The Fantasy Sports Effect

I admit that I have been involved with fantasy sports in the past. I've done pretty well. You'll usually see me in the top 3 of the league or top 1 of the league if it's with some friends of mine. Yeah, I follow my sports and I've gotten quite lucky. It takes just as much luck as knowledge in fantasy sportsland. But, I don't go crazy over fantasy sports and I don't go nuts if a player of mine didn't perform well on a certain night. What effect has fantasy sports had on sports and on fans? Has it helped or hurt the games? The fans? Why or why not?

While there are two positives I can think of when it comes to fantasy sports, the negatives sure outweigh those two positives.

The two positives that I believe fantasy sports bring are 1) An interest in the game, regardless of how well one's team is doing and 2) Broadening a person's horizons with whom they watch. It's very easy if our team is not performing well, to not pay attention anymore. But, if we have a fantasy team, we will likely be tuned in to what's going on regardless of how poorly our team plays. It also widens our boundaries on who we watch play. If we're Cubs fans, but we don't have any Cubs on our fantasy team, we will be more apt to watching other teams play and gaining a better perspective of those teams and of baseball as a whole.

But, with the positives come the negatives. People have been obsessed over numbers in sports for a long time now, but I think that obsession has grown because of fantasy sports. Many times players aren't looked at in the same manner, because they wouldn't give a fantasy team many points in a given game or season. Fantasy sports individualizes the games far more than they should be, especially in football. In baseball, if half the defense has fallen asleep, but the ball is hit to one guy who is still up and at it, then even though five out of nine players weren't prepared, the defense was successful and an out was recorded. In basketball, many times I'll see 3-4 guys just standing around and not doing much, but if DeWayne Wade or LeBron James has the ball in their hands, then those guys can afford to do that sometimes and Wade or James will drain the shots without any help from their teammates. But, in football, that isn't the case. It's 11-on-11. If one offensive lineman misses a block on a pass play, unless the quarterback has eagle blindside vision, he'll get sacked or at least hit on the play. If a fullback doesn't block for the halfback on a lead dive, then chances are that halfback won't go anywhere. If the holder doesn't hold that football properly, then chances are the field goal will be missed. It's the ultimate team sport. If one assignment is missed, chances are that it won't result in just a C grade and not much good or bad will result from it, but will result in a hard F grade, where someone will be feeling the pain because of it. Fantasy sports lessens that kind of appreciation for the team concept. No longer is it about doing what one has to do to win a game, but how many yards will they throw for or how many touchdowns will he run for? I'm going to stick with football the rest of the way through, because I think it's the sport that's most relevant to what I'm talking about.

What does it take to win a game? To make the playoffs? To win the Super Bowl? Look at the Baltimore Ravens a few years back. Imagine if you had all their starters on your fantasy team. How would you have placed? Not at the top of your league, that's for sure. But, guess what? They won the Super Bowl. It does not take a quarterback to throw for 3,500 yards, a running back to run for 20 touchdowns, or a receiver to catch 100 passes. The only number in the box score that truly matters is that final score. I think fantasy sports has altered that some. How'd the Ravens win? They were the best in the league defensively, had great special teams, and an offense that didn't lose the game. What wins football games? 1) Defense, 2) Special teams, 3) Being opportunistic, and 4) Not making stupid mistakes. Teams that turn the ball over more than the other will usually lose. Teams who make more costly penalties than the other will often times lose. Teams who don't make the most of their timeouts and challenges will have a more difficult time of winning. Fantasy sports usually just concentrate on the big statistics, like yardage, touchdowns, and turnovers. They concentrate on the individual statistics. But, what about 3rd down efficiency? Red zone efficiency? NET turnovers? Time of possession? Most importantly, victories?

What do Jake Delhomme, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, and Peyton Manning all have in common? They're all winners. You put these four quarterback with the Panthers, Falcons, Eagles, Colts, or anyone else, and chances are, they're going to be successful. Fantasy wise, Manning might be the most valuable player in the league, but has still not won that Super Bowl. McNabb has been unfairly criticized at times mainly due to injuries, lack of offensive weapons around him, and for the drama-infested Terrell Owens. Vick has been criticized because he doesn't put Peyton-like passing numbers up in the box score. Delhomme is, in my opinion, the most underrated quarterback in the league. They may not all have the same value in fantasyland, but guess what? They're all winners. Manning has lead the Colts to several playoff appearances, but just hasn't gotten over the hump yet to lead them to a Super Bowl. McNabb has lead the Eages to the NFC Title Game and the Super Bowl. Vick has lead the Falcons to the NFC Title Game. Delhomme lead the Panthers to the Super Bowl. Warrick Dunn may not get the number of touchdowns as Shaun Alexander. Eric Moulds may not get as many catches as Marvin Harrison. But, these numbers are the most important. Overall, Dan Marino has better numbers than Joe Montana. But, ask Marino what he'd rather have, those passing records or Montana's Super Bowl rings, and I can all but guarantee you he'd want the Super Bowl rings. They're the ultimate team award for the ultimate team game.