RotoWire

Last updated
RotoWire.com
RotoWire logo.png
Type of site
Fantasy Sports
Owner Roto Sports, Inc. (Gambling.com Group)
Created byPeter Schoenke, Herb Ilk, Jeff Erickson
URL www.rotowire.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationMostly pay site
Launched1997
Current statusActive

RotoWire.com is a company based in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. that specializes in fantasy sports news and fantasy-style games. RotoWire provides fantasy news and information to ESPN.com, Yahoo! Sports, FoxSports.com, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, FanDuel, DraftKings and Sirius XM Radio. RotoWire is the successor to RotoNews.com, which pioneered the concept of real-time fantasy sports information when launched in 1997.

Contents

Products

Staff

Frequent contributors

Former contributors

Company history

RotoNews.com launched in January 1997 and published its first player note on Feb. 16 1997. RotoNews revolutionized how fantasy sports information was presented on the web with the innovation of the "player note" which were snippets of information every time a player was hurt, traded, benched or had a news event that impacted his fantasy value - all search-able in a real-time database. [5] Most sites today follow how RotoNews had a "news" and "analysis" element to each player update.

"Back in 1997, Peter and his crew launched RotoNews.com (now known as Rotowire.com), giving us fantasy owners a wondrous gift: the player news application. You know, here's an update on a guy, and here's the fantasy spin on that news. This changed everything. The days of feeling like a moron because you started a quarterback who, unbeknownst to you, had frayed his septum? Over. And you have Peter to thank." [6]

Within two years RotoNews had become one of the top ten most trafficked sports sites on the web, according to Media Metrix, ranking higher than such sites as NBA.com. RotoNews.com also launched the Web's first free commissioner service in 1998, quickly becoming the largest league management service.

"The Internet has been a god-send for fantasy-leaguers. Updated information is just a mouse-click away, while instantaneous box scores make the morning paper seem like the Stone Age.

How did we ever play fantasy baseball before the Internet? The same question can be asked of an online service that is changing the face of the industry. In just two short years, RotoNews.com has become the industry leader for news and stats. [7]

RotoNews.com was sold to Broadband Sports in 1999, which failed in 2001. The company re-emerged as RotoWire.com. RotoWire.com moved from a free model to a pay model in 2001. [8]

In January 2022, Gambling.com Group acquired RotoWire. [9]

Related Research Articles

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Matthew J. Berry is an American writer, columnist, fantasy sports analyst, and television personality. Berry started his career by writing for television and film and creating a few pilots and film scripts with his writing partner Eric Abrams. After writing for Rotoworld as a side-job, Berry launched his own fantasy sports websites "TalentedMr.Roto.com" in 2004 and "Rotopass.com". Berry worked for ESPN from 2007 to 2022 as their "Senior Fantasy Sports Analyst".

Fantasy Focus is a one-hour show from RotoWire.com focused on fantasy baseball on Blogtalkradio. It runs Monday through Friday at 1 PM ET. It can be heard live on Blogtalkradio/RotoWire with podcasts available later at RotoWire.com/podcast. Fantasy Focus is hosted by Jeff Erickson. From 2005 to 2008 the show ran on XM Radio's Home Plate 175 channel. John Sickels, RotoWire's minor league expert, had hosted "Fantasy Focus" on XM 175 on Fridays, when it is often called "Down on the Farm," and now makes frequent appearances on the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John T. Georgopoulos</span>

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References

  1. "MLB Network Radio™". SiriusXM. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  2. "Derek VanRiper". RotoWire. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  3. "Jonathan Bales". RotoWire. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  4. Baker, Geoff (November 15, 2008). "Mariners plan department devoted to statistical analysis". Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  5. Nolan, Sean (1999-08-16). "Access Magazine". Long Beach Press-Telegram. p. 15. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  6. Berry, Matthew (2008-03-24). "HITTING THE JACKPOT". ESPN the Magazine. ESPN. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  7. Ambrosius, Greg (August 1999). "Fantasy Sports Magazine". Krause Publications.
  8. Salkowski, Joe. "Cybersense---Subscription Model Creeps Into More Cash-Needy Sites". Los Angeles Business Journal . Tribune Media Services; Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 25 June 2021. To contact syndicated columnist Joe Salkowski, you can e-mail him at joes@azstarnet.com or write to him c/o Tribune Media Services, Inc., 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611.
  9. "Gambling.com Group Completes Acquisition of RotoWire". Benzinga. 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-01-03.