A new twist on fantasy sports brought on by ASU ties
By Crystal Jimenez, ASU News
March 18, 2025

A new fantasy sports gaming app is taking traditional fantasy sports and mixing them with a strategic, territory-based twist.

Maptasy Sports started as a passion project for Arizona State University geography PhD students Kevin Kane, Scott Kelley and Dan Krahenbuhl, but has turned into something much bigger thanks to the university’s expertise in sports law, geography and business.

Now, it's a great example of how ASU can help students turn a cool idea into reality. 

The trio's journey took off when Don Gibson, professor of practice at ASU's Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, teamed up with Mike Kuby, a retired ASU geography professor, and the three PhD grads who used their ASU connections and knowledge to bring Maptasy to life. 

The idea behind Maptasy grew from the students’ work with Geographic Information Systems during their PhD program, which they used for their research. 

“GIS is a very powerful and flexible tool for geographic analysis and visualization, and a fast-growing field with a robust job market in industry, government and academia,” Kuby said.

Unlike traditional fantasy sports, Maptasy doesn’t involve money or betting. Instead, players draft teams from specific geographic areas and build regional empires by controlling territories. It’s a fresh way to experience the 2025 NCAA March Madness tournament and engage with sports.

ASU’s role didn’t stop at helping get the idea off the ground. The team has also brought in three marketing interns from ASU Law’s Selig Sports Law and Business program to help with strategy and execution. These students are getting valuable hands-on experience by applying what they’ve learned in the classroom to the real world.

Courses that teach principles of marketing and business development — such as Law and Business of Sports Branding, Sports Business Strategies and Executive Decisions, and Revenue Generation in Sports and Sports Marketing — have prepared these students for the work required to launch the app.

“This is an experience as a student that I would not have otherwise,” said Justin de Haas, ASU Law first-year MSLB student. Intern Jason Ricketts, also an ASU Law first-year MSLB student, added that working with Maptasy has shown him what it takes to launch a new product, especially in the sports and gaming industries.

With the app now launched, Maptasy is hoping to shake up the fantasy sports world.

This story originally appeared on ASU News.