Sports Knowledge is Power

Abstract

As of August 2003, 15.2 million American adults participated in fantasy sports. Fantasy sport allows online participants to assume the roles of owners, managers, and coaches of professional teams, building franchises and experiencing every phase of the process (i.e., drafting athletes, trading players, signing free agents, submitting lineups). Despite its great popularity, there is a paucity of research investigating fantasy sports. Taking a pro-feminist approach, the current study examines the appeals and experiences of participants and the audience to whom fantasy sport leagues are directed. Using personal observations, textual analysis, and focus group responses of three male fantasy leaguers, the current study indicates that fantasy sports reinforce hegemonic ideologies in sport spectatorship, emphasizing authority, sports knowledge, competition, male-bonding, and traditional gender roles.