A qualitative exploration of the positive and negative experiences of individuals who play fantasy football

Fantasy football (FF) has become an increasingly popular activity and recent quantitative research has explored the potential impact it can have on mental health. The aim of the present study was to take a qualitative approach to obtain a deeper understanding of the experiences of FF players. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 15 experienced FF players led to the identification of 4 meta themes: Potential Positives (of which there were 3 further themes and 15 further sub-themes), Potential Negatives (3 further themes; 12 further sub-themes), Mediating Factors (4 further themes; 4 further sub-themes), and Future Game Play (2 further themes; 6 further sub-themes). Based on these results, we have proposed: i) a model for initial and continued involvement in FF, and ii) a framework of hypothesised factors leading to predominantly positive or negative experiences in FF. We discuss how these findings can be used by players and game creators alike in order to optimise the experience of playing FF.