• Loading stock data...
Saturday, May 31, 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

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.

Chiefs, Royals Stadium Plans Hit Political Wall As Both Parties Say No

Both Republicans and Democrats in Missouri oppose public funding for stadiums.
Rangers Football Club

49ers Venture Arm Buys 2nd Soccer Team With Rangers FC Deal

49ers Enterprises also owns Premier League club Leeds United.

Featured Today

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.
May 25, 2025

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 24, 2025

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.
May 24, 2025

Indiana Is the Center of the Basketball Universe—Thanks to Both Pro Teams

The Fever and Pacers are thriving at the same time.
John Haliburton

John Haliburton’s Brief Ban Ends With Pacers on Brink of Finals

John Haliburton was sitting in a suite instead of his usual courtside seat. 
May 27, 2025

Dodgers’ Biggest Deadline Pickup Might Already Be in L.A.

Ohtani faces batters as a pitcher for the first time in 21 months.
Cousins
May 27, 2025

Kirk Cousins, James Cook Among Prominent NFL OTA Absences

The NFL’s 2024 rushing touchdowns leader was among the absences Tuesday.
Sponsored

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

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
Russian hockey
May 27, 2025

Russia Still Banned From 2026 Winter Olympics, IOC Confirms

Russia men’s hockey won gold and silver in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
May 27, 2025

How Much Do NFL Agents Make?

We dive into what agents make at American football’s highest level.
May 26, 2025

Caitlin Clark Injury Is Speed Bump Early in WNBA Season

Clark will miss at least four games based on the timeline.
May 25, 2025

Tom Brady Backs Another Crypto Play

Brady is in a group investing $18 million in a crypto-adjacent business.