It makes sense he's good at drafting.
Matthew Berry has developed a propensity for recognizing talent and incorporating them on his team.
With another National Football League season on the horizon, the most recognizable name in fantasy football prognostication continues his preparations to assist players in choosing the perfect lineup.
But Berry’s abilities go far beyond drafting wide receivers and running backs.But before he made a career out of being a fantasy guy, he had to create the industry.
Turning Fantasy into reality
In the late ‘90s, Berry began blazing his trail and proved instrumental in pioneering an industry that simply exploded.
During his tenure, he planted the Berry Fantasy Tree that has yielded some of the most talented minds in fantasy sports.
The expression “we rise by lifting others” comes into play when examining Berry’s approach over the years.
But first, he had to transform into a character that the world had never seen before — a fantasy sports expert. He lobbied to mainstream media about the genre, and while doing so, eventually became the standard by which all fantasy football analysts are judged.
Throughout the process, Berry was just being himself.
Call him Talented Mr. Roto
“I never started with the idea that I was going to do this,” said Berry, who initially identified himself as the Talented Mr. Roto after creating a website under that moniker in 2005. “I was a passionate, fantasy football player and a pro writer in Hollywood. Rotoworld was hiring for writers (in 1999). I had a couple other sites that were looking for writers. I became really obsessed with playing fantasy and enjoyed writing. Ultimately, I had a few failed attempts, but when Rotoworld advertised that position, I was really going to go for it. I made an effort to become a fantasy sports writer as a side gig to do something fun and goofy. Not for mycareer — that was writing for TV and movies.”
Berry had a gift and at the time worked in Hollywood on TV sitcom and movie scripts. In an industry that is incredibly difficult to crack, he was a fast riser thanks to his unique style and eye for humor.
When Berry began fantasy sports writing, there was an underground cult of diehard fantasy players who were trying to get the edge on their nerdy friends who played the same stupid game.
Now, that stupid game has grown into a phenomenon that engages thousands of fans. And everyone involved wants to get an edge.
“He’s responsible in a weird way for the entire generation of fantasy media,” said longtime friend and fantasy analyst John Cregan. “There are other very influential people, but Matt was, and is, the guy who made it cool enough to be in fantasy — where you could be on TV and talk about it on an NFL roundtable show.
“He went through culture shock where the old guard would look down on him as the fantasy guy. He pioneered that idea of a fantasy guy having a seat at that (football) table. Now everyone does it. Now, you wouldn’t think it’s a big deal, but he was the guy who did it first. If he had not been good, when would they have given the next person an opportunity?”
Berry kicked in the door and then ran through it.
With his Talented Mr. Roto website, he bet on himself and enticed a bevy of great writers to join his site. They weren’t getting rich off it, but they were getting their start in the wacky world of fantasy.
Berry soon morphed into “The Guy.”
"He invented fantasy writing in a lot of ways," said Pierre Becquey, deputy editor for ESPN Fantasy Sports. "Some people were doing it. I remember when we just started emailing back and forth — I wasn’t sure I could do it. I went to him for advice. When I first started it was called Rotisserie. I thought 'this guy writes fantasy fiction too? Oh, he means fantasy sports.'
"I never thought I’d pay a mortgage through fantasy. Everything I have, right down to marrying an American, my life is 100 percent different if I don’t meet Matthew Berry."
And if you think the Berry only assists fantasy players on who to start and who to sit — you don’t know the half of it.
Drafting the right people
While continuing to build his own career by joining ESPN as Director of Fantasy Sports in 2007, he searched for others to join the ride. Whenever he spotted someone with talent — no matter what that talent was — he’d mentor them and go to bat for them.
“The producer of Fantasy Focus (podcast) always had an on-air role built by Matthew,” said Daniel Dopp, who worked with Berry on the popular ESPN podcast and also on Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Show. “He looks at all shows as though everyone is a cast member. Everyone is a part of the show. You’re behind the glass, but he made sure people hear your name and one of the stories.
“I started doing the show on a bigger basis, he’d chime in or throw to me, but I didn’t force my way in. It was organic. He, or one of the other hosts, would throw to me or I’d have a quick one liner. I’d do it and drop back out. It developed into an on-air producer role. Eventually, they knew me as the fourth cast member, one of the talents on the shows.”
Berry accomplished a lot, and is always looking for more.
He penned a New York Times Bestseller “Fantasy Life” in 2013. He starred in “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019.And currently he's featured on NBC's Sunday Night Football — which routinely garners the highest ratings of any pregame show over the 18 weeks of the NFL regular season. He also hosts the Fantasy Football Happy Hour podcast for the network. And he hosts his own app, Fantasy Life, which helps owners do everything from pick up free agents to trade ideas with other fantasy players.
Once you’ve traveled the path Berry has taken, you learn a few lessons.
Probably the most valuable one is to have an open mind. Good ideas can come from anywhere. It wasn’t that long ago that a man had an idea to turn himself into a fantasy expert and parlay that into his dream job.
Berry soon recognized that others can make contributions too.
“Because I’m a unique talent, I try to see that in other people,” Berry said. “I don’t think everyone is the end all, be all, full of answers. You try to see the beauty in people, what they bring to the table and emphasize that. I never believed fantasy content should be one size fits all, not a cookie cutter.
“I guess it’s one of those things, like ‘Can you define art?’ No, but I know it when I see it. I know talent when I see it. And I’ve worked with a lot of talented people.”
Berry might not have a sharp eye when it comes to art, but when it comes to knowing what will work in fantasy, he has an impressive batting average.
“Matthew brought me to ESPN from Rotowire. It was a part-time gig along with my clinical and teaching work,” said Stephania Bell, a physical therapist who analyzes injuries while adding insights about the game. “He had been recently hired and was tasked with expanding the (fantasy football) department. He thought my content was unique in the space and, at the time, I was one of very few women involved in fantasy football.
“To Matthew’s credit, he liked the idea of bringing less traditional voices into fantasy football and invited me to ESPN for an audition. I came across the country to visit, audition on-screen and meet with a number of people. And much to my surprise, I had an offer when I left.”
Berry relishes helping others because before he’s an analyst or writer or fantasy football professional, he’s just a good person. By the same token, he isn’t out there giving free rides.
If Berry recommends you, it’s because you’re good. And, most importantly, it’s going to open a lot of doors.
“He’s not going to take people simply because of loyalty,” said A.J. Mass, ESPN Fantasy and Sports Betting writer and editor who also performed as the New York Mets mascot, Mr. Met. “It’s not that. He recognizes talent. Certainly, he has professional standards, but if you meet them, you’re in. And if you’re in — you’re in.
“I was working in Galloway, (New Jersey), at the casinos and I didn’t know what my future career path was. I certainly didn’t think helping him out (on his Talented Mr. Roto website) would turn into a career. But I covered all fantasy sports for him. When he sold the company and went to ESPN, he’s incredibly loyal, he took as many people as he could. Matthew is an acquired taste and can be intense, but there is no more loyal person than Matthew Berry.”
Berry himself relied on loyalty from many of his contributors in the early days while his website was gaining traction.
He poured countless hours into making his site the authority on fantasy sports. And he was always generous with his time.
Berry would call into sports talk shows across the country to promote the game. Fantasy sports were a real niche during its infancy, and selling the game was difficult.
Fortunately, fantasy had a relentless salesman, and one that was willing to do whatever it took to gain the platform it deserved.
“I did fight really hard for fantasy, fought really hard against people who pushed back,” Berry said. “And when I couldn’t go through it, I went around them. Got stuff done. It took a lot of time and energy, and I made some enemies and hurt my career in some aspects. There are some ESPN shows that wouldn’t put me on because the producer didn’t want to do fantasy. If I couldn’t get around it, I went around them or over their head.”
This was back when ESPN had minimal fantasy content.
Now, it has its own fantasy department, complete with a podcast, a weekly three-hour show on Sundays and a fantasy football marathon — 24-hours of content that airs shortly before the NFL season kicks off.
Fantasy football becomes cool
ESPN isn’t alone.
Virtually every other site has done the same.
You can’t enter a sports website without seeing a chance to click here to get your fantasy team started.
Since 2022, Berry now leads the charge at NBC Sports. Fox, CBS, USA Today, NFL and pretty much every other major outlet has fantasy football content on its site.
“Matthew was obviously the founder of TMR, so he was instrumental in everything produced over there — and the site was an incredible incubator for people who've since had long careers in fantasy,” said Andy Behrens, a fantasy analyst for Yahoo Sports. “Some of us are still producing content and others have become essential industry contributors as editors or game developers. Matthew is also extremely supportive of new folks in the business, always willing to give advice. He's been a mentor to plenty of people in the industry.
“He's extremely generous with his time and it's obvious he enjoys giving opportunities to people who've earned them.”
Berry does have one advantage over the people he helps.
He can give them opportunities, offer them advice, or even pave the way for them to become a star. But they’ll never be him, and for many, that’s why they get their guidance from Berry.
It’s hard to watch, read or listen to him and not enjoy yourself — as long as he’s not burying your first-round pick, of course.
“You can go anywhere and get advice on your fantasy football team,”Becquey said.“Matthew is special. That’s the kind of guy he is. He’s not my competition — he’s my friend. I was constantly thinking the day he walked away, I’m not looking for the next Matthew Berry, he doesn’t exist. He's one of a kind. If there were more, he wouldn’t be unique.”
Berry has been swimming with the sharks in a cut-throat business, but hasn't changed. He's stayed true to himself.
"Everyone wants his job," Mass said. "It’s the internet. When we started it was the only website doing this sort of thing at the time, there wasn't a lot of competition. Once you get the success, now you have competition. And you have the 6,000 new sites starting every day because people think ‘it’s easy and I’ll just do it.’ And Matthew is proof you can have a successful podcast and be a good guy."
A true fantasy keeper
That might be the most remarkable characteristic about Berry.
He’s in one of the most competitive fields — in a game that’s driven by competition. And while he wants to be the best, he does it by being himself.
When you act like he does, you’re going to find a lot more friends than foes. Fantasy advice is everywhere, but there's only one Matthew Berry.
"I love Matthew," Dopp said. "We had lunch (recently). I don’t see him five days a week, but it felt like I saw him the day before and we went through a show. You just flip back in that role with Matthew. We might be doing the same thing, but I don't look at him as competition. I look at him as a friend.
“Matthew is a good person with a big heart. He wants to help people. He’s helped so many people, myself included. I know he’s helped me a lot and I’ll always appreciate everything he’s done. "
