I now would like to approach fantasy sports study using public relations perspective.
I am interested in many publics of sports organizations and one of them is a fan.
My friend, Dr. Nick Bowman, proposed some interesting model for fantasy sports here.
It is overall very interesting. It looks like a fantasy sports version of disposition theory.
And, it is a good sign that there are more people who now study fantasy sports.
My colleague, Dr. Hill and I figured out there were not many studies done out there, even though
Now an estimated 27 million American adults play fantasy sports, translating to annual revenue between $800 million and $1 billion, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, an industry organization that represents more than 110 companies. About 85 percent of gamers play fantasy football, and 40 percent participate in fantasy baseball. The average player is male, between the ages of 18 and 49 and boasts above-average income and education levels – in other words, a marketer’s dream. (Ankeny, 2009)
Our paper was accepted by Journal of Sports Media last summer and will be published during next year. We interviewed fantasy sports leaders and asked them what kind of communication research they would like to see in the near future. One of them was about fantasy sports users.
My next study will use expectation questionnaires I used for my dissertation study. My hope is that I can develop index for sports media expectancy.
I think my colleague and I just finished our first step. Nick made a big jump on it. And, I hope to be able to add one more leap there with my study.
It is good to see I have many colleagues who have similar interest with me. It’s boring world of scholar, probably, but, it’s really fun, fun, fun. I love it.
Public Relations, Social Media, and Sports 
