Have you ever heard of "fantasy sports" that you are not familiar?
I didn't know anything about it until a while after I entered the industry, but this fantasy sport has some betting content that seems to be quite interesting. Bookmakers are also legal, and this fantasy sport is also enjoyed in European countries where betting and sport are united and rooted in culture. Soccer is especially popular, and it is also popular in the United States.
It's a fantasy and exciting content. You must be interested in knowing the contents. Check it out not only for younger generations, but also for uncles and women! Maybe it will be popular in Japan in the future.
If you are interested, check it out immediately!
Overview of fantasy sports
First of all, what is fantasy sports? Fantasy sports are mainly enjoyed in team sports such as soccer and baseball.
Choose your own real-world soccer or baseball player and create your own strongest fantasy team, yes, a fantasy / fictional team. I'm already a fantasy spread with good-looking players on the team. Of course the coach is me.
Once you've created your own team, your team's points will be added or subtracted depending on the actual performance of the players in the real world.
For example, in soccer, if the player scores a goal, ○ points, if he assists, ○ points, if he hits a baseball, ○ points, if he strikes out, minus ○ points, and so on. The score will be adjusted depending on what you do.
Originally, it started to be enjoyed casually at bars, etc. between friends and colleagues who like sports, and at first it was an exchange between the person and the group, betting or not betting money. However, recently, there are sites dedicated to fantasy sports, and their popularity is steadily increasing.
The site also exists independently as a fantasy sports site, rather than being in a bookmaker or online casino. It's a fantasy sport that seems a little difficult if you don't know the sport and players well, but don't you think it's similar to that game that was popular in Japan in the past?
Yes, a game called [Family Stadium / Family Stadium]. If you lived in the NES era, you might think "It's like a family stadium!" After hearing the explanation of fantasy sports. I haven't played FameStar, but after a little research, it looks like a game where you can choose a team to fight.
The feeling of choosing a player is similar to PES or FIFA. People of the same generation as me may be easier to imagine in FIFA. The point depends on how you choose a player to create a fictitious team and how that player will perform in a real-world match, rather than manipulating the player in the game.
Fantasy sports and daily fantasy sports
If you search for this fantasy sport, you will also find the keyword "daily fantasy sport". The difference between the two is the duration.
Fantasy sports basically compete for points throughout the season, but daily fantasy sports, as the word "daily" implies, aims to enjoy fantasy sports in a shorter period of time. The period is generally from one day to one week, and the basic thing is to earn points throughout the season and decide the winner. It's no different from fantasy sports. So, to speak, it's an accelerated version of fantasy sports. Impatient people like me, such as "Can I wait for a season?", Probably created this daily fantasy sport.
This daily fantasy sport takes place on the site or app in a paid format called a "contest". Only the entry fee is collected and it becomes the prize pot. Part of the participation fee will be the profit of providing services to the provider of the body, but as the number of participants increases, the participation fee will naturally increase, so the feature of fantasy sports is that the prize money will also increase!
History of fantasy sports
Surprisingly, fantasy sports have a long history. Moreover, surprisingly (?), It started in the United States. Certainly, there are many team sports ... The concept of the contest based on this [player selection] and [annual results] originated from some businessmen immediately after World War II, and then the same person was in 1950. He devised fantasy golf in the latter half of the 1950s and gradually expanded it.
The reason why fantasy sports have spread rapidly in recent years is also related to the spread of the Internet. With this popularity, the number of states that are legal, illegal, and regulated has increased in the United States. The number of fantasy sports guides and publications on fantasy sports has increased, and the number of participants has increased rapidly in recent years.
In the United States, you can enjoy fantasy sports in many sports such as American football, basketball, baseball, and golf, but in Europe, which has recently become popular, everyone seems to enjoy playing soccer. It seems that the prize money is increasing along with the popularity.
Oh, by the way, Russell, who gave me a hint at the World Cup, was also a fantasy football expert.
What is the recognition / popularity?
Can fantasy sports be done in Japan? For those who are wondering, of course, the recognition is not so high, but in fact, it seems that there are fantasy sports sites in Japan as well. You can't bet because it's illegal to bet money, but you can still enjoy the same way.