Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5
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- All Subjects: Fantasy Football
- Creators: Ingram-Waters, Mary
Description
Drawing from qualitative interview data of 18 fantasy football participants, an interview with an NFL executive, and online social forum threads, we argue that the traditional stadium is not accommodating the needs of fantasy football fans. Analysis of these fans and their consumption patterns indicate that this new type of fan is tech savvy, more likely to consume a larger amount of NFL content, and less likely to attend games in person. Analysis of NFL consumption patterns shows that the in-home viewing experience is becoming a better alternative to attending games at stadiums for many fans. We argue that it is in the best interest of stadium owners and the NFL to cater to these fans and provide a compelling experience on game day that will be strongly differentiated from the home viewing experience.
ContributorsJohnson, Colin (Co-author) / Andreas, Mitchell (Co-author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Management (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The multibillion dollar fantasy sports industry is comprised of two main groups: traditional fantasy sports (TFS) and daily fantasy sports (DFS). TFS users play in seasonlong leagues while DFS users play in oneday contests. In November 2015, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman opened an investigation into the DFS businesses FanDuel and DraftKings following allegations of “insider trading” by employees who may have had access to information that was not available to the public. Schneiderman’s investigation generated questions about DFS and how they differed from TFS. It was also the first instance of the differentiation between the two. This study looks at how TFS users and DFS users are similar and different in their motivations to play.
Our study surveyed 43 DFS users to determine how they began playing DFS, what they like about DFS, and what they dislike about DFS. From the data collected, it was determined that TFS and DFS users are similar in their competitive nature, in their increased levels of sports consumption and investment, and in their increased favoritism towards individual players over teams. The main differences between TFS and DFS users were how each felt they were at a disadvantage, the levels of camaraderie within the sport, and their stance on gambling. TFS users felt their disadvantages came from lackluster commissioners while DFS users felt that the companies themselves were setting them at a disadvantage. TFS users placed more value on the camaraderie and social sport while DFS users placed more value on profit and excitement. TFS users felt that TFS was not gambling and that DFS was, while DFS users accepted DFS as gambling.
Our study surveyed 43 DFS users to determine how they began playing DFS, what they like about DFS, and what they dislike about DFS. From the data collected, it was determined that TFS and DFS users are similar in their competitive nature, in their increased levels of sports consumption and investment, and in their increased favoritism towards individual players over teams. The main differences between TFS and DFS users were how each felt they were at a disadvantage, the levels of camaraderie within the sport, and their stance on gambling. TFS users felt their disadvantages came from lackluster commissioners while DFS users felt that the companies themselves were setting them at a disadvantage. TFS users placed more value on the camaraderie and social sport while DFS users placed more value on profit and excitement. TFS users felt that TFS was not gambling and that DFS was, while DFS users accepted DFS as gambling.
ContributorsLandauer, Kevin James (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Fette, Donald (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
There are many fans who invest a lot of time, money, and effort into fantasy football. Finding a balance between maintaining loyalty to a favorite team while trying to win a fantasy league has become an issue. There are those fans who take precautions to assure loyalty while playing and then there are those who put their loyalties aside and treat fantasy football as its own entity outside of their fandom. In this project I am studying how playing fantasy football affects an individual's team loyalty.
ContributorsAssi, Stephanie Faye (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Soares, Rebecca (Committee member) / Dwyer, Brendan P. (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Scholarly work, industry profile analyses, and sports entertainment, similarly posit the normative fantasy football fan as an uber fan, defined largely by the vast amount of time spent per week consuming sports media content. The average fantasy football participant is also defined as a white, middle-class, married man in his late 20s (FTSA.org). However, by drawing on qualitative interview data of 48 fantasy football participants, we argue that this typical profile of a fantasy football participant as an uber fan is limiting in a masculinist way precisely because it reifies a gendered category of fan as normal, making anything outside of that category deviant. Close analysis of the experiences of thirteen of the 48 fantasy football players, all of whom identify as women, indicate an alternative, cohesive fantasy football participant profile that is centered on being competitive while also being efficient with one's time and resources. Additionally, we find that these women fantasy fans actively reject the notion of the uber fan as the only way to be a normal fantasy football fan because they want to play and win on their own terms.
ContributorsItmam, Arif (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Southergill, Keith (Committee member) / Lashley, Mark (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Fantasy football exists as a thought-to-be male dominated space, particularly with respect to the linguistic practices of players. Heteronormativity runs rampant, and fantasy players are not held accountable for the implications of their language. This essay analyzes what the dynamics of fantasy football leagues are, how current linguistic practices shape them, and suggests that women’s participating in fantasy football leagues functions as a type of trash talk that encourages men to address their internalized heteronormativity and create a more welcoming and progressive experience for people of all genders.
ContributorsValov, Jacob John (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Ferderer, Brandon (Committee member) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05