Fantasy sports industry looks to continue feeding the beast in the face of mounting criticism

This past summer at a Fantasy Sports Trade Association conference attended by ESPN, NBA, and other sports organizations, Business Insider reports that these groups have all committed to establishing “more fantasy-friendly steps” to increase awareness and accessibility of fantasy sports. This comes in the shadow of growing criticism for daily fantasy sports, such as the recent allegations of insider trading between employees of DraftKings and FanDuel, and if it’s actually cloaked as a new form of online gambling.

What is lacking in detail from the FSTA conference is how these organizations plan to support fantasy sports further. As a fantasy sports fan, I hope these plans will be more thoughtful and creative than what has occurred recently with DraftKings and ESPN. Beyond the absolute flurry of advertisements during sports broadcasts, this partnership appears to be costing ESPN’s Matthew Barry’s credibility as a sports journalist, as he has started to come under fire as more of a pitch-man for DraftKings than a credible fantasy sports writer.

ESPN, as you may be aware, has a vested interest in the success of fantasy sports as it’s in bed with DraftKings to the tune of some $250 million to $300 million for ad revenue. So when ESPN says it’s committing to making sure the entire service remains accessible, it’s a bit of a no-brainer. But amid the aforementioned allegations, ESPN has agreed to DraftKings’ request to pull sponsored content for the time being, as well as dialing back on the amount of space the DraftKings logo is given during broadcasts.

Before any of the news erupted this week, Congress was intending to review its 2006 ruling that fantasy sports do not fall under online gambling criteria. With some 51 million Americans playing fantasy sports per year, along with the average spend of these fans to be about $465 per according to FSTA, it’s no wonder Congress may interject.

And some have started to lead a conversation on this very topic, in particular ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt recently look to the air to bring this controversial topic to light.

“The sheer gluttony and volume of activity creates a climate where some kind of correction seems inevitable,” says Pelt during his monologue. “I don’t mean the league’s necessarily, but I mean everything associated with the concept.”

With the popularity of fantasy sports at an all-time high, and a large number of invested parties looking to cash in on this popular trend while it’s hot, it seems only enviable that this fantasy sports bubble will burst. Until then, however, we’re all free to make some money on the side while enjoying our favorite pastime.