Message from Sean Ryan
Hey everyone, thanks for checking out the website. I began writing for NFLDraftBlitz.com between 1999-2005. For context, this was long enough ago that the word “blog” had yet to catch traction.
Though the Almanac is still growing as a publication, I didn’t break through until 2017! And I wouldn’t have broken through had it not been for the contacts I made wayyy back in ’99.
I believe that having a passion and working hard pays off. I could certainly use a bit of help creating content for books, podcasts and videos. If you enjoy fantasy sports and are looking for a platform, I’m happy to help get new voices out there!
About Sean
What happened between Sean’s stint writing for NFL Draft Blitz between 1999 and 2005? For starters, he went bald. The greatest horror of getting old, Sean says, is watching hair migrate from the top of your head to the middle of your back. What’s that about?!?
Sean left the writing arena and accepted entrance into the rat race many of us call life. Having built a nice career that included a couple of executive level business development and marketing positions, the call of creating content became too strong. Late in 2016, the idea of Functional Sportsaholic was born. Sean simultaneously created The Fantasy Football Almanac and Draft Guide and a sports betting service called Gold Standard sports betting (which later was absorbed by the Functional Sportsaholic brand).
Sean grew up a rabid fan of the Baltimore/DC teams in the 80s and early 90s. Unfortunately, because the Nationals and Ravens had yet to plant roots in the area, his two areas of interest were the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Redskins. Both teams were strong until the time Sean began rooting for them.
The Jeffrey Maier incident, and the MLB’s lack of oversight shifted Sean’s boyhood love of baseball towards the NFL. Unfortunately, Dan Snyder bought his favorite team shortly thereafter. After decades of mismanagement, Sean began to realize his fantasy football keeper team was more important to him than the teams he rooted for. Shortly thereafter, due to Dan Snyder’s buffoonery, Sean washed his hands of the organization, but reserves the right to root for them again once Snyder is out of the picture.
These days, Sean calls himself a fan of the NFL. He enjoys studying NFL coaches and how they deploy players to exploit the weaknesses of their competition. The intense dive into Xs and Os is Sean’s key differentiator in Fantasy Football content.
Underdog TV
The newest creation in Sean Ryan’s sports and NFL-driven universe, Underdog TV was created late in 2019 and has quickly caught traction! Underdog TV was created in partnership with the extremely popular Underdog Podcast Network. The channel acts as the home of Sean’s video content. The channel also includes contributions from Chris Horwedel’s shows on Underdog Podcasts.
Get Paid & Functional Sportsaholic
Late in 2016, Sean was putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece – a sports betting algorithm that could predict value NFL and NBA bets against the spread which regularly finished each season at or above 60% accuracy (if you don’t bet on sports, this is a good number). While getting the word out, he reconnected with his friend and former manager of NFLDraftBlitz.com, Chris Horwedel.
Having written for Chris and NFLDraftBlitz.com between 1999 and 2005, Chris suggested that Sean start a podcast. Naturally, Sean created two:
Get Paid: Fantasy, Gambling and DFS
Sean and co-host Brad are talking NFL and Fantasy Football. Sean makes picks in both Daily Fantasy Football and on the NFL against the spread using his proprietary algorithms to help him make picks. When Sean and Brad reach consensus, the two have been over 60% the past two years. If you like to Get Paid, tune in!
Functional Sportsaholic Podcast
Sean and co-host Sam Van Damme discuss the intersection of sports and real life. Sean and Sam bring their sports experience as well as their experiences building successful business careers to the table to discuss polarizing topics in a reasonable and non-political way.
Sean and Sam have been best buds for 20 years and bring the arguing, laughing and bond that can’t be faked.