FLW Fantasy Fishing drew loads of attention with its industry-record prizes, and the competition delivered late last month on its promise to award the first million-dollar payout in fantasy sports.

In addition to simply being interesting, a chat with Michael Thompson about winning the $1 million can also prove beneficiary for other fantasy-game providers. Unsurprisingly, the eye-catching advertised prizes reeled him in (pun intended) at the beginning, but although FLW has touted its contest as being approachable for anyone, it was no novice who won this fantasy million.

Thompson says he is an avid follower of professional bass fishing, and the contest website reports that he subscribed to FLW’s pay service “Player’s Advantage” for help in the competition. These points help to reinforce two overriding principles within the fantasy sports industry:

1. Although there is certainly a measure of luck involved, fantasy competitions rely heavily on knowledge and skill.
2. Fantasy players will spend money to pursue success in their games.

Without further delay, here are the champ’s answers to my questions.

How did you find out about the FLW fantasy game?

I found out about Fantasy Fishing through watching FSN (Fox Sports Net) and seeing commercials. I love to fish and enjoy participating in other fantasy sports, so I signed up.

What was your mindset going in? Did you really think you’d be able to come away with some money, or did you just figure it would be fun?

Here is a chance to win some great prizes doing something I really enjoy; the weekly prizes alone were enough to get anyone interested, the million dollars grand prize was only something I could dream about winning.

What, if anything, has changed since you won the money?

My wife and I actually just purchased a new home. We actually saw it about 6 months ago but never thought we could actually purchase it anytime soon. That has all changed. We move in October 22!

How closely do you follow the professional fishing tours?

Very closely. I try to watch all of the tour events (for bass).

What’s your own background as a fisherman?

I took up bass fishing about 5 years ago and jumped right into fishing local competitions. I enjoy introducing kids to fishing also.

What’s your preferred method/style/category of fishing?

Power fishing and docks. I really like shallow fishing and sight fishing. Some of my favorite lures are crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs. (Side note: “jigs” is the name of one of our cats).

Do you play other fantasy sports as well?

Yes, I am currently in Fantasy Football and NASCAR leagues.

Do you still want to join the police force, or have your career plans been altered?

Yes, I am still pursing a career as a police officer. I have completed my first two weeks of skills with 7 weeks remaining. The money has not changed my career goals. It has allowed us to do things sooner than later.

Tags: fantasy fishing, fantasy football, fantasy racing, fantasy sports, fantasy sports business, fantasy sports industry, flw, michael thompson, nascar, player's advantage, pro bass fishing

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 at 8:44 am and is filed under Lead Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.