First off, thanks to AJ for starting with the 2010 team previews, and to JP for getting this season rolling; the latter's post was provocative enough that I didn't feel satisfied with the comments section rejoinder that he requested, so here's my personal defense of fantasy baseball.Baseball (and pretty much every audience-centric sport) retains its popularity due partly to the fact that it's fun to talk about it with other fans. The examples are obvious and subject to numerous writerly paeans: going to the stadium with your dad, watching the game at your friend's house or at your favorite bar with the colorful old locals who watched Willie Mays play, &c.
I believe the coolest part of fantasy baseball is how it widens the field of discourse. Prior the 2004 inauguration of my team, The Flying Stud Farm, I was guilty of the geographical myopia that infects most fans. There's no way I could have named for you the starting rotation on any American League team, but I'm pretty sure I knew what every starter on the Giants' favorite ice cream was at some point.
But with my involvement in fantasy baseball, suddenly the abilities of marginal players on other teams was of interest. Match-ups in games between the Royals and Rangers became interesting. In order to gain a competitive advantage in scouting new talent, I familiarized myself with each team's farm system and discovered the pleasures of following multiple levels of minor league baseball. I found out that explaining performance as the result of
And while I will concede that this level of engagement does change one's rooting interests in many cases, I posit that it's usually from general apathy to active engagement. Someone who roots for his or her fantasy superstars over a hometown team is a self-centered douche, whose obnoxious behavior is due to vanity way more than any sort of structural flaw inherent in imaginary leagues. If you approach fantasy baseball like a real, passionate fan, it can make you a smarter fan.
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