CHICAGO (Reuters Life!) - The creator of a new fantasy fishing league hopes Hulk Hogan, the former wrestler who hosts the U.S. reality TV show "American Gladiators," will help the pastime reel in enthusiasts.

"He's the most recognizable face in the world," Jacobs said in an interview. "He could be walking down the street in Tokyo with the Japanese prime minister and the crowds would be following him."

Jacobs said the instant buzz Hogan, who was born Terry Bollea but known worldwide as "The Hulkster," creates makes him a good promoter.

And buzz is precisely what Jacobs, who also runs recreational boat maker Genmar, wants. That's because his league is as much about selling fishing boats in a tough marine market as it is about celebrating professional anglers.

Just like fantasy football or cricket, fantasy fishing players pick a team of professional tournament anglers and earn points based on how their team members perform in seven FLW tournaments and the annual Forrest Wood Cup championships.

Fantasy sports leagues have existed in the United States for decades. But until the rise of the Internet, they were largely informal, local affairs focused mostly on baseball and U.S. football.

Today, an estimated 15 million statistics obsessed people play fantasy sports of one kind or another, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, creating virtual teams made up of athletes who -- in real life -- may be rivals.

In the process, enthusiasts spend an estimated $1.5 billion a year on Web sites like Sportsline.com and FanBall.com that run the leagues and help them keep track of player standings and other news.

And as fantasy sports have risen in popularity, leagues for just about every sport imaginable have been added -- from golf to rugby to bass fishing -- though U.S. football and baseball remain the most popular.

What makes Jacobs' new league different, he insists, is both the prize money and his transparent goal of turning some of the players into boat owners.

Jacobs is also offering millions of dollars in prizes to get people to play.

"Somebody's going to become a millionaire staying home watching fishing," he said.

Jacobs hopes the league will boost boat sales, which have been declining in the United States, and could drop up to 30 percent in 2008, according to some dour industry forecasts.

"It will create awareness," Jacobs said. "More boats will be sold. That's not just a probability but a high probability."