Paul Kolida (2L)Â
As everyone who has ever loved or played sports knows, it can be a fickle world of ecstasy and depression. One moment victory seems within your grasp, and the next it has been snatched from you by a force you didn’t know existed moments earlier. This roller-coaster ride of emotions is something that comes along with the sporting world, and unfortunately the growing popularity of fantasy sports means that it too is subject to this battle of emotion.
For many humans, the want to win is what draws them to sport. Though some are more competitive than others, this basic internal instinct clings to our connection with sports like a parasite. When you are playing a sport or game, the ability to control the outcome feeds this need to win, and focuses the athlete on the goal at hand.
For others the joy of watching a sport is what intrigues, and cheering for your favorite team becomes a favorite pastime. Whether it is the joy of winning as an athlete or as a fan, this desire to win helps draw many to fantasy sports. So let this be a warning for all those entering the dark domain of fantasy sports: it will drive you crazy while ruining how you watch sports!
Consider this: you turn on the TV to cheer for your favorite football team. It’s a big game, and they are playing their arch rivals with a playoff spot on the line. At the same time, your fantasy starting WR is playing for this arch rival, and you need him to score big in order to win your own fantasy playoff game. What do you do?
It may seem obvious that you cheer for your favorite team to win a shootout, with your WR picking up a few touchdowns in the process and, boom, an obvious win-win. Oh, but I forgot to mention the team you’re playing in fantasy has your favorite team’s QB as their starting QB. Now who do you cheer on, your fantasy team or your real favorite team?
These are the types of blurred line situations that come to fruition, due to fantasy sports. You will find yourself screaming at the TV, cheering for teams and players you hate, and getting caught in the middle of epic three way tug-of-wars between your heart, brain, and gut. Instead of enjoying the game, you will find yourself constantly checking scores, updates, and player stats.
So, why would anyone do fantasy sports? Well, the joy of winning makes you forget those struggles. You feel like you’re on top of the sporting world (without ever having to step on the field and endure the actual physical pain of sports) and bragging rights become yours for all of the off-season. As in sports, victory heals all wounds! So go ahead and dive headfirst into your fantasy world; just consider yourself warned if it doesn’t go your way at first!