BOSTON, MA — Stephania Bell of ESPN was honored as the latest recipient of Matthew Berry’s Game Changer award in front of media professionals, industry leaders, and pioneers of the fantasy sports world at the recent 2024 FSGA Summer Conference.
The Game Changer Award recognizes those who are responsible for the moments, businesses, and innovations that paved the way for fantasy sports to become a pastime for over 80 million people in North America annually.
Bell, who is a licensed therapist, board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist emeritus, and certified strength and conditioning specialist, joined ESPN in 2008 and regularly appears on the network’s variety of shows featuring NFL and fantasy football coverage.
“As the first injury analyst for fantasy sports with advanced degrees in physical therapy coupled with her experience practicing sports medicine, Stephania created a path for this important and unique role in fantasy sports content on multiple platforms – TV, audio, writing, and social,” said Berry.
“Her entertaining and informative style helped show the viability of this role to the entire industry to the point that now every company seems to have an injury analyst, all trying to be ‘the next Stephania Bell,’” Berry continued. “In addition to her trailblazing work, she is a mentor and inspiration to so many women who have successfully entered the sports industry. I can think of no one that represents ‘Game Changer’ more than Stephania Bell.”
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Previous Game Changer Award Winners
- Nigel Eccles, co-founder of FanDuel, for his role in the growth of Daily Fantasy Sports and the legalization of sports betting.
- Tony Fernandez, for his role in creating the “live scoring” application during fantasy football contests that are now commonplace among all operators.
- Scott Fish, for his industry-leading charity work.
- World Championship of Fantasy Football (Emil Kadlec, Lenny Pappano) for their role in creating the high-stakes fantasy football category.
About The FSGA
The Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association is the only national organization representing the interests of fantasy sports and gaming companies. We are the voice for over 80 million fantasy sports players in the United States and Canada, and for the companies that provide services, news, information, and competition to support these growing industries. Our members are sports and gaming enthusiasts, with companies that range from small startups to large media corporations. Our mission is to provide our members with essential research and data, networking opportunities and collective action to help them reach their potential.
For more information, visit https://thefsga.org.
