The 2023-2024 football season officially has begun — which means fantasy football is also underway.
The game has become a favorite among football fanatics, but how much do you really know about its history?
Over the course of 60 years, fantasy football has developed a cult following, with people of all ages taking part in the sport.
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Here’s more about fantasy football, how it works and how it got its start.
Who’s on your fantasy team?
Now that the 2023-2024 football season has begun, fantasy football league players are hoping their drafts will pan out well as the season continues. (iStock)
1. In what year was fantasy football created?
Fantasy gridiron football was created by Bill Winkenbach, former part owner of the Oakland Raiders, in 1962, according to Britannica.
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The businessman and sports enthusiast created the first fantasy football league with a group of friends in a New York City hotel.
They called themselves the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League (GOPPPL), the encyclopedia site continued.
Fantasy football was reportedly created in 1962 by Bill Winkenbach and a few of his friends (not pictured) in a New York City hotel room. (iStock)
2. How many players take part in fantasy football each year?
In 2022, over 62.5 million people joined and participated in a fantasy sports league in the U.S. and Canada — with 79% of those fantasy participants playing fantasy gridiron football, the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association said online.
A 2023 survey showed that 48% of the fantasy sports league is made up of individuals between the ages of 18-34, the site continued.
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Back in 1988, only 500,000 individuals took part in a fantasy league.
The league didn’t hit one million participants until 1991, the fantasy organization stated.
3. How many women participate in fantasy football leagues?
Stats show that 35% of fantasy league participants are women, the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association reported.
“The level of women playing was more than I expected to be, for sure. It still tilts male, but not nearly to the extent I thought it would,” Noah Brode, a senior content writer at CivicScience, shared with USBETS, a site that reports on U.S. gambling news.
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Female participants in the fantasy sport have gone viral on TikTok — garnering millions of views after sharing their “draft secrets.”
Women make up 35% of the players who take part in sports fantasy leagues as 62.5 million people participated in leagues in 2022. (iStock)
4. How many men will join a fantasy football league?
Over half of fantasy football players are men — making up 64% over the fantasy sports participants, the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association shared online.
5. What are the most fantasy points scored by a player in a single game?
The most fantasy points scored by one player in a single game goes to Clinton Portis in 2003, according to the Pro Football Network, a site that reports on NFL news, analysis around fantasy football the draft and more.
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During the game in week 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos, the running back accrued 55.4 fantasy points.
Clinton Portis has the current record for most fantasy points scored in a single game, with 55.4 points total. (Focus On Sport/Contributor)
“Portis scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half before putting the game away with three rushing scores in a 10-minute span across the third and fourth quarters,” the Pro Football Network reported.
“He finished the game with 218 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, and 36 receiving yards.”
6. How many players are drafted per team in fantasy football?
When creating your team for fantasy football, you will end up with 16 players in total, including your bench.
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The nine players that make up the starting lineup are “one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one flex player (RB/WR/TE), one kicker and one defense/special teams,” ESPN stated online.
The remaining seven players that you picked up during the draft will remain on your bench.
Christian McCaffrey (left), Austin Ekeler (center) and Justin Jefferson (right) are arguably some of the top three most desirable players for this year’s fantasy football season, according to several fantasy football blogs online. (Kevin Sabitus /Courtney Culbreath/David Berding )
7. For how many weeks does fantasy football run?
The default setting for public fantasy leagues lasts only 14 weeks in the regular season, according to the NFL.
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The playoffs will continue from week 15 to week 18.
Yet not every team is able to make it to the playoffs — so choose your team wisely.
