The Paradox of Fantasy Football

[stwasm]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/quickie

Two Words For You:
FANTASY. WORLD.

Fantasy is the new reality.

Has your fantasy team become more important to you than your "real" team?

Indisputably, fantasy increases a fan's overall NFL interest. But how does it impact fans' rooting interests in their favorite team?

Let me throw this hypothetical at you, because it gets to the heart of the issue of the increasing prominence of fantasy football among fans:

It's Week 16. Your favorite team is out of playoff contention, but your fantasy team is on the verge of a title.

In order to clinch your league title, your fantasy team's stud has to have a huge game -- at the cost of your favorite team losing the game.

Would you be willing to take a "meaningless" (but very real) loss for your real-life favorite team to win your fantasy league title?

Would you even find yourself rooting for your team to lose?

There it is: If you can find ANY scenario where you'd rather see your fantasy team win than your real team, welcome to fantasy as reality.

While you and everyone you know prep for your fantasy league draft(s) and ESPN devotes 90 minutes to fantasy tonight (6:30, ESPN), consider:

An increasing number of fans who play fantasy have developed as much of a vested interest in (and allegiance to) their fantasy team as they do their real-life team.

Take today's poll. The numbers might be small, but consider how they compare to what they would have been a decade ago.

There's no shame in it, by the way. It's simply part of the new reality of being a football fan.

[DialSux]

nope. never. same reason i've never ever bet against the skins in my life. can't bring myself to root against the skins. fantasy football is just something to do at work anyway.

[MoeRedskins]

Only an idiot would want their team to lose so they could win the fantasy title.

[stwasm]

That's why I DON'T do fantasy football. It could change the way I watch games and cheer for teams. If I ever cheer AGAINST the burgundy & gold, you all have permission to point a gun at my head and fire it!

[dreamshatterer]

I like to watch good football, but I love to watch the Skins. I would never root against them.

[redman]

I'm ruthlessly honest about 'Skins players when I'm drafting or acquiring FA's. I don't pick up Redskins simply because they're Redskins. That being said, I never root against them. I'd rather my Redskins win the Super Bowl than my fantasy teams win 10 fantasy championships.

[Loki]

Not only do I always root for my 'Skins, I try my hardest to avoid drafting any players in the NFC East, outside of the Redskins......

[Chachie]

Not only do I always root for my 'Skins, I try my hardest to avoid drafting any players in the NFC East, outside of the Redskins......

I'll draft NFC East opponents for trade bait, but I agree with you. Keep the conflict out if possible.

Looks like AFC West opponents will create quite a fantasy draft dilemma for Redskin fans this season. Randy Moss? Conflict. Priest Holmes? Conflict. Ladainian Tomlinson? Conflict. It's almost impossible to avoid facing a team with one of your best fantasy players this year if you want SOLID first round picks.

Hmmmmm...... good thread!!

[Highway66]

Nope when the skins stink i get literally ill... I guess my winnig of a fantasy league would be a nice consolation but i would rather a skinz win

[SkinsNut73]

I never have, nor will I ever root against the Redskins.

My first year playing fantasy football I could not make the draft, so my brother picked for me in my place. He drafted Jay Novacek at TE. Do you know how hard it was rooting for a Cowboy to do well? I couldn't do it. And I tried to trade him...but everyone in the league thought it was funny that I had a Cowboy on my team and they refused to deal with me :mad:

Since then, I don't draft from NFC East teams.

And when one of my studs is playing against the Skins I start them....but I hate having to do it. The worst was Stephen Davis...I had him the year he went to the Panthers...and we lost that game against the Panthers where Davis "scored" the TD when he didn't cross the goal line. Ugh!


....on another note...my only championship title came when I had Michael Westbrook in 1999. The long TD he caught against the Niners on the Sunday night game was the winning score in my Super Bowl...it's the only good thing that bum ever did.