Fantasy football began in the early 1960s, with its commonly cited origin around 1962–1963. It was created by Bill Winkenbach, a part-owner of the Oakland Raiders, along with a small group of friends, during a Raiders road trip in New York. They drafted NFL players and scored points based on real- game performance, forming what became the GOPPPL (Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticator League) in 1963. The concept gradually expanded from a local pastime to a nationwide phenomenon over the following decades, with online leagues and broader participation increasing in the 1980s and beyond.