Fantasy Sports Math League
Fantasy Sports Math League (FSML) is a math supplement digital game that uses fantasy sports as the real-world application of math to drive interest and skill. FSML is narrowing the math achievement gap through playful learning. With embedded assessment, differentiated learning, scaffolded feedback, and standards alignment, FSML allows teachers to easily boost their existing curriculum to increase student engagement in math.
This interactive web-based game supports math learning through playing fantasy sports in a wide range of learning environments – classrooms, distance learning, after-school programs, homeschool networks, youth organizations, and more. FSML uses real-life professional players and current game statistics for dynamic and exciting math play!
Built on Research and Learning Science
Developed using the latest research on game-based learning, FSML is strategically designed to empower student engagement and deepen conceptual understanding. Through personalization, competition, and collaboration, FSML allows students to see math as relevant to their lives. FSML encourages students to practice math skills within a real-world context that improves math skills, increases engagement, promotes positive peer relationships, and helps students see themselves as good at math. Students with a solid foundation and interest in math are more likely to have greater success learning advanced math and pursuing STEM careers.
Evidence Based
In a 2023 pilot study, approximately 100 6th and 7th-grade students played FSML for five weeks. For both boys and girls, playing the game significantly improved knowledge of equations, decreased math anxiety, and increased math confidence. After four weeks of playing the game in school, students improved their knowledge of equations and felt more confident and less anxious about math. Students who played for 6 weeks showed even stronger math equation skills and graphing skills.
Our evaluation partner, McREL International, is currently (2024-2025) conducting a randomized controlled trial to measure impact on students’ math knowledge, confidence and anxiety.
FSML works best for those who need it the most. Students who didn’t feel confident doing math and felt high anxiety around math homework and math tests had the biggest increases in confidence and the biggest decreases in anxiety about math after playing FSML. Latinx students showed particular improvement decreasing their anxiety about doing math with fractions and increasing their confidence finding solutions to math problems.
Flexible Lesson Design
FSML is a flexible program that can be integrated into any math curriculum. FSML includes lesson plans to guide students through practicing algebraic equations, data analysis, and communicating about math. Teachers can select from a library of extension activities to take the learning further, deepening math comprehension and expanding math relevance into other subjects including science, technology, engineering, and art.
What Makes FSML Effective?
Standards Alignment. FSML is aligned with National Counsil of Teachers of Mathematics standards. Each game-play activity supports NCTM standards. Each lesson plan explains how it connects and aligns to standards.
Embedded Assessment. Each time a student enters a solution to a math problem, the system provides automatic feedback indicating if the solution was correct or incorrect. Students must answer correctly to advance in the game. Tips and support are provided for students who enter incorrect responses.
Real-World Data. FSML uses actual NFL players, stats and game data! Each week, the box score data from the games that were just played are automatically imported into the system. These data are then used by the students to calculate their fantasy team points using the FSML scoring equations.
Math Equity
Students need a variety of opportunities and supports to thrive in the math learning environment. FSML’s fun approach to math practice actively promotes equity through game mechanics and the ability to customize features without the pressure of traditional classroom math drills or tests. We believe all students can feel valued and supported in their math learning!
- Relatable: Using sports allows students to apply math to real-world scenarios. Because students select their favorite players, they can build a team that is representative of diverse cultures and experiences.
- Challenging: Built in learning supports and teacher ability to change the difficulty of the math equations and graph style supports students of all levels to engage with the content and progress at a comfortable pace.
- Feedback: Students receive immediate feedback to understand their mistakes and improve over time as they score their team each week. Teachers can see where the students have made errors or need additional target practice to understand concepts.
- Community: The league competition and leaderboards for both math and football progress help foster collaborative learning and peer support and build an engaging dynamic in the classroom to support all learners.
- Resources: Embedded tip sheets, guidance and videos provide extra support and encouragement to students who are struggling with concepts.
See How It Works
Quotes from the Huddle
Privacy and Data Security
We believe the privacy of all personal data is essential. FSML is designed as a secure website and DOES NOT sell personal data. The game collects only minimal personal data to enable users to create a profile and progress through the game to meet educational goals in a fun and engaging way. Students enter their name, grade, and school email address to play FSML. Parents can ask for their students’ data to be deleted at any time.
FSML DOES NOT use ads in the game and there are NO in-game purchases, or any money involved in any way.
Our full privacy policy and Children’s Online Privacy Protection Statements can be found here.
FAQs
What technology is required?
FSML requires the use of a laptop or desktop and access to the internet. Schools with restricted access to websites must whitelist fantasysportsmathleague.com before students are able to use the site.
Who can teach Fantasy Sports Math League?
FSML can be used in multiple math learning environments and can be adapted to fit the needs of a classroom teacher, an afterschool program, a tutor, a club, a group of interested independent learners, or other folks excited about practicing math in a real-world setting. Our learning experts can help discuss ways to adapt the program to fit your needs.
Do I need football or sports knowledge to teach this?
No, you do not need to have football or sports knowledge to use FSML in your classrooms. FSML has been pilot tested with teachers and students who have a range of interests and knowledge in sports. Those with little interest or prior knowledge about sports still enjoyed the game and improved their math skills and confidence.
When can I use FSML with my students?
Football uses real-time data from the NFL and so the program can only be used during the regular football season (September through end of December).
What standards does the program align with?
FSML is aligned with National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. See how FSML aligns here.
How does FSML reduce the risk of problem sports betting?
Even though it is illegal, many young people are exposed to online sports betting. It is well documented that adolescent risk-taking is a normal part of healthy development. An understanding of the math concepts of chance and probability protects young people from the risk of problem gambling. Through improved math skills and an understanding of how math is relevant to real world applications, teachers have an opportunity to build protective factors and encourage healthy behavior.
Is FSML compliant with FERPA/COPPA?
Yes – please see our privacy statement for full details.
Does FSML integrate into my LMS?
FSML does not integrate with any LMS program but does include a teacher dashboard.
Funder
dfusion developed Fantasy Sports Math League through Phase II funding from the Department of Education IES-SBIR (RFP #91990024R0013). The R&D described here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program contract 91990024C0024 to dfusion. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.