Sports have always united dads and their kids, but fantasy baseball and football leagues are offering a new form of father and son bonding.
The Wall Street Journal spoke to Austin Metzger of Rochester, New York, and his dad Ken, two keen fantasy league fans. They explained that ten-year-old Austin joined his father’s league after another member left and went on to win both the football and the baseball league, taking home $275 in cash.
And they are not alone – according to the article, "father-son pairs are now discovering that fantasy sports can be as powerful a bonding experience as tossing a ball around the backyard".
David Miller, the owner of FamilyFantasySports.com, told the newspaper that his site offers a $25,000 deposit in a 529 account for the college education of the children of the owner of the fantasy team that scores the most points in their league’s championship football game this season, adding to the family element.
His parenting advice was: "It’s really just about spending time with your kids."
With the biggest sporting event in the world starting today, dads may want to look at one of the lesser-known leagues: fantasy Olympics.
Great article!! I am a father of 3 looking to bond with my kids. As a fantasy football player, I don’t have to give up my normal leagues, but could do an additional league here to try and win prizes for my kids and hopefully will get my kids involved along with me. I just signed up at family fantasy sports and it was pretty easy. Hope to see you there!!
That is a real nice story. Anything that puts a father and child together in a competitive atmosphere is bound for good memories. Fantasy football – saving the world, one relationship at a time! The 529 prize is great too!
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