© 2025 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WKAR Sports content is reported by Sports Journalism students in the School of Journalism at Michigan State University.

LISTEN: Fantasy football leagues always have a winner…and a loser. Then comes the punishment.

Owen Oszust

The price for losing a fantasy league can be basic, or downright embarrassing. These are the tales of those who lost, and lived through the ending.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – With the Fantasy Football season now over, the months that follow are when the last-place finishers have to pay up. Punishments can range from wearing an embarrassing costume in a library to spending 24 hours in an IHOP while consuming pancakes to shorten the time. Whatever the task might be, there are very creative ideas for making sure one doesn’t try to finish last.

Some feel that punishments are necessary to perform, while others strongly disagree. Though there are plenty of tasks that require people to put their reputations on the line. Do some go too far, or are some not far enough?

Fantasy football was designed to be a fun way for people to enjoy watching NFL football. According to ESPN Fantasy Football, a new all-time record of 11 million fans played this past season. As the number of participants grows, so does the creativity of the punishment that the loser must perform.

WKAR Current Sports checked out the world of Fantasy Football and the aftermath of losing a league.

Every WKAR News story you read is rooted in fact-based, local journalism, produced without commercial influence and available for free to everyone in mid-Michigan. No paywalls. Ever.

But this work doesn’t fund itself. With significant cuts to federal funding, public media is facing a critical moment. If you believe in journalism that serves the public interest, now is the time to act. Donate today.