However, this is all rapidly changing due to the proliferation of fantasy sports, especially fantasy football. This is perhaps best evidenced by this page on ESPN.com. If you clicked around before Week 1 of the 2009 NFL Season, you'd come across the position-by-position fantasy rankings by not one, not two, not three, but four (!) fantasy football analysts.
However, before we talk more about that, let's backtrack a bit. What motivates fans in general?
Arthur A. Raney, in his piece entitled "Why We Watch and Enjoy Mediated Sports," details what he calls the "eustress motivation."
He writes, "Studies have demonstrated that sports viewing can in fact lead to increased arousal (Berhardt, Dabbs, Fielden, & Lutter, 1998). Similarly, viewers consistently descrbite viewing sports as exciting (e.g., Krohn, et al., 1998), arousing (e.g., Wangg, et al., 2001), and able to 'get me psyched up' (e.g., Gantz, 1981) or 'pumped up' (e.g., Wann, 1995)" (317).
Fans have now complemented their love of getting "pumped up" by watching their teams on television with managing fantasy teams on their computers.
Thomas Patrick Oates talks about fantasy football in his essay called "New Media and the Repackaging of NFL Fandom."
He writes, "Fantasy games are now a $1.5 billion industry, drawing nearly 20 million players ('Fantasy sports conference demographic survey shows continued growth,' 2007). There are many versions of fantasy sports, ranging from baseball to bass fishing, but football easily draws the majority of players" (36).
That there is fantasy bass fishing shows one just how popular the entire "fantasy" genre has become.
The arousal factor that Raney mentioned in his essay is demonstrated by that fact that fantasy football is most popular. In fact, this morning when I tweeted that I'm not playing fantasy football this year and that I feel liberated by not doing so, I got a reply that I'm "missing the fun and thrills." I don't think so. I usually stop caring about my team midway through the season. In fact, it gets to the point where I only make a team so I can get clever with the name I give it.
Going back to what I said at the beginning of this post, fans live and die by their teams. But with that advent of fantasy football, fans sometimes have to take on the tough task of deciding which teams carries their rooting interest: their favorite NFL team or their fantasy team. Does a Giants fan root for Brian Westbrook to put up great numbers when the Giants are playing the Eagles? Does a Jets fan root for Tom Brady when the Patriots trek to Giants Stadium? These questions are rhetorical - for our purposes - but they're bound to arise at one point or another each football season.
So I ask you: Do you have a fantasy football team? If so, why do you have one? If not, why not? Are the questions I asked in the previous paragraph too much to handle for you to actually make one?
Personally, I do not have a fantasy football team this year. I have had them in the past and I find myself so busy with school and other things going on that I begin to lose track of my team, usually resulting in my team not doing very well. This year I tried to save myself from finshing towards the bottom so I dropped out of all my fantasy leagues. It just doesn't appeal to me as much anymore.
ReplyDeleteThere was one interesting point that you did bring up. That was the fact that if you are Giants fan but you have Brian Westbrook on your roster, who do you root for when the Giants play the Eagles? Unfortunately, I think this is wear gambling has in a way hurt true sports fans. In many cases, fantasy football is played for money. In some leagues it may just be a couple dollars but in others (and I have been in these types of leagues) there is a lot of money involed. When the winner of the league is given one thousand dollars, you are rooting hard for your players the night they are playing no matter if they are playing against your favorite team. Trust me. I think in a way this has hurt the passion of some fans. If you are not gambling, then obviously you are going to root for your favorite team. If there is money involved, any person would wnat to win the money that they bet. Fantasy sports continues to be very popular amongst people, but I think it really separates a true fan when you have Larry Fitzgerald on your roster, but you are a Giants fan, when you hope he doesn't catch one pass the night Arizona comes to the Meadowlands.
I own a fantasy football and participate in fantasy sports every year. I do it every year with my friends, and while I would agree that if people are playing for large sums of money that cheering for their favorite team can become secondary, I am not in that category. I am a Denver Broncos fan, and I do not expect to be doing much hoot and hoolering this season. And for me, this could be one of the few NFL-related victories I can celebrate this year. But fantasy sports are still a way to bring people together (I do the league with my friends). However, fantasy interests are set aside if my Broncos are playing. I miss John Elway :-(
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Arthur Raney in why we watch sports. I am a huge Miami Hurricanes fan, and I can honestly say after 7 months of no football, I MISSED the stress. I am crazy during games, I have been known to throw things, curse, but all in the interest of supporting my team. The stress I go through during games is not normal and I acknowledge that, but that intensity and passion is what drives me as a sports fan and when it's not there my excitement level is down and I miss it. Usually before every game I will watch one of my Miami DVDs to get my "psyched up" for the game, while I usually don't need it I'm very superstitious about it. Since Miami won last monday night, this coming thursday for their next game I will be watching the same DVD and wearing the same clothes.
-Nate Porter
Each year I usually have at least two fantasy football teams, sometimes three. This is the first year in as long as I can remember (since I started playing around 2002) that I am not the commissioner of a league or a member of a league with friends. I do however, have one public team, randomly assigned to a league. I typically find myself only caring about one of the teams I have, especially if that was a team I constructed myself in a live online draft rather than the team I created and allowed the computer rankings choose my team for me (because either I couldn’t make the draft time or just didn’t care enough about the draft for that league, but wanted a team anyway). Despite my decrease in regular fantasy football teams, I do still participate in the other football-related fantasy games. I have “teams” for Pro Football Pick ‘Em, Survival Football, and Salary Cap Football. According to my Yahoo! Fantasy Sports profile, I have had 77 teams since 2002, including the aforementioned football games, along with baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, NASCAR, and NCAA tournament picks. I was a commissioner in 8 of those leagues and came in 3rd place or better in 18 of them.
ReplyDeleteDespite playing in so many leagues, I believe only one of them was actually played for money. This could be because I’m not much a gambler, or the other people aren’t either. However, according to Oates’ article, and as Andrew pointed out, “fantasy games are now a $1.5 billion industry.” Pretty much anything becomes important when one has some money invested or there is a chance to win something. This can lead to thinking that even many non-sports fans participate in sports betting and in playing fantasy sports for money. I enjoy playing because it gives me something to do when I’m bored, and I like the fact that it keeps me more up to date on more teams in more sports than I normally would because it sort of compresses vast areas of information into one convenient place.
As far as Raney’s article goes, according to his theories of why people watch sports, I think my motivations are clearly entertainment and eustress. The thrill of competition has always motivated me both in playing and watching sports and this continues into the reason for playing fantasy sports. This same concept is probably true for most sports fans, and then the issue of big marketing for sports helps reel in the casual fans.
The questions regarding whom to root for are difficult, but I usually just hope for a big statistical day from the opposing player, while my team still prevails with a win in the end. I could care less if Torii Hunter hits two homeruns against the Red Sox, as long as the Sox win the game. I’d be happy if Jericho Cotchery catches 8 balls for 150 yards and two touchdowns, but the Patriots come out on top. Of course, these scenarios don’t always (or should I say rarely) happen that way, but that is what I hope for each week, and it seems to usually work out alright in the end (especially for baseball with so many games in a season, a loss or two is not such a big deal).
-Mike Young
I do have a fantasy football team, and I have had at least two going into each of the last five NFL seasons. I play with friends from home and with friends here at Quinnipiac. I am a big time Steelers fan, so I make sure I don't miss a single one of their games. However, I felt that joining in on the fantasy football boom, would make me more knowledgeable about the rest of the league. It has done just that, and I have come to appreciate the game as a whole rather than just the one team, Pittsburgh Steelers.
ReplyDeleteArthur A. Raney states that many people watch sports to gain emotional satisfaction. (Why We Watch and Enjoy Mediated Sports 19). For example, after the Steelers game is over, I can watch almost all of the other games with a lot of interest because I have 15 other players throughout the league on my fantasy team.
Thomas Patrick Oates mentions on page 38 of "New Media and the Repackaging of NFL Fandom", that before 2000, NFL officials did not want fantasy to exist because gambling could be an issue amongst players. Fantasy Football has become just that, for me and other players, it has become an addictive game that I can't get away from but love so much. When it comes down to rooting for your real team or fantasy team though, the Steelers always win, because the pure love of the game to me is more important than 100 bucks.
Personally, I feel that fantasy football (and fantasy sports in general) are a genius way to expand the sport's fanbase, or in the very least keep the fans that they already had. Nowadays, half the time it's not about who should be the MVP of the league, or who is the best QB, but rather who's going to get me the most fantasy points this week. Oates really makes a strong point in showing the obvious shift in fandom and how alot of fans view athletes in the NFL. "In contrast to the heroes of the past enshrined in statuary outside many NFL stadiums, athletes framed by this mode of fandom are positioned as property, often valuable, but ultimately disposable"(Oates 32).
ReplyDeleteAnd let's be frank here, there is one main reason why the NFL has capitalized on fantasy sports: Money. If the NFL didn't think they could make money off of this venture, they wouldn't continue doing it. It's been around since the 1960s, but with the advent of the internet it has taken off and the NFL is using it to the fullest. I think the real draw for fans is that fantasy football is as close as a fan can get to the real thing; they get to play Jerry Jones, pick who you want, get rid of em, and it can be as realistic or unrealistic as you want (some leagues have salary caps built in to make the game more realistic) (Oates 41).
If you think about it, fantasy sports is the next line in the progress of fan accessibility and opinion. Talk radio allowed fans to have a voice and give their opinions, now fantasy sports allows those fans to see if they really know what they are talking about.
Personally, I believe that fantasy sports have gone a little too far, as have the networks in terms of their awareness and promotion of fantasy football. But they have made an investment in it, so of course they are going to hype it up.
Finally, I think that it brings a whole new aspect of fandom, and more overall awareness to the NFL. For instance, I have Brandon Jacobs on my team this year, but I'm a Cowboys fan. So what do I do this Sunday when Big Blue plays Big D? Also, I have Frank Gore on my team, and honestly, I normally couldn't care less about the 49ers. But here I am, updating my blackberry at dinner on Sunday to see if Gore can get me that one more TD to give me a win last week.
Sad? Perhaps. But I guarantee you I'm one of millions paying attention to games that normally fans wouldn't care about. Fantasy football has been extremely successful for the NFL, and you can bet it's here to stay.
I have a fantasy football team, and have participated in at least one league since my sophomore year in high school. The two big draws for me is deciding who to draft and who to start each week. Sure, money on the line keeps me checking every day, but it is also a fun activity, and a great escape from dealing with real world issues – a “fantasy,” if you will.
ReplyDeleteI like the point you made about who to root for, your fantasy team, or the real team you’ve always loved. For me, I have always put my real team above my fantasy team. I think it separates the die-hard fans from the fakes. What makes your questions easy for me to answer is this question: Are you happier when your fantasy team wins the championship, or the real team you like wins the championship? And my immediate response to that is my real team I like.
Oates mentions that the video game Madden NFL 2004 allows the gamer to became an owner of a franchise (Oates 40). Owner mode has a very large appeal to it, and it is quite similar to fantasy football, which is why both the video game and fantasy sports are such popular games.
For the past three years here at Quinnipiac me and my friends have created a fantasy football league. Prior to QU i never really understood the fascination of fantasy football. I thought it would be cool to draft a team, but i figured i would slowly loose interest. However, to my surprise I can honestly say fantasy football is a lot of fun. I am a huge Tampa Bay Buccaneer fan and before fantasy only cared about if they won or not. Currently having players on my team from around the league keeps me intrigued and curious to see how they are performing. It keeps me up to date with my players stats as well as my opponents. Being a sports fanatic as well as someone who like statistics, fantasy football really helps out.
ReplyDeleteEvery sunday my friends and i sit around our couch waiting for kickoff. Raney's reference to "eustress motivation" is a very valid statement as we all are "pumped up" to see how are players are going to perform on any given week. Andrew brought up a good point though where is the line drawn?. For instance my starting quarterback is Tony Romo (i hate the cowboys by the way) and they were playing my beloved Buccaneers. I obviously wanted the Bucs to kill the cowboys, but once i noticed that the game was out of reach all i really cared about was Romo putting up more stats. This is where fantasy basically becomes an obsession. I was more worried about fantasy points then the overall status of my favorite team.
As Oates mentions, "the NFL is still easily the
favorite sports league of U.S. fans, outnumbering the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball by more than 2–1. That is quite an amazing figure considering Baseball is "Americas Pastime". Obviously sports are changing and Football has become the elite sport to watch as a fan. That's why i think people are so obsessed with Fantasy Football. Games are only played once a week, as oppose to other sports where you have to check your fantasy team constantly.
Overall, i truly believe fantasy football is a fun thing to do amongst your friends. Whether its bragging rights or winning some money at the end, its all in good fun. As a football fanatic it keeps me up to date with current players and how they are performing. I highly recommend it to people who have never tried it, it cant hurt.
I have participated in both fantasy football and baseball for years. Some leagues for money, some for bragging rights among friends, or the one league comprised of my extended family. My mother actually won that league, which at the time wasn't remotely funny, but is looking back. You can be a casual fan and still enjoy taking part in fantasy football. Or you can draft Tim Couch because he went to the same college as your cousin and still beat everyone. But I digress.
ReplyDeleteI have three teams this year, which is one more than I usually do for football, and am the commissioner of a league for the first time. Thankfully it is in a league where I personally know everyone in the league, and there haven't been any conflicts, though it is only Week 2. However, in some leagues, often ones with higher stakes, the competition gets quite fierce for fantasy sports.
Oates mentions the NFL's concern with fantasy football a decade ago, and its potential to be an issue with the players, and with gambling. I doubt that Tom Brady would throw a pass into the middle of the Steelers' defense for fantasy points, or that Adrian Peterson would trip himself up at the 1 yard line to prevent that big touchdown run. The players whose careers are insignificant enough to do those things don't have enough fantasy value for it to make a difference, so it really isn't a factor. Today, the NFL's own website offers fantasy football, so they appear to have changed their views, and are now capitalizing on the cash cow that is fantasy football.
Also, while some people play with the money as their motivating factor, I think the majority of participants in fantasy football play because it is something they enjoy. It also gives us a reason to maybe watch another game, and makes the quarterback jobs in Detroit and Oakland matter for more than who gets the number one pick in the draft. More than any other sport, fantasy football actually enhances the fan base, and the following of the game.
Posted on behalf of Mike Mancuso:
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fantasy player, I have been doing it for about 6 or 7 years now at this point. Whether it be football, baseball, or basketball if there is a fantasy league chances are i'm in one of them. Fantasy keeps those of us who aren't athletic or blessed with the body of an athlete still competitive and fighting for something. Usually I just sign up for a league with my roommates or friends from home but this year I stepped my game up. I'm currently in my second money league this time only a $50 buy in for football. My first was baseball this past spring and I am proud to say that as of this morning I am currently in 1st place with a 3.0 point lead. The payout in this league is over $1500....
As far as fantasy sports getting in the way of real fanhood i don't buy it. I am and have been a Giant fan for years way before I started playing fantasy football. I have also been very successful in fantasy keeping the same 1 name that started it all no matter the sport, the NY Knights. If your a real fan and you know what your doing, then you find ways to win with the players you like. As a giant fan, there's no chance Brian Westbrook would even be on my team in the 1st place so I wouldn't have to worry about rooting for him. Same thing with any other players, it's your FANTASY team, why would you include players you hate or usually root against, even if they are Tom Brady, Tony Romo, or Brian Westbrook? You can always find value elsewhere with a good draft. Every now and then you will find a week when let's say you have the Giants Defense but there playing the Saints this week and Drew Bree's is your quarterback what do you do? Well you either are blessed with a good backup Qb that you can play on a matchup basis, or you play Brees, want the Giants to still win and hope for the best.
It has been extremely interesting to see how fantasy sports, football in particular, have evolved over the years. It used to be for the hardcore sports fan or the statbook junkie who need everything about anything. Now with so many commercials and media spotlight, it is becoming a thing for casual fans as well. I couldn't believe all the different people who have been asking my advice on players, teams, even strategies on how to just generally pick a team. People who maybe a couple seasons ago I didn't even know if they liked football. It's great though, as someone mentioned before the game has grown into a $1.5 billion dollar industry and that's saying a lot while the country is sitting in a recession. However, these people are also the reason why I have turned to the gambling side of the sport and had to make the leagues mean something. No longer will I join a league with a few people for there first times or try and help them learn the game. No way, not going to help make me better. But if you find a league that's putting in $50, $100, or $200 down on a team, you tend to only get the owners that are really serious and into the league. And besides from cash prizes at the end of the year, it usually makes for a more competitive more enjoyable experience.
-Mike Mancuso