Fathers and sons bond over fantasy football

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.