Fantasy football league in Bellingham punishes its loser

Kaleb Keeton of Bellingham learned the hard way it’s no fun coming in last place in his fantasy football league.

As required by league rules, Keeton — wearing a pink tutu and a tiara atop his Seattle Seahawks hat — stood on Sunset Drive for 30 minutes Saturday, Jan. 9 holding a sign that declared him the biggest loser in his league.

Fantasy football is a role-playing game in which the participants pretend to be owners or general managers of a fictional team that plays head-to-head with other owners in a league. Typically, points are earned based on the play of actual NFL players, who are picked by owners during a mock draft before the NFL season begins.

The popularity of the game exploded in the late 1990s when websites like CBS Sports and Yahoo! began offering free fantasy football websites. According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, approximately 41 million people play fantasy sports every year.

And you don’t want to finish last.

This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 8:05 AM with the headline "Fantasy football league in Bellingham punishes its loser."