Interrogate the Industry No. 14: Michael Rathburn

With a few illnesses, technical issues and an all time awful week in the Meyers’ household, I still was able to squeeze a few questions out of Michael Rathburn (@FantasyRath). Michael himself is a busy fellow, and keeps occupied  at the sites www.rotowire.com/daily, and www.dailyfantasysportsnetwork.com. Be sure to follow his work, ESPECIALLY if you partake in DFS.

Life, my home squad Minnesota Vikings, and being sick helped drain every ounce of my being and positivity this week, so I may just try to keep this weeks post short and sweet. Like most Vikings fans I wished the last time we saw Christian Ponder was in 2012.

When things tend to go rotten it usually isn’t one simple thing, it tends to pile up almost as if someone is watching you and laughing hysterically in their yoga pants and devouring a bowl of ice cream. Obviously, this isn’t reality but for someone who loves great television, books and Fantasy Sports you could see why I would imagine that.

Fantasy sports is still and will always be near and dear to my heart, but it make take a backseat more frequently now then ever. Sometimes it takes a punch to the kidneys to realize what is truly important. Enough life lessons from me, let’s get to the interrogation shall we?

1. Everyone got their Fantasy Industry start somewhere. Talk about yours as brief or detailed as you like. If possible include ups and downs, others in the industry who helped?

After playing fantasy sports since 94 and coming in the top 3 most of the time, I started my own site called “Around The Cooler” in 2010, which focused on minor league prospects from a fantasy baseball perspective. No one was doing it at the time and I started to gain a following. Also Twitter started to get popular around that time and I was making a lot of connections there. I eventually ended up with Rotoexperts in September of 2010 which led to me getting a lot of industry exposure. Scott Engel helped me advance my career in fantasy sports by giving me a platform and opening doors. I ended up working for Daily Joust in January 2012 which was one of the 1st daily fantasy sports websites. This was definitely a positive. The down side of working in fantasy sports is the amount of hours required. It was a 6 or 7 day a week job often times 10-12 hours days.

2. Do you partake in Daily Fantasy Sports? If so, can you see them eventually dominating the industry?

Yes, I started playing in 2010 and started working in DFS January 2012. It is here to stay and only going to get bigger.

3. If you were told Daily Fantasy sports is actually gambling, what would your response be? Do you think it is?

It is not gambling and the UIGEA has stated this with the carve out for fantasy sports as a game of skill. DFS has shown to be a game of skill by the people who win being consistent over a long period of time.

4.Are there any sites, or sources of fantasy information you routinely use? Why and what do they help with?

Rotowire, Pregame, Rotogrinders, Football Guys, Pro Football Focus.

They help with: Stats, content, making lineups.

5. I think it is safe to say after Week 3 if you are 0-3 you need to worry about your teams chances. Do you agree, and if not, when do you think it is time to worry and why?

It all depends on if your entire team is just underachieving or you are ravaged by injuries/bad performances.

6. Is trash talking part of you Fantasy style? Do you play with other trash talkers? If you don’t do you find it annoying, or as a fun part of the game?

Not really, I will let people know when I feel strongly about something and whether Im right or wrong I will own up to it. I hate people who only talk about when they were right on a player.

7. Are there any Fantasy Football league formats you heavily favor over others? If so why? Any new formats you think need more attention?

I’m loving the Football Guys Best Ball Salary Cap promo they run for their subscribers. Id play that format in droves if it was offered. I also think there is room for season long salary cap leagues where you draft a new team each week.

8. If you had to write an episode script for any television show which one would it be? Any plot ideas?

I was a big fan of The Shield. Vic Mackey’s character was incredible.

9. If you could hang out, party or whatever for one day with zero repercussions who would it be and why?

Ric Flair and the 4 Horsemen.