Team ownership a reality for fantasy baseball enthusiasts

photo of Aaron Bartlett Sports Editor
Aaron Bartlett
Mesa Legend

According to Tom McFeeley, fantasy baseball in its simplest explanation can be seen as the collection of actual baseball outcomes by means of using various baseball statistics to determine who has the best “team” of players.  “Usually teams are chosen either in a draft form or in an auction-style, overall, it’s an entirely new way to watch and appreciate the game, said McFeeley”  Tom McFeeley is author and fantasy baseball expert of the E-book Fantasy Baseball 2015: Scratching the Surface which he calls a great resource for Fantasy baseball beginners or veterans.  “21 years ago when baseball was going through its steroid era, and there was labor unrest in the sport, it was getting hard to watch baseball the traditional way, said McFeeley.”   It just so happened that I found Fantasy Baseball during that time and get instantly hooked.  I think people play fantasy baseball because it gives them a reason to pay closer attention to the sport or their team.

Cartoon of baseball players.
Illustration by Sebastian Miguel

If you have “skin in the game,” either the competition of it, or often money or prizes, you begin to watch the game differently than a typical fan. The reason why I have continued to play fantasy baseball is because I love the competition.  Also because I’ve studied baseball since I was four and I’m as fascinated not only by the outcomes of the game, but in the probabilities of how a player or a team will perform over the whole season.  Which gives me reason to watch teams and players that are different than the one I root for.   For me I like that it’s fantasy baseball is always an unpredictable game.  Sure, we draft players mostly by their statistics from last season, but the fun is trying to figure out who will perform better or worse and why.

To me one must have a love and passion of the game and the math skills of a second grader if they want to play.  This season, we are welcoming a 13-year-old to our league.  I think kids of any ages can play (though kids should be in “family” leagues or leagues made up of other kids around their age).   Many adults take the game (and money) seriously, so having a 13-year-old mess up your draft or you winning a championship won’t sit well with many older folks.  If you feel like you want to join in the fun and addicting world of fantasy baseball one should use the first year as a learning experience.  So for me fantasy baseball can be wrapped up in these three words  “extreme, fan and enjoyment.  Fantasy baseball fills a void in his life said Raymond Bosak Yahoo fantasy baseball player I have been involved with baseball since I was 4 years old.  While in high school my buddy actually got me involved in this and I haven’t stopped since.  The main reason why I still play fantasy baseball is because I love the sport itself.

 

  • Mesa Legend Staff

    These are archived stories from Mesa Legend editions before Fall 2018. See article for corresponding author.

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