• Loading stock data...
Saturday, June 21, 2025

NFL, Fantasy Partners Update Game Terminology to be More ‘Inclusive’

  • Throughout its nearly 60-year history, racial undertones in fantasy sports have not gone unnoticed.
  • The NFL and its partners are retiring language that suggests ownership of athletes.
A woman wearing a wig resembling Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay's hair holds a sign reading "Run Lindsay Run."
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The National Football league and its fantasy partners — Yahoo Sports, ESPN and CBS — are updating their games to eliminate language that suggests ownership or commodification of athletes.

Terms like “auction,” “price,” “cost,” “owner,” “bid” and “owned” are being replaced with “salary cap,” “salary,” “average salary,” “manager,” “offer” and “rostered,” respectively. 

Fantasy football first emerged in Oakland, Calif. in the 1960s, and hit the internet — exponentially increasing its participant base — in the mid-1990s. Starting in 1997 with RotoNews and a handful of other sites, fans were able to begin following player stats in real-time. In 1999, Yahoo became the go-to site for free fantasy gaming.

Today, fantasy sports is a $7.22 billion industry in the U.S. with approximately 60 million people playing in North America, spending an average of more than $650 dollars per year, according to the Fantasy Sports Gaming Association

The potential racial undertones of the practice have not gone unnoticed, however. 

In 2017, ESPN came under fire for promoting fantasy football with a televised player “auction” run by Alan Wheeler, who held up pictures of players’ heads. The sketch drew public criticism from high-profile athletes and celebrities, and at the time, the company apologized, saying “the optics could be portrayed as offensive” when taken out of context. 

Black men make up about 70% of the NFL’s nearly 1,700 players. It’s estimated that about 90% of fantasy sports users are white; 80% of them are men. 

But fantasy sports don’t take place in a vacuum. 

The NFL’s apparent acknowledgment of the practice’s racial landscape comes two months after Commissioner Roger Goodell, at the urging of players, said in a video that Black lives matter. In the wake of the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, Goodell also admitted that the league was “wrong” for how it had historically handled player protests against police violence, like Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling demonstrations that began in 2016.

Kneeling
exclusive

NFL Will Likely Allow Players To Protest During National Anthem

On Twitter, U.S. President Donald Trump asked if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell…
June 8, 2020

Eric Hall, an associate professor at Northern Illinois who studies the relationship between race, politics and popular culture — particularly sports — in twentieth-century U.S. history, wrote about the dehumanizing effects of fantasy sports in The Washington Post in 2017. 

“‘Auction,’ “owner’/ ‘owned,’ and ‘bid’ were common terms used at slave markets in the first half of the nineteenth century (which is why ESPN’s 2017 auction skit was so problematic),” Hall said via email. “The enslaved persons paraded before wealthy white men were little more than commodities in the eyes of these traders.”

He says the wording changes are positive and have to be viewed through the lens of the league’s demographics. 

“The events of this summer have forced leagues, owners, executives, and coaches to embrace the message of Black Lives Matter and rethink their hiring practices, policies, and even, in the case of Washington and Dan Snyder, team names and mascots,” Hall added. “These welcomed changes in terminology better acknowledge the humanity of players, the vast majority of whom are Black.”

Yahoo said the terminology changes stem from a desire to foster a culture of inclusivity. 

“Our industry is made up of companies of various sizes, all competing for people playing our games, but we’re united by a desire to create and promote an inclusive community,” the company’s announcement said.

In a statement to Front Office Sports on behalf of itself and the fantasy partners, the NFL said the new terms better reflect the fantasy sports community. 

“The changes made to our games are part of an ongoing effort to improve the industry’s top fantasy games in ways that are more inclusive and better reflect the sense of community at the heart of fantasy sports,” the league said. “The updates replace outdated terminology used in past fantasy games with more appropriate language to describe the functions of day-to-day game play.” 

Stacie Stern — the first female chair of the Fantasy Sports Gaming Association’s board of directors in its 22-year history — added that while the organization won’t recommend specific language for companies to use, it’s proud of the way members collaborated and took action to make “real change.” 

The FSGA is holding a webinar Aug. 21 for members to discuss the terminology and what choices companies have already made, or may want to make in the future. 

“If there’s a group that’s marginalized and feels like they’re not welcome in participating in fantasy sports, making this change is really important,” Stern said. “And it won’t impact the people who are maybe pushing back — it’s not going to impact their lives. This is a good thing for everybody.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter on the red carpet before the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field

‘More Is More’: The Elite Luxury Jewelers Decking Out Athletes

Meet the elite group of luxury designers crafting the biggest statement pieces.
exclusive

LeBron James’s Growing Amazon Ties Could Lead to Prime Role

James has praised Prime’s NBA talent hires for the 2025–26 season.,
Washington's Ben Gorsage, right, and Orland Park Sandburg's Mateo Ramiro-Garcia tangle at the start of the Class 3A state 800-meter run Saturday, May 31, 2025 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Gorsage took third place, followed by Ramiro-Garcia in fourth.

Dozens of Olympic Sports Have Been Cut in Wake of House v...

Tennis, track and field, and swimming and diving appear heavily impacted.

Featured Today

Dec 5, 2024; Miami, FL, USA; FIFA president Gianni Infantino presents the FIFA Club World Cup trophy during the Club Word Cup draw at Telemundo Studios.

Revamped Club World Cup Is FIFA’s Billion-Dollar Gamble

The revamped soccer event debuts amid controversy.
Jun 10, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino stands during the anthem against the Switzerland during the first at Geodis Park
June 14, 2025

Gold Cup Is Complicated for USMNT—but U.S. Soccer Has Its Eyes on..

Uncertain tournament success isn’t fazing forward-looking U.S. soccer.
Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; The Davidson Wildcats student section cheers during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60.
June 6, 2025

Every College Wants a Flashy Basketball GM Hire Right Now

The role is more important than ever, and the definition is ever-evolving.
August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
June 6, 2025

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
Jun 19, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) shoots the ball against Indiana Pacers center Tony Bradley (13) during the first half of game six of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Pacers’ Tony Bradley Has Made Just $330K This Year Despite Finals Run

Bradley was signed by the Pacers on March 2 to a 10-day contract.
June 20, 2025

Hockey’s Best Player Enters Contract Year Noncommittal About Future

The superstar becomes a free agent next year absent a contract extension.
Mar 12, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) shoots the ball while USC Trojans guard Kevin Patton Jr. (8) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
June 20, 2025

Ace Bailey Cancels Sixers Workout a Week Before NBA Draft

The former Rutgers star is a projected top-three pick in Wednesday’s draft.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Ted Leonsis unpacks basketball’s global rise, media rights, and portfolio ownership.
A pack of runners during the 129th running of the Boston Marathon at Heartbreak Hill in Newton, April 21, 2025.
June 18, 2025

Boston Marathon Qualifying Changes Target Downhill Racing Company

A new rule will apply time penalties to downhill races starting in 2027.
Noah Lyles
June 17, 2025

Tyreek Hill–Noah Lyles Race Is Off for ‘Personal Reasons’

Lyles and Hill agreed to a race in February with few concrete details.
June 17, 2025

Ja Morant Calls Out Stephen A. Smith After Memphis Claims

Smith made comments about the city on ESPN’s “First Take” Tuesday.
Sylvia Fowles
June 17, 2025

Sylvia Fowles’s Life After Hall of Fame Career

Fowles is considering a return to basketball.