Inside Fantasy Football (Hardcover book) PRICED AT 25% OFF RETAIL

The explosive growth of fantasy football — started as a lark six decades ago by frustrated supporters of the Oakland Raiders, and now a recreational obsession for more than 50 million Americans — is examined in Peter Funt's entertaining book, "Inside Fantasy Football: America's Favorite Non-Contact Sport."

Described as "the perfect glue, holding fans' interest during even the most lopsided games," fantasy football is a multibillion-dollar business for companies such as ESPN, Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel, as well as for the NFL itself. According to Funt's reporting, women are largely responsible for the growth spurt and now represent roughly 25 percent of all players.

"Inside Fantasy Football" examines new formats, including the immensely popular "best ball," which offers year-round participation, and "daily fantasy sports," labeled by some as a slippery slope to sports gambling. A chapter on computerization and AI explores how technology is changing the game.

"I can't provide tips for how to win," explains Peter. "There are hundreds of so-called experts doing that. I wanted to take a deep dive into an activity that so many of us love and would like to learn more about — including meeting the biggest money-winners, the most acclaimed analysts and the celebrities who are consumed with fantasy football."

"Inside Fantasy Football" includes exclusive interviews with top experts such as Matthew Berry and Jake Ciely, million-dollar winners including Pat Kerrane and Michael "Two Gun" Cohen, trailblazing women like Stephania Bell and Stacie Stern, plus pioneers Emil Kadlec, Paul Charchian, Rick Wolf and dozens more. Wolf says Peter's account is "rivetingly accurate and reads like someone is telling you a story instead of reading a history book."