More women jumping off the sidelines into fantasy football

Female fans of the NFL now represent the fastest-growing demographic in sports. CBSN's Elaine Quijano reports that women are also increasingly jumping off the sidelines into the game of fantasy football.

Erica Rosenberger is one of them. She spends her Sundays cheering players and crunching numbers from various teams and a variety of screens. With a group of women, she gathered with her friend, Kim Shyer.

"We start talking about it in July. You know the summer is coming to an end, but you have fantasy football to look forward to," Rosenberger said.

The women selected their teams on draft night last week to kick off the new season. They have been playing fantasy football for 12 years.

Rosenberger and Shyer said they were initially drawn to the game by boyfriends who were obsessed with football and played fantasy themselves.

"So for us, Sunday and Mondays became a chore because they wanted to watch every single game on television," Shyer said. "So we felt, you can't beat them, join them."

These women are not alone. According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, women constitute a third of fantasy football managers, a significant increase over last year, when women accounted for just 20 percent. And now, many women like Rosenberger and Shyer are starting leagues of their own.

They do invite one man to the draft -- not to play but to offer commentary and analysis.

But the women know a tremendous amount themselves, and Shyer said they cannot be taken for granted.

"So for us you have to do your homework...people have binders here. We are no joke," she said.

While these women have added a sophisticated twist to their draft with wine and cheese, they still have plenty of whiskey, pizza and competitive bravado.

"I think at the end of the day we are doing the exact same thing that guys are doing. We just happen to be women and we want to be doing it with other women...it's absolutely more fun," Rosenberger said.

The two friends also joked that they went off to create their own league once they started beating their husbands.

"They won't be happy with us saying that," Shyer said laughing.

But they said their husbands are "psyched" about their wives' participation in the game.

"So he's found someone he can talk to and we strategize together on all teams," Rosenberger said. "It's fun, it becomes a family event."

And if you haven't yet, it's not too late to start a league of your own. There are a number of fantasy football sites, including at CBSSports.com.