We’ve already made our feelings known about the decision by a Texas branch of Fidelity Investments dumping four employees after incorrectly interpreting fantasy football as gambling, and World Fantasy Games CEO Jeffrey Thomas pointed out that the firm should prepare for litigation. Other industry veterans are also criticizing Fidelity’s decision.

Fantasy Sports Trade Association president Paul Charchian called it “troubling” that Fidelity mislabeled fantasy as gambling.

“Congress recognized the distinction between fantasy sports and criminal sports gambling, and wrote exclusionary language around fantasy sports play,” Charchian said, referring to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. No fantasy sports company has been the subject prosecution for gambling. No person has been the subject of prosecution for gambling related to fantasy sports participation.”

So, maybe Fidelity will choose to take the stance that although fantasy sports don’t legally qualify as gambling, they could be perceived as such by potential customers and that such a perception could hurt the company. Well, CDM Sports founder Charlie Wiegert sees potential for this action to produce the opposite result.

“With over 25 million people playing fantasy sports games in our country, and probably many of them Fidelity customers or potential customers, this is a tough stance for them to take,” Wigert wrote Monday in his Godfather of Fantasy Sports blog. “They run the risk of many of their customers closing their accounts and moving them to other companies, as many fantasy football players would not like to do business with a company that feels they are gamblers or misinterprets the laws of our government.

“Interesting because some might believe it’s more like gambling when their customers are investing funds with them! I for one will be canceling any account I have with fidelity on Monday!”

Whatever the outcome, Fidelity’s firings have no doubt made a much bigger issue out of employees’ fantasy participation than there ever would have been otherwise.

Full FSTA reaction — http://www.fsta.org/blog/fsta-in-the-news/fantasy-sports-industry-responds-to-fidelity-firings

Charlie Wiegert’s blog post — http://www.godfatheroffantasysports.com/?p=22

As we reported last night, 17 candidates are up for election to five spots on the board of directors for the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. As you might have noticed, four of those people are board incumbents. That might lead one to wonder about the remainder of the current board.

Well, association manager Justin Cleveland informs FSB.com that Paul Charchian (LeagueSafe), Jeff Christiansen (FF Toolbox), Jim Corelis (STATS), Jeff Coruccini (Fantasy Football Starters), Kelly Grogan (Athlon/Grogan’s), Scott Higgins (EchoStar), Howard Kamen (USA Today), Ted Kasten (Advanced Sports Media), Peter Schoenke (RotoWire) and Charlie Wiegert (CDM Sports/Fanball) are in the middle of their terms and not yet up for re-election.

The lone current board member who has decided not to seek another term is Dan Cypra of Fantasy Fanatics.

The new term, which runs for three years, will start on April 1 (and we’re not fooling).

See main story for the list of candidates.

The Fantasy Sports Trade Association will dole out its annual industry awards later this month at its winter business conference. Among the categories to be recognized is Best Blog. Voting ends Monday, Jan. 5, and the finalists are as follows:

• AOL Sports
• ESPN — Stephania Bell’s injury blog
• Fanball — Godfather of Fantasy Sports
• Fantasy Baseball Sherpa’s blog
• Fantasy Football Sherpa’s blog
• Rotowire — Rotosynthesis
• Sporting News — Fantasy Source Blitz
• William Del Pilar’s Locker Room Buzz

Howard Kamen of USA Today, Justin Butler of OnBoard Stats and Jim Piatt of Fanatic Fantasy Football each beat 11 competitors to win fantasy football leagues put on by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.

The leagues were drafted on the final day of the FSTA’s summer business conference back in July in Chicago, and the winners will receive rings from Jostens.

Kamen snuck into the playoffs with an 8-6 record, tying for the lead in his division with a team from LeagueSafe.com and making it in thanks to the total-points tiebreaker. His team benefited from a strong group of receivers, and Kamen got big production from Marques Colston, Antonio Bryant and Brandon Marshall in the finals. He topped Fanball’s Charlie Wiegert — who led the league in points for the season — 154-108 in the championship round.

Butler was outscored by three other teams in League 2 but carried the best record into the post-season. He enjoyed Drew Brees’ record-approaching passing season as well as the late-year surge by DeAngelo Williams and late-year return by Steven Jackson. Butler knocked off Tim Williams of Accuscore 144-116 on the strength of Brees’ good day at Detroit and DeAngelo Williams’ four touchdowns against the Giants.

Piatt managed only the second-most points in his four-team division in the third league but made the playoffs with a record two games better than that of any other team. He tied ESPN’s Nate Ravitz at 114 in the finals but prevailed thanks to his bench tallying more points. Piatt was another Brees owner and also bought into Pierre Thomas, with rookie Matt Forte rounding out his leaders.

All leagues were hosted by Fanball and ended with Week 16 of the NFL schedule.