Exploring Fantasy Football Involvement and Mental Health through Player Experience, Engagement Levels, Social Comparisons, and Financial Incentives

Abstract

Background Fantasy sports are a rapidly growing complement to the sports industry and recent research has explored the mental health experiences of those who play the game. Aim This study aimed to test the findings from two such studies (Wilkins et al., 2021; Wilkins et al., 2023). Methods Questionnaire data measuring depression, anxiety, stress, positive mood, negative mood, problematic behaviour, and functional impairment from 635 fantasy football players were analysed using one-way ANOVAs. Results Amongst the significant results were the findings that: i) more experienced players reported less anxiety than less experienced players, and ii) players who engaged more with the game, made more social comparisons, and had greater financial involvement generally reported more mental health concerns and more positive mood than other players. Conclusion Engagement levels play an important role in determining the wellbeing experience of fantasy football participants. These findings also lend support to the ‘Framework of Hypothesised Factors Leading to Predominantly Positive or Negative Experiences in FF’ and should be used by stakeholders within the fantasy sports industry to optimise the game-playing experience of participants.