ESPN’s 30 for 30 Premieres ‘Silly Little Game’ Tonight
By: Derrick Eckardt | Categories: ESPN, Fantasy Baseball, Video
ESPN‘s 30 for 30 series is set to premier its “Silly Little Game” feature, which is a documentary about the rise of fantasy sports and the original fantasy baseball league, The Rotisserrie League. ESPN’s summary is very fair description:
Fantasy Sports is estimated to be a $4 billion dollar industry that boasts over 30 million participants and a league for almost every sport imaginable. But for all this success, the story of the game’s inception is little known. The modern fantasy leagues can be traced back to a group of writers and academics who met at La Rotisserie Francaise in New York City to form a baseball league of their own: The Rotisserie League. The game quickly grew in popularity, and with the growing use and attractiveness of the Internet, the “founding fathers” never foresaw how their creation would take off and ultimately leave them behind. Innovative filmmakers Adam Kurland and Lucas Jansen will chronicle the early development and ultimate explosion of Rotisserie Baseball, and shine a light on its mostly unnoticed innovators.
The show debuts tonight on ESPN 2 at 8pm, with four additional airings in the next week.
Considering ESPN’s commitment to fantasy sports, I expect this to be a very well done and positive piece. Fantasy sports are supposed to be fun, and I expect Silly Little Game to reflect that. For the historical value alone, this should be required viewing for anyone in the fantasy sports industry, and anyone who considers themselves a fantasy sports fanatic.
Unfortunately, there are no video embeds available, but I did find this clip on YouTube of rocker and fantasy baseball lover Meatloaf shooting a segment for Silly Little Game.
If you watch it tonight, please let me know what you think!




