Fantasy Football: It’s a Girl’s Game Now

Beyond the Boys’ Club: Women are Dominating the Fantasy Football Field

Fantasy football draft season is upon us, and the landscape of the game is changing dramatically. forget the stereotype of a male-dominated pastime; women are not only joining the leagues, they’re taking them over.

According to the Fantasy Sports & gaming Association’s 2023 survey, a staggering 35% of the 62.5 million fantasy sports players in the U.S. and Canada are women. And the trend is accelerating. Yahoo Fantasy, the top-rated app for fantasy football, has seen a 61% year-over-year growth in women users aged 35 and older as of last month.

For those unfamiliar, fantasy football allows players to draft thier own teams of real NFL athletes.These teams then compete in a league that mirrors the NFL season. Every touchdown,every yard gained by your players translates into points for your fantasy team. The draft, a crucial event where teams are built, typically takes place in late August or early September, just before the NFL season kicks off.

Samantha Metcalf, a lifelong Seattle seahawks fan, is at the forefront of this movement. She founded the all-female Yahoo Fantasy league, “Tequila, Ta-Tas, and Tight Ends,” which held its draft at the Yahoo Fantasy Draft Weekend in Las Vegas from August 22 to 24. “I avoided fantasy football for a while as I figured it would consume my life. And it has, but it’s been really fun,” metcalf told Fast Company. “I was able to find pretty easily 10 other women friends of mine that were enough into football that I figured they would have fun with it.”

Metcalf’s Seattle-based league now boasts 12 women from diverse generations and backgrounds. She understands the challenges women face in carving out time for themselves. “everybody’s busy and I feel like sometimes, especially women, are so busy running a household and trying to do everything else, they think Where am I going to squeeze this in?” But once they get started, she notes, they’re hooked.

The rise of women in fantasy football is undeniable. A Yahoo Sports survey with DKC Analytics revealed that half of the 22% of respondents who were playing fantasy football for the first time were women, and nearly one in five were Gen Z. In 2024, Yahoo Fantasy reached an all-time participation high, surpassing its previous peak in 2015.

the “Taylor Swift effect” may also be playing a role. One in ten people surveyed admitted to paying more attention to fantasy football since the singer’s high-profile romance with Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis kelce began. In fact, 37% of respondents rated “drafting players who are dating my favorite celebrities or influencers” as a good or excellent draft strategy.

However, the core reasons women are drawn to fantasy football mirror those of their male counterparts: camaraderie, friendly competition, and the social aspect. A study by the North American Society for Sports Management confirms that both men and women are motivated by enjoyment, engagement with the game, and social bonding.

But there’s a unique element driving women’s participation: the desire to compete in a traditionally male-dominated arena. As Metcalf proudly states, “my husband actually asks me for advice on who he should draft and who he should play.”

So, as you prepare for your fantasy football draft, remember that the game is evolving. women are not just participating; they’re changing the game, bringing their passion, knowledge, and competitive spirit to the fantasy football field.