Columnists, Sports

Instant Replay: Fan warfare

March Madness is one of the biggest sports fantasy and gambling events of the year, but does that diminish the games themselves? PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

In light of the recent destruction of many March Madness brackets (thanks, Villanova), I want to shed some light on one component of new sports media that seems to be dominating the sports world: the ever-growing culture of fantasy sports.

Fans now have the ability to play the role of God (or at least general manager) as they pick from a range of athletes (or, in the case of March Madness, teams) and hope for the best. This immersive fan experience is a complete phenomenon, having gained increasing popularity over the past several years to the point that athletes have garnered extreme criticism for not earning enough points for fans, referees have been accused of incorrect calls in support of their own leagues and laws had to be put in place because of its similarity to online gambling.

The reason I group brackets and fantasy sports together under one category, even though they are very different, is because often times the excitement of the season or game can get overshadowed by individual profit, whether it be monetary or pride-based. For most, there is way more excitement over the immersive experience of picking your March Madness bracket and following your teams as opposed to watching the games, just as there is way more excitement over a touchdown catch by Rob Gronkowski, because of the fantasy points it garners, than a win from the Patriots.

While many fans associate fantasy sports leagues with fantasy football, the two are not so exclusive anymore. With fantasy baseball gaining impressive momentum for a supposedly dying sport, it is not uncommon for a fan to be in a fantasy league for every season, an event that used to be primarily Autumn-centric.

Many fans also participate in daily fantasy sports leagues such as DraftKings, which allows fans to pick players on their teams day-to-day rather than for an entire season.

Many argue that fantasy sports leagues and brackets may be the experience fans who have been looking for to keep them interested in regular season teams that are not their own. It is no secret that the MLB is not as popular as it once was. Even the NFL, a league that boasts monstrous numbers during the Super Bowl, has had a declining audience during the regular season in recent years.

In a society based on a fast-paced environment and instant gratification, things like Thursday Night Football games and a long 162-game baseball season tend to lose fans’ interest. The popularity of March Madness stems from its quick turn-around and the constant shift of attention and excitement from game to game. It’s short and sweet with a lot in between, and it’s easy and fun for fans and non-fans alike to make brackets and enjoy the experience. Perhaps that is why the opening day of the NCAA Tournament saw its ratings spike from last year.

But there is a downside to this kind of sports involvement. Twitter has become a battleground for competing fans and fantasy players, and even NCAA athletes have been banned from participating in leagues from websites like DraftKings. Professional athletes’ injuries have become less about their team’s loss and more about a fan’s fantasy team’s loss, and coaches have spoken out against fantasy players comments directed at their players and teams.

How much regulation is needed for this new era of immersive sports? Is it detrimental to the sports experience by taking away from the basics of a game, or is it only one more way for fans to take it to the next level?

There is no right answer to these questions. But as the world of brackets and fantasy grows more popular, the world of sports will have to evolve with it.

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