Alumni Fantasy Sports Media Business Helps Fans Create Dream Teams Stories You May Like U.S. Squash CEO Has Worked to Broaden the Sport’s Appeal Meet the Voice of Big Red Men’s Ice Hockey (and Football!) Fascinating Facts About Lynah Rink, Big Red Hockey’s Chilly Abode Alex Roberts ’04 cofounded RotoBaller, which publishes news, podcasts, and videos—and even hosts a show on Sirius XM radio By Melissa Newcomb Playing during a regular season game in mid-March, basketball teammates Nikola Jokić, Kevin Durant, and Ja Morant combined for an impressive 99 points, 27 rebounds, and 25 assists. But as any NBA fan knows, the three don’t actually play for the same franchise. In the realm of fantasy sports, though, the three stars can all be on the same team. Roberts (left) at a promotional event with his cofounder. For the uninitiated: fantasy sports are online games where participants create virtual teams comprising real-life athletes from professional leagues like the NFL, MLB, and NBA. Participants can compete against friends or a wider community, and earn points based on how their chosen athletes perform in their actual games. Among the most popular resources for aficionados of the pastime is RotoBaller, a website and multimedia company that Alex Roberts ’04 cofounded to help fantasy sports lovers optimize their teams’ performance. “Our readers use our content, advice, and tools to inform their decisions,” says Roberts, who majored in human development in Human Ecology. “We help them answer who should be the highest ranked, what kind of trades they should make, and what kind of players they should pick up week to week.” Offering both free and subscription-based content, Roberts’s site publishes news and advice on pro and collegiate leagues in a wide range of sports including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, auto racing, mixed martial arts, and even esports (video gaming). Roberts’s site aggregates news and advice on pro and collegiate leagues in a wide range of sports including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, and auto racing. According to the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association, in 2024 more than 84 million people in the U.S. played fantasy sports. And while fantasy leagues existed in the analog era—with stats kept on paper—their popularity has skyrocketed in the online age. Stories You May Like U.S. Squash CEO Has Worked to Broaden the Sport’s Appeal Meet the Voice of Big Red Men’s Ice Hockey (and Football!) RotoBaller started in 2011 as a blog; people could submit their fantasy sports questions and, for a $5 fee, receive a personalized response. A look at the platform. While Roberts admits that business model was hardly sustainable—he’d often spend 30 minutes on a single answer—it grew loyal followers, and showed that there was a market for that genre of information. By 2024, Roberts says, RotoBaller had grown to 50 million page views annually. He now leads a team of more than 150 contributors who create content for the platform, which includes articles, videos, and podcasts. According to an industry association, in 2024 more than 84 million people in the U.S. played fantasy sports. RotoBaller also hosts analysis shows on Sirius XM’s fantasy sports channel, with around 14 hours of weekly coverage. “Fantasy sports lets you root for lots of players across a league, instead of just one team,” Roberts says. “It brings you together with friends or with a new group of people. If you aren’t able to play sports, it lets you compete. And it takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions.” (All photos provided.) Published March 17, 2025 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Cornelliana From Corks to Corey to the Cosmos: The Hill’s Most ‘Legendary’ Courses Campus & Beyond Stemming the Tide of Textile Waste Cornelliana Prankster’s Legendary Exploits Enthralled Cornellians for Decades