90s play by mail fantasy football

The nostalgia! Play-by-mail (PBM) fantasy football was a popular phenomenon in the 1990s, allowing fans to manage their own virtual teams and compete against others through the mail. Here's a brief overview of how it worked:

How it worked:

  1. Subscription: Fans would subscribe to a PBM fantasy football service, which would provide them with a team roster, player stats, and a schedule of games.
  2. Team management: Players would manage their teams by making decisions on player lineups, trades, and free agent pickups. They would submit their decisions to the PBM service through the mail.
  3. Gameplay: The PBM service would process the submitted decisions and generate game results, which would be mailed back to the players.
  4. Season-long competition: The PBM service would run a season-long competition, with players earning points based on their team's performance. The player with the most points at the end of the season would be declared the winner.

Popular PBM fantasy football services:

  1. Fantasy Football League (FFL): One of the most popular PBM fantasy football services, FFL was founded in 1985 and operated until 2001.
  2. Fantasy Football Digest (FFD): Another well-known PBM service, FFD was founded in 1988 and continued to operate until the early 2000s.
  3. Pro Football Weekly's Fantasy Football (PFW): PFW, a well-established sports publication, offered a PBM fantasy football service in the 1990s.

Why it was popular:

  1. Accessibility: PBM fantasy football was accessible to anyone with a mailbox and a willingness to play.
  2. Social: Players could interact with each other through the mail, sharing strategies and advice.
  3. Longevity: PBM fantasy football services often ran for multiple seasons, allowing players to build relationships and compete against each other over time.
  4. Nostalgia: For many fans, PBM fantasy football was a nostalgic experience, evoking memories of the early days of the internet and the excitement of waiting for the mail to arrive.

The decline of PBM fantasy football:

  1. Rise of online fantasy football: The advent of online fantasy football platforms, such as Yahoo! Fantasy Football and ESPN Fantasy Football, made it easier for fans to manage their teams and compete against others.
  2. Increased competition: The proliferation of online fantasy football services led to increased competition, making it harder for PBM services to attract and retain players.
  3. Cost and logistics: PBM services required significant resources to operate, including postage, printing, and staff. As online services became more popular, the costs and logistics of running a PBM service became less viable.

While PBM fantasy football is no longer a dominant force in the fantasy sports landscape, it remains a nostalgic reminder of the early days of fantasy football and the excitement of waiting for the mail to arrive with the latest updates on your team's performance.