Air Force: Fantasy Football Could Help Boost Spirits in Uncertain Times

Air Force representatives on Friday stressed that a proposed fantasy football program would not be funded through taxpayer money and is under consideration to help boost morale in the service.

Money for the program would come from “revenue-generating morale facilities,” not congressional appropriations, Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Laurel Tingley told Government Executive by email Friday. She said a recent call for information from contractors “would generate options” to complement the service’s popular “Football Frenzy” program, which has been entertaining service members and civilians for 17 years.  

On Tuesday, an Air Force office published solicitation documents for a fantasy football program for “Air Force airmen, civilians and family members.” The request for information drew some blowback from media outlets, and was updated Thursday afternoon to clarify the proposed project’s funding source.

Tingley said that the impacts of sequestration -- across-the-board budget cuts that began taking effect this month -- were straining morale in the Air Force. It is important that the service find ways to “offer quality of life programs, paid for with Airman dollars, not taxpayer dollars,” she said.  

“Needlessly eliminating airmen-funded quality of life programs would compound the morale challenges brought on by sequestration,” she said. “That would not make sense.”