Last updated on April 28th, 2025
Technological progress has had a positive impact, not just on the general public, but also in niche markets and industries. The evolution of data analysis has allowed doctors to improve medical treatments, banks to improve their financial services, and has even made it possible for website developers to create safer products.
What may surprise some is to learn that even the sports betting and gambling communities have improved due to data-driven decision making. If one were to ask players who visit online casinos licensed by the UKGC how they play, many might answer that data-backed studies are a huge influence on the decisions that they make.
Sports fans use that same logic when betting on their favorite team, or better yet, when they are engaging in an even more fascinating hobby. In the 1950s, Wilfred Winkenback put together a golf fantasy league, which went down in history as the first form of fantasy sports. Today, however, fantasy sports are a lot more popular, in large part due to the internet.
How the World Wide Web Popularized Fantasy Sports?
The influence that the internet has had on fantasy sports is undeniable. While it is true that fans of the hobby have been enjoying it for years, digital access to fantasy sport sites has been instrumental to its broader appeal. From that point of view, fantasy sports are a lot like gambling, as they are both hobbies that have a long history of offline success, that has been further boosted by the world wide web.
One of the reasons for the triumph of fantasy sports online has to do with its availability. It is quite easy to uncover fantasy football sites that deal with, the Premier League for example. Not only do many of these sites allow their customers and visitors to get in on the action, but they also share news, information, and data about players, clubs, line-ups, and everything else that might be relevant.
It is this availability of data that leads us to the second point; the internet has helped fans get fantasy sports down to a science. By using a data-driven approach to decision making, a lot of fantasy sports aficionados have found it easier than ever to make the right decision when choosing which player they are going to recruit for their season.
How Data-Driven Decisions Have Changed Fantasy Sports
The first thing that we must understand is that the study of analytics in general has become a lot more sophisticated in the past two decades. The evolution has made it so sports-based analytics has changed from simple information-gathering, to a full-blown predictive model. In the past two decades, sports analytics models have seen a 650% increase in complexity.
Why does this matter? Well, the improvements in data analysis have naturally given fantasy sports players the ability to make better, more well-informed decisions when they are assembling their teams. In other words, enthusiasts now have enough data about a game, before it even starts, just based on the players that are involved. We could compare it to a card counting strategy in blackjack, or prediction based betting when it comes to sports.
It isn’t just the fans that have noticed the benefits of making data-driven decisions though. Professionals in the realm of sports are also hopping on the bandwagon. In the year 2000, only about 23% of professional sports teams or clubs utilized data analysts. Today, 97% of them have, at least one analytics expert on the payroll. Obviously, data plays a huge role in progressing as a sports team.
The Benefits of Data-Driven Decisions in Fantasy Sports
The major benefit of data-driven decision making is the most obvious one; that is that it helps fantasy sports fans, sports bettors, and gamblers make better, more informed decisions. Indeed, it has been noted that fantasy sports fans who rely on data analysis are far more likely to come out on top. But, it doesn’t end there.
Another benefit here is that it completely eliminates emotions from the equation. Now, of course, emotional attachment to teams, players, and clubs plays a huge role in sports. However, when it comes to betting, or in this case, fantasy sports, they are a detriment. Often, emotional decisions can lead to making a bad investment, which comes back to bite the participant later down the line.
Making data-driven decisions when engaging with the fantasy sports community is also a great way to minimize losses. Of course, not all fantasy sports fans wager real cash. Some just do it for fun, as a social hobby. In those instances, it is probably not necessary to overly rely on data. However, when there is money on the line, we certainly would recommend utilizing data and analytics in making choices.
The Downside of Data-Driven Decision Making in Fantasy Sports
The truth of the matter is that, there really isn’t any major downsides to incorporating data-driven decision making when engaging with fantasy sports. One potential issue might arise, if an enthusiast is engaging with the hobby on a purely social level. In this instance, the hypothetical fan would not be wagering any money on the hobby, and thus would have no stake. In that case, incorporating data-driven decisions might bring an unnecessary level of competition to the hobby.
However, in the case when fantasy sports are done as a betting game, data analytics are always useful. One downside in this instance might be a different participant taking the player that the data suggests would be the best choice. That might discourage, and even frustrate some participants. However, even in that case, if one can manage to keep a clear head, they could still use analytics to turn it all around, by selecting the next best choice.
So, while there are certainly some possible downsides to data analysis, and specifically its incorporation in fantasy sports, for the most part, it has done nothing but good for the hobby, and those involved in it. For that reason, a lot of hobbyists, amateurs, experts, and even professional sports teams, are far more likely to take advantage of data analysis platforms.
