Sunday, April 15, 2012
Fantasy Sports
Over the past several years, one game as clearly stood out in my life among all others, fantasy sports. Originally it was just fantasy football, but now it is also basketball, the NCAA tournament bracket, and NCAAF bowl pick'em. Some of these (especially basketball) is actually kind of hard work. Also, for those of you who play fantasy baseball or hockey too will know this. You have to check your lineup every day and look for injuries, constantly dropping and adding players from your roster, and just overall managing your team. These games have become a main topic among me and my friends who have small amounts of money on these fantasy sports along with the bragging right which comes with winning. The amount of time I spend managing my team and checking scores online actually somewhat start to rival the amount of time I spend on Facebook. These games are so time consuming it is almost like a sport but without the physical labor. Fantasy sports are becoming so popular that there are specific shows now on ESPN and other networks that only talk about who to play on your fantasy team. Even athletes play these games (some debate if this should be allowed or not though). My friend who is a ball boy for the Detroit tigers said that one day over the summer Justin Verlander and Austin Jackson were yelling in the locker room asking if anyone wanted to take part in a fantasy football league with them. Other people such as Maurice Jones-Drew for the Jacksonville Jaguars publicly apologized to his fantasy owners after a game because he took a knee at the goal line in order for time to run out rather than scoring a touchdown. Fantasy sports are a lot of fun and anyone can play, it is a great game and is slowly starting to weave itself into American culture and social life.
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Fantasy sports are a great supplement for sports fans. As a fan of all sports, having the ability to compete with your friends by picking who you think will perform best, is great for the sport. It gets people more involved and even influences them to root for players on other teams even though they don't like those teams; of course because they have that player on their fantasy team. It's a great way to maintain relationships with friends or family. I remember in middle school we had a group that played fantasy football, and ever year since we have set up a league with the same group of guys. Even though I do not see these people, I am able to keep in contact through our yearly fantasy football league. Fantasy football is definitely my favorite, because of its perfect timetable set up. You only have to change your roster once a week, unlike other sports where you have to make changes daily. It also is 17 weeks long, which is the perfect amount of time for people to stay involved and interested. And of course, when you involve some money for the winner, it becomes more interesting. Fantasy sports are awesome and I will continue to play forever!
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this, I sounded exactly like something I would say. I started getting involved with fantasy sports because my father runs a fantasy football league with some of our family and friends. I eventually got a team in the league and now I might become the commissioner of the league next year. We play by some different rules than most league do and we play for a lot more money than you're probably used to ($100 per team plus playing to pick up players). I then got into fantasy basketball because that the sport I played growing up. Its kind of funny to see how something that can have almost no real impact on life (fantasy sports or facebook), but can take up so much of our time and energy and even change the way we act in our daily lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. I play fantasy basketball, football, and do all the march madness stuff (I actually just lost in the basketball finals yesterday). It truly does take a lot of time and effort if you want your team to be up to date and fully producing. A lot of times, you have to make decisions on whether or not it is worth keeping a certain player or picking up another. Also, the shortened season adds a twist on this year. Injuries are more costly because there are fewer games. You might want to draft younger players because the schedule is more grueling and could possibly wear down older players. It is basically like being the GM of a team, without the billions of dollars you can possibly cost a franchise. I love fantasy sports and could definitely see their popularity to continue increasing in the future.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who claims that fantasy sports are easy has simply never played real fantasy sports. As a fantasy junkie, playing football, basketball, baseball and all of the tournament shenanigans I truly believe that it takes skill to be a good fantasy player. First off, you must draft well. You have to try and put together the best combination of guys that can get you to the post season. Then there are free agents and injuries. You must be on your toes and rotoworld sites at all times, making sure your lineup is 100% healthy and there are no underrated superstars still available on the market. There are so many different strategies that players use that they believe is the best formula to produce a winning team. But in the end, nobody really knows. Its all about being able to adjust and conform to the players in the league and what you have to play with. Ultimately, only those willing to put in the effort will come out with a nice little payday at the end of the season.
ReplyDeleteWhat I think is most interesting about fantasy sports is how an everyday person like you or me can become a manager of your own team. You pick your players and design your team, you organize trades and pick up free agents. As you said, you have to keep track of your team everyday, constantly checking ESPN for updates on your players for injuries, and changing your starting roster. If you want to go into this industry, I think that fantasy sports gives you a lot of good experience. Fantasy sports gives you a small glimpse of what it’s like to be a manager of an organization, a job many people aspire to have. I think that it is really cool that technology and a simple game like this can be so informative and help you gain so much experience for your future.
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