According to Variety, ESPN has signed Field Yates to a new multi-year deal. This means he will be around to host the daily Fantasy Focus Football Podcast as well as Fantasy Football Now. He has shared that fantasy sports is catching up in popularity to the real thing.
What's Happening:
- Field Yates has been signed to a new multi-year deal with ESPN and will continue to host Fantasy Focus Football Podcast as well as Fantasy Football Now.
- Yates has commented, saying that he thinks fantasy football is catching up to the popularity of the real thing.
- "If you watch SportsCenter through to the end, I’d bet if you put on an hour, there’s a pretty good chance, better than 50-50 you’re going to see at least one segment of fantasy sports," he says in a recent interview." I think it’s reflective of the appetite fans have for this type of content."
- "Field is the epitome of versatility," says Scott Clark, vice president of fantasy and betting content for ESPN, in a statement. "He is a rare talent that can move seamlessly from host to analyst to insider, from NFL Live to Fantasy, from on-air work to written columns, and from podcasts to social media. He is a master across everything we do at ESPN, and we are thrilled that he will continue to be a big part of our NFL and Fantasy content for years to come."
- Many of the large sports media outlets are increasing their coverage of fantasy sports.
- Betting "only adds to the popularity of fantasy football," says Yates. "Maybe they are not necessarily the same, but they are like cousins who are exceptionally close to each other."
- ESPN has stated that there are more than 11 million fans signed up to play fantasy football on its properties this season. On Sunday, the first week of the football season, 9.2 million of them use the ESPN Fantasy App.
- Fantasy fans may "gravitate to football the most," Yates says, but other sports are getting attention from them as well. Among fantasy enthusiasts, "more and more sports are popping up."