the future of fantasy football looks very promising.