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Those of you know have read my articles or listened to my show on SiriusXM radio, you know that I tend to have some strong opinions. Every now and then I will rant and rave about a topic that is important to me. Luckily (or unlucky I suppose) as Assistant G.M. subscribers you will receive one of these rants in your email box every week. It’s a little thing that I like to call: One MANS Opinion.

So what exactly makes someone a “fantasy sports expert?”

This is a question I have gotten a lot over the years and to this day I can honestly say that I truly don’t know. For one, I hate the word “expert” because it caries the perception of somebody that knows everything. To this date I have never met a single person that knows everything about sports or fantasy sports.

A fantasy sports analyst however is a fair and therefore recommended title for those that have dedicated their lives to these games. Fantasy analysts are in many ways similar to financial and technical analysts. Each type of analyst studies information and data points and comes to a reasonable conclusion of what it all means.

Fantasy sports analysts save people time and money by doing copious amounts of research and investigation. Let’s face it, how many of you would enjoy building spreadsheets of 25 different statistics and inputting them into formulas every single day? Ok, so a few of you think that sounds cool but would you still be interested if you had to do this on birthday’s, anniversaries and holiday’s? Would you be all right with writing an article at 3:24 AM knowing that in just a couple of hours you need to be up for a morning meeting? 

I know that to some of you this all does sound like fun and rewarding work and it is. But the hard work is just a part of what it takes to be a fantasy sports analyst. No matter how hard you work at it you will need to prove that you can help people win their leagues. In order to do this you need to be able to break all of your research down in simple terms and relate it to the audience in terms that they understand. If you can’t assist others and help them win on a regular basis you will never make it in this industry.

The single most important aspect of being a fantasy analyst is the giving up of yourself. This is something that shocks people when they first decide to dive into the fantasy sports industry. Nobody cares about your fantasy teams whatsoever. If you win a game or a league it simply doesn’t matter. To be successful as a fantasy analyst you must learn how to put others needs in front of yours on a constant basis. This is not easy considering most people get into the fantasy sports industry because they were wildly successful players. Once you realize that the majority of your readers, listeners and viewers don’t care about your own personal leagues and only about theirs, it can be soul crushing.

But that is the gig. Millions of people play fantasy sports but only a few dozen have been capable, willing and able to turn it into a career. I have seen so many folks come and go over the past eight years it isn’t even funny.

Most people do not like having their mistakes magnified down to their core and throw back in their face. But that happens literally every single day. Having thick skin is a must for a fantasy sports analyst. I have had people make fun of my picks, my players, my advice, my looks, my family and have even had a couple of death threats over the years. It’s not easy to ignore but if you are putting in the work and confident in what you are providing, everything else will fall into place.

So being a fantasy sports analyst is a little harder than most people think. It’s long hours, low pay and a heck of a lot of sacrifice. You are going to be wrong and told that you are a complete moron a few times. But when all of that hard work and research pays off and your advice wins people their leagues it can be the most satisfying experience you could ever have.

Of course, what do I know? I am just a frosted tip radio show host who has dedicated his life to commenting on sports. You may not agree, but that is OK because this was just One MANS Opinion.