At first glance, fantasy football and employee wellness might seem worlds apart. But what if the secret to healthier, more engaged employees isn’t another corporate wellness program but a little friendly trash talk over Sunday stats?

Around 84 million people in the US and Canada participated in fantasy sports or sports betting in the past year, with some estimating that fantasy football accounts for 78% of North American fantasy sports players.

With the growing popularity, more companies are discovering that league play in the workplace can actually tackle stress, boost collaboration and even improve health.

Here’s how creating a fantasy football culture can turn your team into real winners, both on and off the field.

1. Drafting your fantasy team builds camaraderie

When employees join a fantasy league together, it encourages lighthearted competition and bonding across departments. Sharing insights, debating over key players and celebrating wins help colleagues connect in ways meetings can’t replicate.

“To build chemistry, there must be commonality. And nothing brings people together quite like fantasy football. The game can lead to swaths of emails and good-natured trash talking amongst team owners,” said Don Yaeger, host of the Corporate Competitor Podcast. “In an age when water cooler conversation is dwindling — if for no other reason than more people work remotely in 2025 than ever before — fantasy football is a way to keep people united. By playing the game, employees can get to know one another outside of everyday business conversations.”

Social engagement at work has been linked to lower stress levels, higher job satisfaction and improved mental health, all of which are key to a thriving culture.

2. Healthy competition spurs motivation

Friendly competition motivates employees to engage in other healthy behaviors too.

“Don’t underestimate the importance of entertainment and leisure activities for stress relief. The positive social interactions associated with fantasy football prompt the brain to release chemicals such as serotonin, which boosts your mood, and oxytocin, which can relieve stress,” experts at adventhealth.com explained. “In turn, stress relief can lead to many health benefits, including lower blood pressure, musculoskeletal health and relief of chronic pain.”

They added that cognitive health is another benefit of predicting players’ performance with the ol’ pigskin.

“Brain health is a crucial part of your whole health and a way to prevent or delay dementia, Alzheimer’s and other age-related cognitive challenges. Mental flexibility, cognitive flexibility, and logical reasoning are all skills you use less and less as you grow older, all of which are vital to participating in a fantasy football league.”

Some companies have paired fantasy football leagues with step challenges, hydration tracking or wellness challenges, allowing employees to earn league points for healthy habits. The reward is a playful yet measurable boost in overall employee health and engagement.

3. Celebrating wins strengthens culture

Every touchdown or game-winning play is an opportunity for celebration. Similarly, recognizing employees’ efforts — whether for a successful project, hitting wellness milestones or simply showing team spirit — reinforces a culture of positivity.

When recognition is frequent and genuine, employees feel seen and valued, which correlates strongly with reduced burnout and higher productivity.

4. Cross-department collaboration improves engagement

Fantasy leagues often mix employees from different teams, offices or levels of seniority. This cross-department interaction builds trust and fosters relationships that directly translate to better collaboration on real business projects. Engagement goes up, and the office feels less siloed.

“Roughly, we spend one-third of most days working. That’s a lot of time of our lives,” said Jarod Newman (aka Burrrrow, it’s cold out here), tech support manager at Fullcast. “I feel strongly that work should be a place you enjoy spending time. When working fully remote, there’s not a lot of human connection outside of your team or department. Having activities, like a fantasy football league, gives me an opportunity to bond with my colleagues. Bonding over similar interests or hobbies creates friendship. People like coming to work when they feel friendship. It allows them to feel like they can bring their whole self to work.”

Final whistle: Healthy teams win twice

By combining fantasy football with wellness initiatives, companies are discovering a surprisingly powerful way to enhance both employee health and workplace culture. It’s fun, it’s social and it’s tangible: better engagement, lower stress, more movement and stronger teams — all while having a little fun on Sundays.

J’Nel Wright is a content writer at Fullcast, a Silicon Slopes-based, end-to-end RevOps platform that allows companies to design, manage and track the performance of their revenue-generating teams.