Fansided

Richard Sherman could be first of many players to invest in fantasy

By Brad Berreman

SANTA CLARA, CA - JUNE 12: San Francisco 49ers Cornerback Richard Sherman (25) fields questions from reports before minicamp on June 12, 2018 at the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Corey Silvia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - JUNE 12: San Francisco 49ers Cornerback Richard Sherman (25) fields questions from reports before minicamp on June 12, 2018 at the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Corey Silvia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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He was once a critic of fantasy football and gambling, but Richard Sherman is now invested in the daily fantasy sports business.

Season-long fantasy sports has evolved into daily and weekly contests in recent years, with FanDuel and DraftKings leading the way and smaller sites sprouting up to get a piece of the market. Just last year Richard Sherman lamented how NFL injury reports were for the benefit of gamblers and fantasy football owners, but now he’s getting involved in the DFS business.

Sherman is the co-founder of a new daily fantasy sports app called Daily Number, which will start by offering paid contests in 23 states. He will be the chief brand ambassador, as expected given his stature and visibility, with an appearance in an upcoming video ad campaign.

A lot of current NFL players have endorsed daily fantasy sites, but Sherman seems to be the first to have a founding stake and investment in a fantasy game or site.

In a press release announcing the app’s launch, Sherman spoke about the opportunity.

"Daily Number is a game-changer,” Sherman said in a release announcing the launch. “I’ve been pitched numerous DFS opportunities, but nothing has even come close to comparing to Daily Number. I’m extremely excited to be a founding partner and look forward to playing an active role in helping the company grow during this very dynamic time in our industry."

Daily Number is offering a twist on traditional daily fantasy. Entrants will create seven-player rosters with the goal of eclipsing a predetermined point total set by the site (the “daily number”). Each roster will also be given a rating, with a lower payout for superstar-laden rosters that surpass the daily number.

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Fantasy sports and gambling are two sides of the same coin, and the stigma attached to the latter is evaporating quickly. Sherman surely won’t be the last player to see the investment opportunity in the fantasy or sports betting businesses, especially as legal gambling spreads across the country, and find a way to get involved.