I am guilty. Like most sports fans, I play and enjoy fantasy sports. But much like music videos killed the radio star are fantasy sports killing the sports fan? Let me throw out these hanging curveballs:
- Have you ever rooted for a player from a team playing your favorite team?
- Are you a Red Sox fan who found yourself rooting for Randy Johnson?
- Are you a Bears fan who consistently selected Brett Favre as your starting fantasy quarterback?
- Are you a Lakers fan who can’t resist the stroke of a Peja Stojakovic three-pointer?
Chances are, fantasy owners have found themselves going through that awkward position of wanting their favorite team to win yet hope that their fantasy player(s) on the opposing team does great against them. Anytime a fan is not rooting for his team, there is something wrong. Therein lies the problem.
Let’s say you happen to be one of those fans who drafts players from your favorite team allowing you to have your cake and eat it too. Even then, do you find yourself hoping your team falls behind quickly so that your quarterback will need to heavily rely on a passing attack? Either way you spin it, dilemmas like this in fantasy sports has chipped away at our ability to be true fans to our favorite teams and root for them in all situations.
I’m afraid that in twenty years, today’s young sports fans will no longer have favorite teams but only favorite players. Instead of a hat of their beloved team, a fan may wear a hat dedicated to their favorite player…at least until his fantasy numbers decline. Lost will be the loyalty, the heartbreak, and the eventual triumph that sports fans like you and I experience.
Does this mean that I suggest that fans should no longer play fantasy sports? Absolutely not, despite the downfalls, fantasy sports allows us to to experience what it’s like to put a team together and enjoy spectator sports in a different way. But I put forth this challenge: remain a true fan and pass it on to the next generation. Besides, without the team, there are no players, without players, fantasy sports would not exist. The music industry has focused on trendy songs and forgotten how to put out good albums. As fans, let’s not allow sports to become all about trendy players, and forget about good teams.
2 replies on “Fantasy Sports Killed the Sports Fan”
A couple things Some of it doesn’t flow very well and your grammar is a little ruff…
Are you a Red Sox fan who became (should be has instead of became) found yourself rooting for Randy Johnson?
Are you (insert “a” here) Bears fan who (insert “has” here) consistently selected Brett Favre as your starting fantasy quarterback?
there are some others too so check that out
and i dont want the bold type to make me sound like an asshole, thats just to clarify the corrections.
I like the topic though
Will Correct Thank you…you are right. I will take your suggestions and look to improve the flow of the piece.