I’ve spent years analyzing how fans engage with sports. What the data makes clear is that the Super Bowl may be the biggest stage in sports, but its audience is far from uniform. The question for advertisers is simple: How do you make sure that the investment is worth it?

CBS reported that advertisers were paying “close to $8 million on average” for this year’s game, nearly a million dollars more than the $7 million benchmark in 2024. The Super Bowl is as much about commercials as it is about football, and for good reason. No other broadcast commands such cultural attention. But if brands want their ads to echo beyond Sunday night, they need to focus on the audience that lives the game differently: fantasy sports fans.

From my vantage point, fantasy fans are not just a segment of football culture. They’re a signal of where consumer behavior is headed.

© Sports Business Journal