Fantasy games branching out to more than just sports

When Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., introduced a dry little bill affecting a modest government panel sifting through the nation's antitrust laws, it didn't exactly grab national headlines.

But Brandon Smith was psyched, though he knew almost nothing about the Antitrust Modernization Commission Extension Act of 2007. Smith, a 24-year-old law student from Brooklyn, is an avid "fantasy" Congress player. The game is similar to fantasy-baseball and -football leagues, but players in this league draft teams of representatives and senators, and earn points depending on how well their bills survive the political gantlet.

When the bill passed, Conyers' little-known coup earned Smith 50 points and vaulted him into his league's lead.

"It may seem weird to get excited about this type of stuff in the abstract, but it's the same way, that in fantasy sports, I can get excited about random stats ... ," Smith said.

Fantasy sports leagues still dominate the genre, but more and more leagues aimed at other interests are lighting up U.S. computers.

Instead of picking the NFL's top running back, how about a fantasy husband? There's a Web site for that, along with fantasy leagues centered on celebrities and Hollywood blockbusters.

"People have always enjoyed taking ownership of the things they are into recreationally, and the Internet has made that more and more accessible to more people," said Nancy Baym, associate professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas.

An estimated 15 million to 18 million people manage fantasy-sports teams, according to a study by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. Revenue is raised through participation fees in the $2 billion industry, and 90 percent of participants are men, the study found.

But Andrew Lee felt left out of the action in his cramped Claremont McKenna College dorm three years ago. His roommate, Eric Chow, kept screaming "booyah" during a Monday Night Football game between the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos. A fantasy-football victory, a week's worth of strategy and trash talking with friends rested on the outcome.

Something dawned on Lee, then a freshman, as he scrolled through a political blog.

"I thought that if there was a way for people to relate to Congress as much as they can to sports, then it would make for a better government and more-informed nation," Lee said.

So, he crafted Fantasy Congress. Users draft a mixture of senators and representatives — each league can establish a cap on draft picks — to play for colorful teams such as "Barack N' Roll," "The Obaminators" and "FDR's Revenge." Seasons last the length of Congress' two-year cycles.

"My first thought was that it was a cool idea," said Arjun Lall, 21, who along with three other friends poured hours into creating the league with Lee. "My second thought was, 'who would play this?' "

Actually, many people. More than 66,000 users have joined the league since its October inception.

Most points are earned through steps in the legislative process. If a player's political draftee introduces a bill, a player earns five points. The further the bill goes, the more points a player receives. If the bill is signed into law, players earn 50 points.

A new feature allows teams to earn points for positive media coverage and lose them for being slammed in the press — the fantasy-football equivalent of a quarterback throwing an interception.

Smith, the law student with political aspirations and a fantasy-sports junkie, said the appeal of participating in something that combined two of his interests was intriguing.

And, just like in fantasy sports, there is a good deal of strategy involved.

"At first I thought of picking Obama, but then I decided he was going to be on the campaign trail too much and not paying attention to legislation," Smith said. "Instead, I took Sen. David Vitter, R-La., a rising star that a lot of people don't know, and it's paying dividends."

For much of the year, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas, sat atop first place in points, before recently being supplanted by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

"Well, as a staffer, I can attest to the game's accuracy," said Michael McQuerry, Jackson-Lee's spokesman. "This is fun, but at the same time it goes to show you that some people are paying attention to Congress."

Like Lee's start, many other fantasy leagues began out of frustration over men's fascination with sports.

Erica Salmon called herself a sports widow because her husband, Neil, spent so much time checking his fantasy-sports team online. She joked with friends, saying she should start a league that interested her. The jokes turned into discussions, and the discussions turned into the Fantasy Fashion League.

"A lot of women say 'I don't bug my husband now, because I can understand what he is going through,' " said Salmon, 32, of Philadelphia.

In the league, which debuted in fall 2005, combinations of celebrities and designers earn points every time they appear on a magazine cover or walk the red carpet at an awards show. The more exposure, the more points a player receives.

Those who accumulate the most points by the Academy Awards win their league.

"Some people are causal, but we play every day," said Jennifer Hayes, 33, of Missouri City, Texas, who drafted Chanel with her top pick. "We get together for all the parties and make a day of it."

Kim Cramer, a baseball fan, enjoys watching sports but couldn't picture herself poring over statistics enough to join a league. So she asked herself: What are the topics women bond over as much as men and sports?

"Men and relationships," Cramer said. Hence, fantasy husband was born.

In Fantasy Husband, users select three men profiled on the site. Each week, the real men are asked how they would respond to a fictionalized-relationship problem. Past scenarios include the wife wants a tummy tuck, but the budget doesn't allow for it. Or the wife says she was embarrassed by her husband's obnoxious behavior at a company function, but does the husband truly care?

Players earn points, assigned by a social worker and a marriage counselor, based on how the men respond to that week's dilemma. Ten points are awarded for a response that rates calling a divorce attorney, and the ideal response nets 100 points.

Todd Galloway, 27, of Boston, also started a fantasy league that deals with celebrities. His site tracks how many times a drafted team of celebrities is mentioned in selected blogs.

"All the things guys do with fantasy sports, the girls are doing it," Galloway said. "They are talking trash and holding draft parties."

The newer fantasy leagues are "a new way to target another demographic and expand the industry a little more, especially in the female demographic," said Jeff Thomas, president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.

But for Salmon and other fantasy trailblazers, the site has a more practical result.

"My husband is always telling people that the Fantasy Fashion League is saving marriages," she said. "Wives don't care how much time their husband is researching fantasy football, because she is sitting next to him researching Versace."