If you’re looking for a gift for that hard-to-shop for fantasy enthusiast on your list, “The History of Fantasy Sports” is one possibility.
Larry Schechter has put together a book detailing the history of fantasy sports. He spent a year and a half interviewing most of the key figures in the growth of fantasy industry over the last 60-plus years.
He sent me a comp copy. I worked my through it, and it’s impressive.
He’s a thorough researcher and interviewer. He spoke with me (in a Zoom interview) and checked back a half dozen times to ensure he got everything right. (The book includes about five pages on the formation and development of Fantasy Football Index.)
The History of Fantasy Sports isn’t a traditional book. There isn’t a plot, with the story traveling from Point A to Point B. It’s done in more of a reference style, with a short recap of essentially everyone who’s played a notable role in the growth of the industry.
There are 21 chapters in the 300 pages, covering all of the subsections of fantasy: books, magazines, commissioner services, major media companies, first commercial games, radio shows, high-stakes games, injury experts, experts league, origins of the game, daily fantasy sports, the development of a trade assocation and the notable CDM Sports lawsuit about 20 years ago.
I have met most of the key fantasy figures of the last 40 years, but I learned new things about almost all of them while reading this book – what caused them to get into the industry, and some of the key decisions they made along the way.
Recommended for those who want to learn more about how this game became a notable part of American culture.