If you don’t see them, you don’t interact with them, it’s only social media. “We know that millions of people per month are listening. And we go running out, and there is not an empty seat in the house.” “But sure, you know, it comes time to go on board and go perform for these people. “‘There’s no way we sold all of these seats. “We get to this room and looked at the chairs … I’m like, ‘There’s way too many chairs here. On February 2, 2017, “The Fantasy Footballers” recorded a live podcast prior to Super Bowl LII in Minnesota before a sold-out audience. For Wright, interacting with fans was the signal that the podcast had made it. “The Footballers” stayed afloat long enough to see their brand spread. We just knew we needed to tread water long enough that we could tell we could catch up.” Really, when you’re the listener, you’re the fourth person at the table. “Talking about fantasy football, we often say the show is like a fourth person. (Screenshots by James Franks/Cronkite News) The Fantasy Footballers record their show in Phoenix and have become the most popular Fantasy Football podcast, garnering over 36 million streams. People were latching onto the friendship and camaraderie that the three of us have. It was to the point that this show really could compete in the podcast space.
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“You could see the download numbers, and you could see us moving up the charts. “We knew the audience was there,” Wright said. While initial financial struggles were real, Wright had no regrets and no doubt about the podcast’s potential. While they saw success through an increase in listeners and downloads, they didn’t see the same return in dollars or financial support. However, the transition from each stage to the next wasn’t simple. Later, they recorded at each other’s homes before moving into their Phoenix studio in 2017. The 36-year-old Wright, along with Holloway, 35, and Moore, 36, started recording their podcast in the break room at Broken Bulb during lunch. Eventually the trio went all-in on “The Fantasy Footballers,” Wright said. They bonded over their love for fantasy sports and the NFL. “We take this very seriously.”įrom 2010 to 2015, Wright and his co-hosts all worked for Broken Bulb Game Studios, a tech company based in Scottsdale. “We’ve convinced friends to suit and tie up and come announce our draft, like it’s like they are (NFL Commissioner) Roger Goodell calling up picks for the real NFL Draft,” Wright said. Wright, Halloway and Moore also have friends come and announce their draft picks in person, mimicking the NFL Draft. “Then they have to draft soaking wet in a giant sweater. Pick’em: Sport gambling in Arizona underway and options are plentiful Then they get water dumped on them in embarrassing ways. When someone finishes last in our league, we make them wear a huge heavy sweater on draft day, and each league member spins the wheel. “We have a ‘Wheel of Water’ app that we made years ago. “We have traditions in our league that are pretty fun,” Holloway said. The fantasy sports moguls have built a business out of what began as a typical fantasy league with some creative twists. The global market for fantasy sports is expected to reach $22 billion in 2021, Research and Markets report. Their podcasts have been streamed more than 36 million times and their YouTube Channel has more than 263,000 subscribers.Īnd they have tapped into an increasingly popular business. The trio, which records a podcast out of a studio in Phoenix, has compiled a massive following. For most, fantasy football is a game among friends, family or co-workers.īut for Arizona natives Mike Wright, Andy Holloway and Jason Moore of “The Fantasy Footballers” podcast, it’s a livelihood. PHOENIX – Every week fans huddle around their laptops, phones and televisions to watch a virtual team they’ve spent hours constructing “play” against another online foe. Mike Wright (left), Jason Moore (center) and Andy Holloway have built one of the most popular sites for the online game turned business.