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A blog of a Catholic father and husband, struggling to work out his salvation with fear and trembling in the People's Republic of Massachusetts.
Ad Majoriem Dei GloriamTM
TM - Obligitory Latin Phrase for a Catholic Blog(translation)
Friday, April 30, 2004
Fantasy Sports and the Decline of Western Civilization
OK, the title might be a little over the top, but I don't like Fantasy Sports. I tried Fantasy Football a couple of years ago, not for money just for "fun". It wasn't all that fun. I am a huge Patriots fan and when I watch them, I want to route for them, not for some guy on the other team who's on my fantasy team. It's just not right, I feel like I'm not being a loyal fan.
Plus, there are enough professional athletes out there with big egos who only care about their own stats, and are not "team" players. We don't need a whole industry to encourage this kind of behavior. Take my favorite sports team, the New England Patriots(have I mentioned I like the Pats ;>)) Their management and coaching staff encourage unselfish play, doing what helps the team, not necessarily what helps a players statistics. This has worked(2 Superbowl titles in 4 years). But even if the Pats were unsuccessful, it would still be the right thing to do. It is a cliche, but there is no "I" in "TEAM".
There are things that a player can do to help the team that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. For instance, there were occasions last season, when one of the Pat's defensive players, Ted Washington would record no tackles and no sacks. These are coveted stats for his position. But does that mean big Ted did not have a good game on these occasions? No. Often, Ted's job was to take on the other team's blockers to allow his team mates to make the tackles or sacks.
For teams to be successful, you need selfless players, willing to relinquish the glory for the good of the team. Fantasy sports encourages its participants to route for players who rack up the fantasy points, regardless of whether or not it is good for the team. Our society is selfish enough. We don't need a hobby to push us more in that direction.
OK, the title might be a little over the top, but I don't like Fantasy Sports. I tried Fantasy Football a couple of years ago, not for money just for "fun". It wasn't all that fun. I am a huge Patriots fan and when I watch them, I want to route for them, not for some guy on the other team who's on my fantasy team. It's just not right, I feel like I'm not being a loyal fan.
Plus, there are enough professional athletes out there with big egos who only care about their own stats, and are not "team" players. We don't need a whole industry to encourage this kind of behavior. Take my favorite sports team, the New England Patriots(have I mentioned I like the Pats ;>)) Their management and coaching staff encourage unselfish play, doing what helps the team, not necessarily what helps a players statistics. This has worked(2 Superbowl titles in 4 years). But even if the Pats were unsuccessful, it would still be the right thing to do. It is a cliche, but there is no "I" in "TEAM".
There are things that a player can do to help the team that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. For instance, there were occasions last season, when one of the Pat's defensive players, Ted Washington would record no tackles and no sacks. These are coveted stats for his position. But does that mean big Ted did not have a good game on these occasions? No. Often, Ted's job was to take on the other team's blockers to allow his team mates to make the tackles or sacks.
For teams to be successful, you need selfless players, willing to relinquish the glory for the good of the team. Fantasy sports encourages its participants to route for players who rack up the fantasy points, regardless of whether or not it is good for the team. Our society is selfish enough. We don't need a hobby to push us more in that direction.
Orbitrek