Fallacy Sports: A New Genre of Fantasy Sports

The Fantasy Sports Phenomenon

Fantasy sports are fast becoming a popular topic in the media today. Popular fantasy sports web sites like Yahoo! Fantasy Sports, CBS Fantasy Football, ESPN Fantasy Football and FOX Fantasy Football have all been created by internationally recognized media names and new ideas are being developed throughout the year by small and medium sized fantasy entrepreneurs as well.

In a March 2009 article titled “Best Startup Markets for 2009” by Karen E. Spaeder, a writer for Entrepreneur.com, Spaeder reports, “The Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimates that upwards of 20 million (primarily male) North Americans participate in fantasy sports leagues, with a market size of more than $1.5 billion, including sponsorships, endorsements, contest management and advertising.” As more people flock to fantasy sports the need for continued innovation and new ideas increases. There are a few fantasy sports experts making an effort to offer fantasy diehards new challenges and more niche oriented products.

Innovation and Imagination

Over the last few years a number of unique, fantasy sports web sites and online tools have been developed including fantasy football web sites, baseball web sites, racing web sites, draft tools, cheat sheets and more. One new, imaginative take on fantasy football comes from Jason McCoy of Asheville, North Carolina, the creator of a points-based, loser league style fantasy football contest on Stinkball.com. McCoy calls this genre of fantasy football “fallacy sports.”

McCoy attended the 2009 FSTA (Fantasy Sports Trade Association) Summer Conference and shared his new idea with FSTA members and experts. He received a welcoming response. According to Andy Behrens of Yahoo! Sports the fallacy sports concept behind Stinkball.com is “fabulous”*. Scott Swanay of FantasyFootballSherpa.com states on a Stinkball.com video, “I like it a lot. I think it is a unique take on things. It’s fun to think, okay, who would be on my Stinkball team?”* So, what is "fallacy sports" and what inspired Jason McCoy to take this seemingly backwards approach to fantasy football contests?

What is “Fallacy Sports”? An Interview with Stinkball.com Creator Jason McCoy

According to the online version of the Encarta World English Dictionary the word fallacy means:

“1. Something that is believed to be truth but is erroneous.

2. An argument or reasoning in which the conclusion does not follow from the premises.

3. The condition of being misleading or deceptive.

4. A mistake made in a line of reasoning that invalidates it.”*

McCoy called his web site Stinkball.com “Fallacy Sports” because members have to do their best to predict the NFL’s worst performances. The contests are points based so there is no draft. Members choose from a pool of all NFL players and follow specific rules regarding the times when individual players are available for inclusion in a team lineup.

“Essentially, I see fallacy sports like Stinkball.com as fantasy sports turned on its head,” states creator Jason McCoy, “It challenges experienced fantasy players to expand their thinking and make predictions based on an entirely new set of stats not often considered in traditional fantasy football.” “ My vision is to use the concept of fallacy sports to carve out a new direction in the fantasy sports industry,” continues McCoy, “Why only focus on the best players? In sports, like in life, nothing is perfect. We must consider ALL aspects of the team if we intend to play the game to win. Why not have fun while you are doing it?”

The Future of Fantasy Sports

As the fantasy sports industry continues to grow many experts predict fantasy players will see more niche marketed products and services, as well as new sports added each year. Whether it is fallacy sports or new drafting tools, you can expect there to be new, exciting ideas on the horizon each season. If you want to expand and enhance your fantasy experience be sure and stay up to date on the latest developments.

*Sources

1. Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

2. Stinkball.com Fantasy Football Video www.stinkball.com