Your involvement with fantasy sports?

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

I just thought I'd float this out here in its own thread, since people get mad if I try to ventilate the issue in a fantasy thread. Personally, I think the explosion of fantasy sports is one of the biggest problems with analysis at the four-letter network. Your thoughts?

[Guest]

I'm in a lot of leagues, but I just do it for fun. And it is, although I do the "set and forget" a lot.

 

I don't know anything about "fantasy based analysis." As I said, I don't watch those channels anymore. Fantasy sports aren't a priority.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I agree about the (over)exposure of fantasy sports on all the sports networks, not just the four letter one. I wasn't sure how far you meant by definition with fantasy, though. I play pick `em and survivor leagues like nuts, but the only fantasy leagues I like getting involved in is baseball, which I'll probably start doing next year now that I know the current day players a bit better. Fantasy football is fun, but it pretty much all depends on the draft, and every single year I almost always miss the draft.

 

But I definitely don't go out and waste money on guides and rankings and all that jazz. That's ridiculous.

[MFer 0]

I just thought I'd float this out here in its own thread, since people get mad if I try to ventilate the issue in a fantasy thread. Personally, I think the explosion of fantasy sports is one of the biggest problems with analysis at the four-letter network. Your thoughts?

I think there's some truth to that but it doesn't bother me a ton. I think it's a good way to get non-fans and fans alike to watch games they wouldn't otherwise.

[Guest]

But I definitely don't go out and waste money on guides and rankings and all that jazz. That's ridiculous.

Same feeling here

 

I've done it before, but only when playing for money. And that's just as ridiculous.

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

It's a phenomenon I'll never understand. Beyond the obvious social boner of a Cubs fan going "WHOO SCOTT ROLEN!!!...what, he's on my fantasy team," the whole process of wanting unassociated players to accomplish individual achievements with little regard to final game outcomes is counterintuitive to what I was always led to believe following sports was all about: you want to see your favorite team win the game you're watching. What's the point of statistics isolated from game situations? It just doesn't make any sense. I heard somebody say that he gave up fantasy football when he was watching a game, and after a game-ending injury to one of "his" players, remarked that it was a bummer, but at least he already scored a touchdown for his fantasy team.

I just thought I'd float this out here in its own thread, since people get mad if I try to ventilate the issue in a fantasy thread. Personally, I think the explosion of fantasy sports is one of the biggest problems with analysis at the four-letter network. Your thoughts?

I think there's some truth to that but it doesn't bother me a ton. I think it's a good way to get non-fans and fans alike to watch games they wouldn't otherwise.

But they're watching for all the wrong reasons. Why can't football or baseball be entertaining in and of themselves? What's wrong with reality sports? A Twins-Red Sox game should be entertaining to watch without wringing your hands over what Joe Mauer does independent of his team.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Nothing wrong with it. But I think to people, fantasy gives them a reason to watch teams they wouldn't otherwise. Why else should a guy in Chicago care what an Oakland Raider does in a game? Or a Miami guy care what a Seattle Seahawk does? This gives them the outlet to actually follow the teams and get more interested in the teams they would otherwise not have.

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

They're not following the teams, they're following the individual statistics of players on teams. A guy in Chicago shouldn't care about what one Oakland Raider does in a game. You shouldn't need to care about stuff like that when you have an actual team that is playing as a cohesive unit that you can worry about. Personally, if I watch non-Bears games, it's because they're big games that everyone should be watching. (That or the Broncos are on during the second game and I don't feel like disrupting my nap to shut the TV off.) If Chad Pennington throws five touchdowns and gets a lot of yards and a really high quarterback rating, okay, good for him, but I don't care what he does, I don't care what the Jets do, and there'd be little gained from watching this game, other than a feeling of compromised sports fan integrity for having any sort of investment in the week-to-week achievements of New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

But in following a player, you might gain respect for the team. You sit and watch for a Jerry Porter, and walk away being a new Raiders fan. And are you telling me you have no favorite players that are not playing for the Bears? It's the same idea. Suppose you like Jason Taylor. Wouldn't you watch Miami Dolphins games to see what Taylor is doing? How is it different?

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

And are you telling me you have no favorite players that are not playing for the Bears?

I can't think of any players to whom I have any sort of attachment. I've generally liked Peyton Manning well enough, but that has more to do with commercials and beating the Patriots than any sort of affinity for Peyton Manning himself. Heading into 2007, I no longer have much reason to care what he does, since I've closed the book on wanting the Colts to succeed. So yeah, my favorite players are the Chicago Bears.

 

But do people really become fans of these other teams, or do they just care about how gaudy one player's numbers are? Albert Pujols surely hasn't converted THAT many Cubs fans.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

I do one football league per season and one baseball league. It's really just another way of keeping interest in games that otherwise bear no relevance. Without Brian Bannister, why the fuck would I care about The Kansas City Royals?

[HarleyQuinn 0]

I'll bite. While I may not "become a fan" of a team because I have a player on their squad, I do generally pay more attention to that team during the season and maybe the off-season as well. I do find myself more aware of team situations, etc. than I ever would've been otherwise. Examples such as watching pre-season games for certain players (knowing that such a guy is on a team I never watch), how a coach may/may not impact the team (e.g. reading training camp reports of Kiffin in Oakland), and being aware of injuries to other teams.

 

Also choosing a Cardinals player to be cheered by a Cubs fan is like asking a Patriots fan to cheer on Peyton Manning and expecting them to suddenly be a fan of the Colts

 

The one thing that fantasy football has done, irregardless of "fan" association, has been to broaden my knowledge of the teams and the NFL in general. Prior to fantasy football, I wouldn't have been able to tell you who the kicker for San Francisco was or even what kind of defensive formation a team like the Detroit Lions ran. I couldn't have been able to tell you the backup QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars or where head coach Sean Payton had come from before landing in New Orleans.

 

After playing fantasy football (and more IDP), it's helped me gain a greater appreciation for the little things with every team. I still cheer for backups like a Kellen Clemens to usurp Chad Pennington or hope that the 4th round rookie RB can get that #3 spot on Indianapolis. I probably don't even have that player on my team, but the fact that I know of that situation allows for me to get into caring about what happens.

 

If I were just a New England Patriots fan, yeah, it'd be great. I could tell you everything about the Pats. Now, I can tell you everything about the Pats, but I can also tell you a lot about the other teams in the NFL as well.

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

Without Brian Bannister, why the fuck would I care about The Kansas City Royals?

You wouldn't, you shouldn't, and you probably don't.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

I think maybe you're overreacting. It's a game. Everyone here would agree that The Mets come before FinalFantasyTeamIV or the A's come before RichieSexonalFantasy, fantasy sports are just something people do for fun. Wanting ESPN to shut up about it is warranted, but past that who gives a shit.

[razazteca 0]

I view it at the perspective that fantasy sports in general has taken the gambling aspect in sports to the mainstream. Good or bad the sport leagues gained some more fans who have intentions other than "for the love of the game". It also taken the city vs city rivalry and moved it to a more personal level of my team RonMexicoLuvsBitches is better than your team JerryJonesisaShittyOwner! As for ESPN well give me some fantasy insight over Boomer Chris Berman or Stu Scott making up lame ass cliche one-liners for highlights.

[MFer 0]

At the very least, it helps increase TV ratings (which isn't all that important to us, but it is to the leagues themselves).

[Hawk 34 0]

I just can't see the appeal in fantasy sports. Devoting your time to analyzing stats of little importance for something that doesn't truly exist. All it does is create the false mentality that these people can run a franchise better then their real life counterparts while sitting comfortably on the couch with Cheetos stains. Among the things that irritate me the most within the sports world is the constant mentioning of a fantasy team and lamenting who they shouldve started and demeaning someone for failing to supply them with pumped up stats. (Fuck Larry Johnson for not scoring another touchdown! I shouldve went with Gore!) It's no different then the douche bag at work at the break table who insists on talking about the specific reasoning behind numbers they personally selected for the weekly mega-millions.

 

Czech is pretty much on the nose with this, I can only concern myself with my local team and those within their division. Now, if another team can factor in late in the season via playoff implications, I'll pay attention to them and root for/against that said team depending on the circumstances but I wouldn't find the need to keep a close eye on how many rushing tds amassed by Shaun Alexander against Arizona when that will never impact the success of the team I root for.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Fantasy sports gives a person the opportunity to play general manager in their favorite sport. That is perfectly fine, a nice little diversion and an alternative method to enjoy your favorite sport. It becomes a problem when you waste real money on it or it becomes your overriding concern when watching a sporting event. The fact that a player is on my fantasy team never crosses my mind when watching a game.

 

Other people's fantasy teams are entirely uninteresting to anyone else, and it's about time everyone realized that. If you find enjoyment talking to ANYONE about your team, stop. They don't care, and they are just being polite by not telling you to piss off immediately.

 

Fantasy baseball programs are generally insufferable because of the aforementioned issue, and because many hosts get it ass-backwards. They understand fantasy baseball but not real baseball, so they will base advice based on inaccurate theories. It is uninteresting to the casual viewer/listener as well.

[Krankor 0]

I do a fair share of Fantasy Leagues. I have cut my total number of leagues back quite a bit because it was getting too time consuming. I mainly enjoy baseball and basketball leagues. I still participate in a few football leagues but I just don't find fantasy football as fun because if you get a shitty draft pick you are automatically going to have a hard time beating whatever team has the hot number one running back. I never play in any money leagues because I just don't find that appealing to bet money on guys that could end up getting hurt or teams tanking games for more draft lottery balls, Celtics.

 

Growing up I used to be a huge baseball fan. I knew literally every player on every team from watching games, playing baseball video games, and moving from an east coast to the midwest gave me more reasons to keep track of what the Phils and Orioles were doing. I stopped watching baseball for a few years once all the Big Mac, Sosa, Bonds bullshit started up because it was obvious as hell those guys weren't clean. Brady Anderson 50 home runs in a season? Give me a break. I have to partially credit fantasy baseball in getting me back in touch with what every player is doing in the league and renewing my interest in the game. The thing I enjoy the most about fantasy baseball is it's ability to make you better aware of young players that are on the verge of being the next superstars in the game. To me that's fun and interesting. If I wasn't doing Fantasy Baseball I wouldn't have any clue who guys like Ryan Braun, Phil Hughes, and Justin Upton are.

 

I think its a positive thing that people know and care about other players in the league that aren't on their favorite team. The mindset of only paying attention to your favorite team because every other team in the league sucks is just dense. Why would you not care about what other teams are doing? It's somewhat useful to know how other teams are performing when your favorite team squares off against them. I think actively participating in fantasy sports makes you a smarter sports fan in the long run.

 

ESPN sucks, but I swear to god, their fantasy analysis is horrible. I feel sorry for anyone that actually listens to anything they say in any of their fantasy segments because half the time its either blatantly obvious or dead wrong. All they need to do is show highlights of the games and a box score at the end of the clip that has more than 3 players listed.

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

re: Choken's post

While I'm not a fan of references to Cheetos stains as a casual dismissal of any avid fans (mostly because it's so overused, but also because I find the snack in question to be repulsive), the point made about fantasy sports being a big part of Banal Office Douchebag Culture is solid.

 

 

I like that five people voted for "I derive inordinate amounts of joy from decontextualized numerical values."

[Red Baron 0]

I do the fantasy sport thing only for the Football and Hockey season on yahoo. Also witht the football season I do my weekly picks. Pay my five or ten bucks for the week, and usually win.

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

Oh, I have no objections to picking outcomes of football games. The games exist, and any statistics are relevant within (and only within) the context of the games.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Oh, I have no objections to picking outcomes of football games. The games exist, and any statistics are relevant within (and only within) the context of the games.

I object to Iggyfly telling me about it.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Czech, have you ever participated in a fantasy league? It seems that you have no interest in doing so, but I've had a lot of friends who thought the whole thing was stupid until they started playing. Fantasy sports are just a lot of fun.

 

Then again, I'm not one of those douchebags who goes on and on about his team, or puts the success of players on his fantasy squad above the actual results of the games. I enjoy it in the sense of being my own general manager and trying to outwit my friends. It's great for bragging rights when it comes to bullshitting about sports.

 

More than anything, my involvement with fantasy sports has reinvigorated my interest in sports. By the early 2000s I couldn't care less about football or baseball. Now I follow them year round and can name an unhealthy amount of players and their stats. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I find it entertaining

[SteakGrowsOnUecker 0]

I find nothing wrong with fantasy sports amongst friends. It's harmless and isn't taken too seriously. Plus there is meaningless bragging rights that only your group gives a shit about. It means nothing more, nothing less. Anyone that takes it beyond that is where Czech is right. You don't cheer for other players on other teams over your own team, and most don't. Well unless your team is terrible like the White Sox this season. I agree you do become more informed overall about the game from it too. For me it's baseball as I barely watched it for years and lost track of teams and players. But the last couple years getting into fantasy leagues brought me back to it. I still enjoy basketball leagues the most though.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Czech, have you ever participated in a fantasy league? It seems that you have no interest in doing so, but I've had a lot of friends who thought the whole thing was stupid until they started playing. Fantasy sports are just a lot of fun.

 

Then again, I'm not one of those douchebags who goes on and on about his team, or puts the success of players on his fantasy squad above the actual results of the games. I enjoy it in the sense of being my own general manager and trying to outwit my friends. It's great for bragging rights when it comes to bullshitting about sports.

 

More than anything, my involvement with fantasy sports has reinvigorated my interest in sports. By the early 2000s I couldn't care less about football or baseball. Now I follow them year round and can name an unhealthy amount of players and their stats. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I find it entertaining

 

I think I agree with this, sort of. I know that it's helpful to learn about players through fantasy sports, which is a reason why I'm going to start doing it with baseball next year.

 

Also, during 2005 when the Packers had a shit year, and I had a great one fantasy-wise and pick em-wise, I found it to be slightly comforting in a sense.

[Just John 0]

I've flirted with the fantasy/pick-em scene before (Hell, I won the pick-em thing here one year), but it really isn't for me. I find myself enjoying the sports a lot less because I'm too competitive and get too caught up in the fantasy game. The same thing even happened when I played WWE fantasy. I'd rather just enjoy sports or wrestling for what they are and not get stressed out over scoring points based on statistics to beat a bunch of random people on the internet.

 

I have nothing against people who do fantasy and even give advice to people who ask, but playing's just not for me.

[NoCalMike 0]

I like pick'ems and survivor games, but fantasy football itself has worn out it's welcome with me.

[Precious Roy 0]

Fantasy sports is fun with a group of friends, and I like playing in leagues at message boards like this one from time to time

 

Admittedly though, when I first discovered fantasy sports 7-8 years ago I became a bit of a junkie. I started innocently enough with a fantasy baseball league with college buddies, had a lot of fun with it, and then for a year or two was just really into it, entering up to 10 serious teams for each sport (baseball, basketball, football), and wasting a couple hundred bucks in the process.

 

Because of that I can't really knock it too much, but I know for me it was a phase I went through, had fun with it, and lost interest in fairly quickly. Once you've more or less mastered the strategies and won some tough leagues it's time to move onto another hobby, ya know? Drafting random players you don't even like based simply on expected statistical output isn't really fun. If I do put together a random ESPN/Yahoo league these days I just draft players from my favorite teams or players I like and really don't worry too much about winning, and I usually end up forgetting about it after a couple weeks.

[alfdogg 0]

I play in the NBA Fantasy leagues, as well as the NFL and NCAA tourney pick 'ems, and this is my first year doing the NFL Survival leagues. The NBA is the only sport I follow closely enough to be able to play in the actual fantasy leagues.

 

Oddly enough, I used to buy some of the fantasy magazines when I wasn't playing fantasy, but don't buy them now.