FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 22, 2024
Contact: Will Mossa
media@thefsga.org  

Stephania Bell named winner of Matthew Berry Game Changer Award

BOSTON – Stephania Bell, ESPN’s award-winning Senior Writer and Injury Analyst, is the recipient of this year’s Matthew Berry Game Changer Award. Bell will be honored July 22 at the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association (FSGA) Summer Conference in Boston. “Game Changer” – selected by and named after the celebrated NBC Sports Football Analyst – lauds moments, businesses, and innovators responsible for setting fantasy sports on a path that has made it a multi-billion-dollar industry enjoyed by more than 80 million North Americans every year.

Bell, a licensed physical therapist, board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist emeritus and certified strength and conditioning specialist, joined ESPN in 2008. She regularly appears on ESPN’s NFL and fantasy football coverage, including SportsCenter, The Fantasy Show and Fantasy Football Now, in addition to co-hosting ESPN Audio’s Fantasy Focus Football podcast. The first female inductee to the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA), Bell has also filed features for other ESPN shows and platforms.

“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.”

“I am incredibly honored to receive this award, not only for what it represents but because of the person who is presenting it to me,” said Bell. “Matthew Berry opened the door for me to join ESPN, but he did so much more. He sought out opportunities to promote me and my content and, more importantly, made sure I felt every bit an equal member of the team. Matthew has been the ultimate game changer in fantasy football because of all the careers he has launched within the industry. I could not be prouder to receive an award that truly embodies his legacy.”

Its first female recipient, Bell joins an illustrious list of Matthew Berry Game Changer Award winners. Previous honorees include: 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; and World Championship of Fantasy Football (Emil Kadlec, Lenny Pappano) for their role in creating the high-stakes fantasy football category.  

Prior to joining NBC Sports and the Football Night in America pre-game show in 2022, Berry spent 15 years at ESPN as its lead fantasy football expert. The Emmy award winner is one of only five people inducted into both the Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the FSWA Hall of Fame. Among his many achievements, Berry wrote the New York Times best-selling book Fantasy Life in 2013 and then created the Fantasy Life fantasy and sports betting content platform.

About 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.