Watching sports, whether live and in person or on television, can definitely be enjoyable. Most fans love following their favorite team through each season and, hopefully, the postseason as well. Whether it is collegiate or professional play, sports fans love to devote their time and attention to their favorite teams and athletes.
During the NCAA basketball tournament, fans and non-fans alike take it a step further, participating in bracket challenges across the country, in workplaces, schools, families and within groups of friends. More than three million people filled out brackets on ESPN.com last year.
Many fans also apply their sports analytics skills to fantasy sports leagues, taking chances and betting on individual players. Why do fans devote so much time outside of actually watching the games to this extra dimension of sports? What is the draw?
Since the vast majority of people will never be high-level athletes, bracket pools and fantasy sports let us live vicariously through our favorite athletes and teams. Sports video games build on this effect, with most sports video game franchises allowing you to create your own players and follow them through an entire career.
Each year, for the past few years, I have filled out an NCAA Tournament bracket. Even though I do not follow collegiate basketball very closely, I love to do a little research and try to predict which teams will succeed.
Fantasy sports, however, do not have much draw for me. Sports should very much be about the team and the team’s successes and failures.
Fantasy sports put a lot of weight behind each individual player and their personal statistics. The main reason I stay away from fantasy sports leagues, however, is simply the amount of maintenance involved. I can fill out a bracket then watch it quickly turn red before my eyes as all of my chosen teams get sent home. With a fantasy sports team, I have to pay attention to dozens of players’ performances over the course of a whole season, and be ready to make smart trades to increase my chances of winning by the end of the season.
I do understand the main appeal behind fantasy sports, however. The reasons behind joining a fantasy league seem to be the same as those behind joining a bracket pool: bragging rights, some sense of personal accomplishment and a communal level of activity beyond simply watching the games.