Fans engage with sports in many different ways and fantasy sports offer a perfect platform to become involved on an intellectual, virtual level. This short film analyzes the relationship between the virtual game of fantasy football and the real sport. For this project, I interviewed some fantasy players – Andrew Gilpin and Dave Bogart – who gave me some insights into the logistics and the appeal of the game. This film is in response to the theorist Baudrillard’s claim that reality has become hyperreality and everything we do is mediated and lives in cyberspace. I use sports as a case study and argue that the original real form is still intact, and fantasy sports simply offer an alternative way to contribute and become a part of the sporting culture despite the distance. These games then become “extensions” of our physical reality.

Interview taken on MacBook Pro. Editing done with Final Cut Pro.