While so many people watch sports, many focus on just one team or a few players. Playing fantasy sports is a great way for these types of fans to expand their knowledge in a fun, competitive way. Sleeper saw that there was a lack of effectiveness within the design of the apps used to play in these fantasy leagues. Most of them were made by huge companies that started out with websites. Unlike these, Sleeper was made specifically for the phone. Not only does this make the layout fit perfectly, but it also gives its users full control from their devices.
The Sleeper website states that it, “…is the first platform where design is at the forefront of every decision that is made to the product.” While the app is still nearly brand new, with only getting into Fantasy sports in 2017, it has been around as a messaging and gaming app, mainly for eSports. Nan Wang, the CEO of Sleeper, said, “It’s one of the only apps in the world that has both the messaging layer and an activity layer, which are the games that people play on it.” This allows for a player to chat with his opponent and make sure the right players are in their lineup all from the same app.
While apps like ESPN Fantasy and Yahoo Fantasy Sports have a long history, they lack the innovation that comes with using Sleeper. They have been listening to their users and making sure to not make the same mistakes that people have experienced with the other apps. The biggest plus for the Sleeper app is that it makes things easier for the user. They do this by having a full messaging application within and allowing any type of customization to the league directly from the phone. An article written by Fantasy Football Draft Board gave pros and cons for both the Yahoo and ESPN fantasy apps. They were things like, “No alerts for player injuries,” and, “No paid DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) options available.” Both of these and all of the other “cons” are things offered to users by Sleeper.
Conclusion
Our world today is basically controlled by our phones and Nan Wang and the team at Sleeper realized this. They were able to find a way to solve the problems that fantasy sports players had been experiencing for years. Sleeper’s goal is to make the watching and playing experience more immersive for its users, and they have spent the last 4 years figuring out how to reach that goal. So far it has paid off for them, and according to prnewswire.com, they exceeded over 3 million users in 2021, and more importantly they, “boast a top-50 retention ranking in the app store.” While they are still a while away from reaching the 40 million users that ESPN fantasy has, they are most definitely on the right track.
References
Why you should switch to Sleeper. (2022). Sleeper Support Center. https://support.sleeper.app/en/articles/1876048-why-you-should-switch-to-sleeper#:%7E:text=Sleeper%20leagues%20are%20more%20active,the%20mobile%20and%20web%20apps.
Takahashi, D. (2020, May 12). Sleeper raises $20 million to expand into fantasy esports. VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/2020/05/12/sleeper-raises-20-million-to-expand-into-fantasy-esports/
ESPN vs Yahoo | Which is the Best Fantasy Football Site? (2021). 360 Fantasy Football Draft Boards. https://fantasyfootballdraftboard.net/pages/chapter-2-how-to-pick-between-espn-and-yaho
S. (2021, September 17). Fantasy Sports App Sleeper Raises $40 Million, Doubles User Base In 2021. PRNewswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fantasy-sports-app-sleeper-raises-40-million-doubles-user-base-in-2021-301379179.html#:%7E:text=Sleeper%20has%20taken%20the%20fantasy,ranking%20in%20the%20app%20store.