Has
anyone else noticed how much people care about their fantasy teams? I
came to this realization over Thanksgiving break while watching the
NFL games on Thursday and listening to my uncles, cousins, and
brother talk about specific players during these games. I am sitting
on the couch listening to a conversation about how Robert Griffin III
needs to have a big game or hope Tony Romo has a bad game. I feel
like people worry more about how certain players perform than the
actual game. I remember being younger and watching the game for the
actual game, not how players perform. I could listen to my relatives
begin talking to the television hoping that maybe Robert Griffin III
would start throwing more even though Washington was comfortably
ahead in the game. Fantasy football is ruining the experience of
watching a football game.
I
believe that it ruins the experience because it leads to a new breed
of NFL fans that care less about the outcome of the game as long as
their players in the game scored a touchdown. This new breed of fan
is the type of person that sees a ten yard yard and yells something
along the lines of, “Nice! That's a point!” For instance, I
watched the Tampa Bay-Atlanta game Sunday with a friend and he could
care less about the result because Tampa Bay's running back had a big
stat game. Tampa Bay ended up losing this game. When the Patriots are
on, I could care less about fantasy football implications. But I hear
people complaining when a back up running back on the Patriots scores
a Touchdown. Instead of cheers I hear, “Why aren't they giving
Stevan Ridley the ball?” Honestly I feel that supporting your
hometown team trumps your fantasy team. This new breed of NFL fans
are interested in this sport because of the trendy fantasy game that
is easy to pick up. These new fans would quickly stop watching
football if a sport like handball became the new trendy fantasy
sport.
I
partake in playing fantasy football, but I can be a legitimate
football fan that is watching the game for the sake of watching it.
Like other people, I can become upset if my fantasy team plays poorly
but I will not let it ruin the rest of my day. I feel like the
viewing experience of an NFL game is becoming watered down due to the
fans that care more about their imaginary team than their hometown
team. My viewpoint must be old fashioned since I still care more
about the results of the game more than the player stats.
I both agree and disagree with some of the comments you have made. I agree that people focusing too much on how the players on their fantasy team are performing and not on the actual outcome of the game can be frustrating. However, I feel that fantasy football makes the sport much more entertaining. In many cases, people will watch a game in which they don't care who wins, and the outcome of the game has little effect on the league as a whole. In these instances, fantasy football gives the game meaning and keeps it interesting when otherwise that person may not watch the game at all.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same as Celtic Fan. As much as it is diminishing the actual game of football it is creating a new breed of fans that still make the NFL one of the most popular leagues in the world. Even though some fans are just rooting for one specific player or team because they have them on their fantasy seems wrong but its the interest in fantasy football that made the become a fan of the NFL and actually watch the game.
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