Let’s get this straight: I’m pissed! <\/p>\n
These fantasy sports leagues have killed<\/em> the concept of being a fan in this country. And being a fan of sports is as American as the 4th<\/sup> of July, apple pie, a white picket fence and the girl next door.\u00a0It’s our emotional center.<\/p>\n We love our sports. We love our teams. We root passionately for them. We live our lives thru their accomplishments. We love the players who make our teams champions. And the path to that coveted prize, the path to the championship brings us against innumerable adversaries… adversaries set upon defeating us. Adversaries that block our path to that championship alter. As a fan, as a true fan<\/em>, we hate our adversaries… and we hate their<\/em> players.<\/p>\n But, and this is truly regrettable, there is this phenomena that is sweeping this nation like the bubonic plague. It is a scourge to our society. It’s fantasy leagues<\/em>. Sport fans who engage in the vicarious thrill of creating their own \u201cdream team\u201d of players.\u00a0 Players\u00a0assembled from all<\/em>\u00a0the <\/em>teams… the\u00a0very teams and players standing between our<\/em> team, and our<\/em> team’s players and that championship\u00a0. You know… act as your own GM. Pick and choose players from any<\/em> roster. Then, having\u00a0put together\u00a0the perfect team, we check in the morning papers\u00a0to see how our first sacker or pitcher performed the previous evening. So many points for hits, so many for strikeouts & etc.\u00a0 At the end of the season we tally up all of our teams points and see how we did in our fantasy league.<\/em><\/p>\n Your Team?\u00a0 <\/em>Your team includes Red Sox players?\u00a0 How can this be?\u00a0 Could you imagine Jackie Robinson playing for another team and wearing another uniform?\u00a0 Even he<\/em> couldn’t imagine it!!\u00a0 He retired rather than put on the uniform of the team he was traded to… the Giants.\u00a0 The hated <\/em>Giants.\u00a0 He played his last game as a Dodger on October 10, 1956… some 50+ years ago, and Rachel Robinson (his widow) still<\/em> hates the Giants.\u00a0 Now that’s a fan.<\/p>\n I heard from Shaina.\u00a0 She has been a Yankee fan forever.\u00a0 She is in a Fantasy League with Zack.\u00a0 Zack is a big time sports fan, he probably is in every Fantasy League invented… maybe even that NASCAR thing.\u00a0 Anyway… and I am getting to the upsetting part… Shaina says that Zack has more Red Sox players on his Fantasy Team than Yankees!\u00a0 Even Shaina admitted to have Dice-K on her Fantasy Team.\u00a0 What?\u00a0 Treason and treachery!<\/p>\n How could he even have one <\/em>Red Sox player on his team?\u00a0 I don’t care how\u00a0good that player is.\u00a0 It’s flat wrong… it strikes to the core of being a true fan<\/em>… of not only wanting success for\u00a0our<\/em> team and our<\/em> players; but the total failure of our opponents and their <\/em>players.<\/p>\n So what will happen the next time the Bronx Bombers\u00a0invade Fens?\u00a0 Sure Zack will want the Pin Stripes to prevail.\u00a0 But say he has Kevin Youklis on his Fantasy Team, and he needs the Sox stalwart on first to have a big night at the plate… what do we have?\u00a0 Divided loyalty, that’s what we have!\u00a0 A true fan <\/em>would say, “I want to see the Yankees murder the Red Sox, and <\/em>may Kevin Youklis have a season ending case of\u00a0bleeding hemorrhoids.”<\/p>\n Sorry.\u00a0 This Fantasy League stuff (and it exists for all the major sports… even NASCAR, just ask Zack) is bad for sport.\u00a0 It’s bad for this country.\u00a0 It’s transferring our enthusiasm for the team,<\/em> to the enthusiasm for the individual player: a “statistic machine.”\u00a0 An individual whose only value is his personal stats… how many base hits, RBIs, homeruns & etc.\u00a0 And sadly we have produced a generation of players obsessed with their minutes, their stats.\u00a0 Oh, winning is a good thing; but what were my <\/em>stats?\u00a0 That’s how I<\/em> am being compensated. The uniform, the team has become a side note.<\/p>\n Yeah, I’m pissed.\u00a0 This fantasy <\/em>stuff is diluting what is elemental to team sports.\u00a0 And we are losing the sense of what it is to be a fan.\u00a0 It’s about the team.<\/em><\/p>\n Well… it’s a new generation, after all.\u00a0 Maybe they are better equipped to handle the balancing act of rooting for\u00a0a team, and having a little vicarious thrill on the side.\u00a0 Zack and Shaina?\u00a0 They look none the worse for the wear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let’s get this straight: I’m pissed! These fantasy sports leagues have killed the concept of being a fan in this country. And being a fan of sports is as American as the 4th of July, apple pie, a white picket … Continue reading