What is the history of fantasy football?

The first fantasy football league appeared in 1963 thanks to Bill Winkenbach. Winkenbach was a part owner of the Oakland Raiders when he created the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League (GOPPPL). He also created some of the first fantasy baseball and golf leagues, leading the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association to dub him "the father of fantasy sports."

One of the founding members of GOPPPL, Andy Mousalimas, brought the first public fantasy football league to his Oakland sports bar in 1969. The idea spread by word of mouth over the following decades, and many of the earliest documented leagues popped up on college campuses.

Of course, the game became far more widespread when it moved to the internet. The Grandstand Sports Services launched the first nationally available fantasy football leagues online in 1985. In 1987, Fantasy Football Index became the first national magazine dedicated to fantasy football.

Today it is estimated that over 60 million people in North America play fantasy sports, and over 75% play fantasy football specifically.

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