The fantasy sports industry is growing at such a rapid pace that there doesn’t appear to be any ceiling on how big it can get this year. We already know about the massive gains attributed to FanDuel and DraftKings, two of the biggest daily fantasy sports sites in the business today. The former has even announced that it would be hosting the 2015 World Fantasy Basketball Championship in Miami, Florida from April 9 to 11, 2015.
Now, another “first in the business” has been announced and it’s called the Fantasy Sports Combine. The name pretty much explains what you can expect from the three-day event scheduled from July 17 to 19, 2015 at the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore. The use of the word “combine” is of course attributed to the NFL Scouting Combine, a place where college football players showcase their skills and talents in front of scouts, coaches, and front office personnel of NFL teams.
The concept is pretty much the same with the Fantasy Sports Combine even if the purpose is different. Instead of trying to impress team officials, the Fantasy Sports Combine is being prepared to become the go- to place for fantasy sports enthusiasts who are looking for “game-changing insights and strategies on how to win daily, weekly and season long leagues.”
The driving force behind the Fantasy Sports Combine is Drew “Bo” Brownstein, a former hedge fund manager who served a four-month prison term for insider trading. Having already left that part of his life behind him, Bronwstein came up with the idea of the convention last year, just as the popularity of the daily fantasy sports market began gaining serious steam.
“Fantasy sports touches everyone from the head trader at Goldman Sachs to a guy working 60 hours a week at the post office,” Brownstein told Bloomberg. “And it touches both men and women. Its popularity is booming and only getting bigger.”
To his credit, Brownstein is doing his part to make the Fantasy Sports Combine a legitimate event that fantasy sports players from all over North America, maybe even the world, can go to.
He has already assembled a slew of sports personalities who will be part of the three-day event. From proclaimed “fantasy gurus” like Yahoo Sports’ Brad Evans and DirecTV’s John Hansen to legendary coaches like Mike Shanahan and Mike Ditka, the Fantasy Sports Combine is shaping up to be a true spectacle for the industry.