INSIDE THE MIND OF MCCONNELL
Sixteen years ago there was a decision to be made with the 6th overall pick in a rookie fantasy football draft. Chris McConnell was called into the living room to help his dad make the decision in his work league. “Laurence Maroney or Maurice Jones-Drew?”. Chris told him to go with MJD, and that’s all she wrote! Chris was hooked like a fish on fantasy sports and for the 2006 season, he assisted his dad with running his fantasy team. In 2007, this 16-team dynasty league had an opening and Chris took over an orphaned team. From there, it’s become more than just a hobby. Fantasy sports has become a healthy obsession and has helped Chris create and sustain some quality friendships both within the industry and outside of it.
In 2008, Chris attended broadcasting school and a career in broadcasting has been his dream ever since. He is always looking for an opportunity to showcase his knowledge and skills both behind the mic and in front of the camera. In 2014, Chris helped to build a fantasy sports Facebook group into the largest of it’s kind on the website, hosting a twice a week live Start/Sit show on Sundays and Thursdays before kickoff, and helping other fantasy managers with their lineups. Becoming the face of the group allowed Chris to network with many others within the fantasy sports industry. Fast forward to 2021, Chris makes frequent guest spots on numerous Sirius XM fantasy shows in both the U.S. and Canada, other podcasts from analysts in the industry, and he even co-authors the No. 1 selling sports book on Amazon, The Fantasy Football Black Book each year with FantasyPros podcast host Joe Pisapia.
In addition to these ventures, Chris also hosts numerous live podcasts both solo and with his partner Mark Wemken. Chris & Mark decided to start the RotoBros Fantasy Podcast in 2018 to give the saturated fantasy podcast industry a shot of new life and be the very first podcast to give listeners & viewers a dose of something no other podcast currently gives: Two extremely different views on the game of fantasy. Whether you use analytics as the fuel that drives your roster management or you simply enjoy playing the odds, looking at trends, and watching the game film, the RotoBros Podcast gives you two different looks inside fantasy football and teaches you valuable strategy to make you a smarter player so you can make better decisions in dynasty, re-draft, Best Ball, and even DFS.
Chris and Mark have also built quite the fantasy community in what they call the “Fantasy Advice Lounge”. This resource is an extremely affordable subscription community of fantasy diehards who are there to help with your every question and every need, no matter the sport or format. They have two different tiers, Silver ($2) and Gold ($5). They offer additional content including a weekly DFS podcast, snaps & targets reports, and enticing extras for the year round dynasty fantasy football players with what they call “Scouting Briefs”. This is where they watch the film on the players and break it down for there listeners and supporters during short podcasts so that that the consumers become more familiar with each player in the NFL Draft.
Chris is a great example of someone who started from the ground level and has built a brand and a large following over the years by forming bonds and friendships inside the industry. He never closes the door to opportunities that help him grow, network, and show what he can do.
Throughout Chris’s fantasy and broadcasting career, many different experiences have shaped his mind as an analyst, but one thing remains the same: He’s hungry, he’s motivated, and he has a passion for both the fantasy industry and the broadcasting industry that is rivaled by few individuals on this planet. The most important thing to him his helping others in the industry, whether it’s with his advice and experience, or with tips into making them a better all-around analyst. You can follow Chris on Twitter for more excellent fantasy content & information at his @WizardOfRoto handle.
