Fantasy sports has become a billion dollar industry with millions of participants worldwide. Still, some aren’t sold. Our Editor-in-Chief, Tori Crawford, is one of these skeptics. She goes head-to-head with sports editor Sam Hunter on the benefits of fantasy sports (and other things).
Con
As a former cheerleader, I like to think I have at least a decent grasp of the rules of football. While I don’t follow any team in particular, I genuinely enjoy watching the odd football or basketball game on TV. Simply put, I enjoy sports more than the average girl. What I can’t wrap my head around, however, is fantasy sports.
This feeling doesn’t stem from bitterness over an ex-boyfriend who paid more attention to his fantasy team than to me. I just can’t understand how something that has so little grounding in reality can be so entertaining and popular to the point that it’s now estimated to have over 29.9 million participants and generate between $3-4 billion dollars across the sports industry per year.
For many participants, fantasy involves a much bigger commitment than checking the standings online. You have to research possible trades, track players’ progress so you know who to start, and use endless statistics to attempt to predict the future. There’s an entire industry that revolves around making this easier for fantasy players, including blogs, podcasts, and an entire fantasy sports division on ESPN.com, where numerous employees dedicate their professional lives to compiling stats and scores. And this goes on throughout the entire year, since fantasy leagues exist for almost all professional sports.
Sports blogger Bill Simmons admitted he spends over 100 hours each season “managing” his team.
The strangest thing about this is that Simmons, and all other fantasy players, are NOT real managers, and likely never will be. But it seems to be some sports fan fantasy to play God with a team. Fantasy fans pour endless hours, effort and emotion into something with little grounding in reality, something that seems analogous to children playing with dolls.
Another foolish characteristic that fantasy often invokes is the aggression and competition, which mirrors the stereotypical behaviour of children. Otherwise mature, caring, rational men seem to revert to schoolyard intimidation tactics by trash talking their friends when their own “team” has a successful weekend.
When I asked a friend what makes fantasy sports so attractive, he said it makes watching sports more exciting when your favourite team isn’t playing, and that drafting a “winning” team is a rewarding experience. While I see the merit in his first argument, the idea that something with so few tangible benefits and so little grounding in reality can be rewarding seems sad and problematic. Wouldn’t spending your Sundays as a volunteer kid’s hockey coach instead of in front of a TV switching between numerous football games with your computer on your lap to track players’ statistics be more rewarding?
—Tori Crawford
Pro
Tori made the connection between managing a fantasy team and playing with dolls. However, I think the truth is that fantasy sports are a lot more like playing with yourself.
When taken for what it is, there’s no questioning just how much fun a good fantasy league can be. A great league combines a bunch of enjoyable things into one neat and accessible package.
First off, fantasy is the most cutthroat competition you’ll find outside of a group of McGill post-grads fighting for grants, and competition is something that everyone enjoys. It takes real, in-depth research skills and dedication to outsmart 11 other zealots who are all sifting through combine results trying to discover the next Arian Foster—taking pride in getting that special player is no joke. And, really, just because Tori was able to shift her competitive instinct from the playground toward more mature pursuits, like success in academia or taking over the media world, doesn’t mean that getting my competitive fix by staring at numbers on a screen is invalidated in any way.
Second, playing fantasy sports is gambling, which I love to a scary degree. But, even better, it’s gambling with that perfect ratio of luck to skill, which, like poker or Settlers of Catan, allows you to assume personal responsibility for all successes while shunting off failure as the product of a bad roll of the dice (or the ankle, as the case may be).
Third, fantasy sports are a fantastic source of camaraderie and a great way to stay in touch with your university acquaintances. As a fifth-year, plenty of my friends have left Montreal and gotten jobs scattered across the globe (wherever employers would take them), but thanks to the message boards, I never have to miss out on regular vitriolic verbal beatings, or the inevitable mockery of my slow-as-B.J.-Raji-progress toward an undergraduate degree.
To those who would argue that fantasy sports offer nothing of value to the real world, and, when discussed in public, bore listeners to tears, I want to impart you with a bit of motherly wisdom as a closing argument.
When I was younger, my mother, a liberal, approached my sex education with the same kind of straightforward honesty she used to elucidate all facets of life. “Sam,” she said. “If you want to play with yourself then go ahead and do it. Just make sure you’re alone behind closed doors.”
Her advice has kept me in good stead for all but the most intimate of present day scenarios, and I think the original principle applies just as well to fantasy football.
No one wants to hear you talk about it, even fewer want to watch you do it, but as long as it’s done in the comfort and privacy of your own home (with a minimal amount of groaning) then have yourself a blast.
—Sam Hunter
Winner
Pro
While it’s true that there are many more rewarding experiences in life than playing fantasy sports, it doesn’t mean that fantasy sports are a waste of your time. Draft a team, make some tardes, win a championship and enjoy yourself—just make sure to do it in private.
