I guess I can admit it – I’m a fantasy sports junkie. To be precise, a fantasy football and Rotisserie baseball junkie…the other sports don’t interest me. What occurred to me today – as it has many times in the past – is the strange phenomenon that fantasy sports has bred in the employment field. Specifically, there are people who get paid to write articles about fantasy sports and that are referred to as “experts” in the field. Some will run a fantasy baseball blog, others will focus on football, and some will cover all sports, but there seem to be more and more positions opening up with established companies, as well as opportunites that are literally created by those starting fantasy sports businesses on their own.
I regularly read ESPN.com’s fantasy baseball section and a writer there, Matthew Berry, occasionally writes about how he came to have his job as a fantasy sports expert/columnist. Without going into the details, Berry’s articles regularly feature self-deprecating humor, and he also regularly points out messages from those who write in and lambaste him for being a terrible writer, a terrible fantasy baseball analyst, etc., etc., etc. The reality, if we’re being honest, is that Berry is a pretty darned good writer and his fantasy baseball advice is worth listening to. I may be biased simply because I like the guys’ work. The point, however (I am getting to that), is that Berry writes and talks about fantasy sports FOR A LIVING.
It’s not an easy thing to do…getting the gig in the first place is a minor miracle, because there are MANY people out there who would love to be fantasy sports analysts for a living. Berry’s story is one of hard work, dedication and persistence, as well as a lot of talent. Even after attaining the lofty position of fantasy sports expert, however, one can’t simply rest on his or her laurels. The ongoing work and analysis that goes into being a good “expert” is daunting.
At any rate, the whole train of though got me wondering – how big is this industry? I don’t mean the fantasy sports industry. That in itself is massive (if you haven’t yet, check out “Silly Little Game” to learn about the birth of fantasy sports). What I’m referring to is the peripheral industry that is created by the advertising revenue that can be had by writing or blogging about fantasy sports. For those looking to get into the field, starting a blog or website about their area of expertise, whether it be fantasy football, roto baseball, baseketball, etc., is probably the first place to start. Then…a lot of writing, analysis and, in short, hard work.
Tags: espn fantasy sports, fantasy sports jobs, matthew berry, roto ball guru, roto baseball, roto baseball jobs, silly little game
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