Drafts. Trades. Free Agent Signings. When it comes to being a fan, the action off of the field is sometimes more exciting that what happens on it. The same people who won’t watch a Red Sox/Yankees game will read all about their off-season battles to try and trade for A-Rod. People who barely followed the NBA this past season suddenly become fanatics when the draft rolls around. Why is that? Is it a reflection of society and our obsession with gossip? Is there nothing we like more than hearing about the doings of disgruntled millionaire athletes and billionaire owners? Yes. And no. There is no doubt that we as a people have an unhealthy interest in the private lives of celebrities and athletes, but that is old news. The real reason behind the sports fan obsession with player transactions is actually a direct result of Fantasy Sports, and with the growing popularity of Fantasy gaming, we are not too far off from the day when the NFL Draft is more popular than the Super Bowl.
Why Fantasy Sports? How can a bunch of guys obsessing over sports statistics and winning fictional championships be so important in the grand scheme of things?
To start with, to just call them “a bunch of guys” is misleading. The number of people involved in fantasy sports leagues, or Sports Simulation if you will, is larger than ever before. As a current member of two baseball leagues, as well as two football leagues in the fall, I have seen what was once a fun hobby grow to extreme proportions. There are high stakes leagues all over the country where you can win thousands of dollars. Major sports entities like ESPN and Sportsline all have host systems on their websites for people to run leagues on. In other words, this is not a niche business anymore, but a big time money making industry. All of this inevitably leads to the one question those who don’t play Fantasy Games ask those who do? Why?
The answer is quite simple. While most kids dream of growing up to become a superstar athlete, they usually get a major reality check at some point and realize that won’t happen. But what about being the General Manager of a team? That is the dream that remains attainable, albeit virtually impossible. Look around the professional leagues and you will see that a lot of Team Presidents and General Managers appear at first glance to be everyday Joe’s. Theo Epstein, the Red Sox GM is only 29 years old. And by the looks of him, he never once had a chance of playing pro-ball. But he knows baseball and he worked his butt off to rise up through the organization and eventually become the man in charge of making deals. While everyone is not Theo Epstein, the idea remains the same. If he can be in charge of a professional sports team and it’s rosters, why can’t you? You could handle drafting players, negotiating contracts, and most of all, making trades. After all, you are doing that exact same thing with your Fantasy Leagues, all except contracts, but that is obviously the least enticing of the job requirements.
That’s why people love fantasy games. They are living out their dream, revised as it may be, and are in control of high price athletes who can be traded or released on a whim. It is up to you to field the best line-up, make the right trades, conduct smart drafts, in order to be victorious. Plus you have to deal with player injuries, suspensions, and all the other unpleasant factors that guys like Theo Epstein do. This is why when a trade happens in the real leagues, you instantly begin to critique as if it were occurring in your own fantasy league. It’s why the drafts are so closely followed, especially when expansion teams are involved, cause it’s all about creating a solid nucleus of talent. Anyone who has played fantasy sports long enough knows that you can make or break your season via the draft. The same applies to real sports, only with bigger consequences. If you make a bad 1st round pick in fantasy, you might blow your season. If you make a bad 1st round pick in the NFL, say Ryan Leaf #2 overall to San Diego, you might blow your team’s chances for the next 5 years. It’s all the same, sort of.
The “sort of” is usually neglected in the argument, so you get down to it being the same thing. You begin to rationalize the reasons behind your obsessive behavior. Studying the trade rumors or reading free agent breakdowns isn’t just for enjoyment anymore, it’s prep work for your upcoming or on-going season. It’s work that is required for your “other” job.
Cast not a condescending eye on the fan that is unable to contain his enthusiasm over the most recent blockbuster trade, its all part of the job.
