Fantasy Sports Have Come A Long Way

This morning while I was driving around for work I was listening to the Jim Rome radio show and i couldn't help but agree with him on one of his main topics for the day; Fantasy sports was originally something only the geeks did, but now it is a craze around the world and is growing stronger each and everyday. Originally fantasy sports were very complicated and only covered a few sports, but today signing up for a fantasy team is as easy as a few clicks of the mouse button and it seems you can have a fantasy team in just about any sport. I know a few people, one of which is a writer on this blog, that have fantasy NASCAR teams. To me that's a little extreme but I probably would enjoy it too if NASCAR rubbed me the right way. You can sign up for fantasy golf, soccer, hockey, cricket, curling, lacrosse and many other random sports.



Fantasy sports are the latest trend and have done so much for sports in terms of bringing in new fans and introducing players to fans that would never hear about them any other way. You can find many people around the world signed up for fantasy sports. I personally was in three fantasy basketball leagues, 3 fantasy football leagues, and am currently in five, yes I said five, fantasy baseball leagues. Having a fantasy team is fun for the hardcore sports fanatic or the casual fan that wants to do something fun with his family, friends, or co-workers.



Fantasy teams are a true sports fan's dream because it lets you take control of a team and be their general manager and owner all in one. It gives us all a chance to show off our knowledge in certain sports and it gives us an excuse to always be checking scores and injuries and the transaction wire. I know that it is perfect for me because I have always dreamed of being a general manager of a major sport's team and sadly my two favorite days of the year are the last Saturday and Sunday of every April. For those of you that don't know what occur on those two days it is the NFL Draft and besides being hung over in my hotel last year I haven't missed a pick in seven years. Fantasy sports are a way for me to live out my dreams and maybe make a buck or two along with having bragging rights to rag on my friends and family for a little while.



For the casual fan creating a fantasy team is something that you can enjoy and not take too serious. There are numerous free sites so that you don't have to wager anything on your sports knowledge and you can do it risk-free. Joining a league with family members and friends is fun because it gives you something to talk about at all times and we all know it is fun to have a little friendly competition in your family. A perfect example of this is my brother, Beau, he plays most sports, but doesn't really watch too many of them so we signed up for a fantasy football league together. Of course being of the same blood we chose two very good teams (He drafted just off the names of the players he knew) and we met in the championship round of our league. All year I had been dogging him on his team and told him how amazing my team was (I was the only team to beat him in the regular season). So naturally that weekend of football was one of heavy trash talking and high hopes for both parties. He pulled the W out in the end but it was so much fun just getting on his case and messing with my little brother that I can't wait for next year and I really wish families would use fantasy sports to bring their family closer together.



So going back to the original topic of this post I just wanted to say that the nerds that created these fantasy sports should be given special awards because they have come along way in themselves and have really brought more fans and viewers to different sports. So like Jim Rome said the thing that originally was looked as just for the big sports nerds is now one of the biggest crazes in the world.



Clay Jackson