The Omnibus

Issue date: 10/7/04 Section: Sports

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Lately I have watched an interesting phenomenon sweeping society, as sports fans slowly evolve into nerds. You have probably observed them as well--poor souls who, after sitting and witnessing an amazing game on TV, will invariably turn the conversation to how its outcome will affect their fantasy team.

This phenomenon adds a whole new dimension to the ailments of stereotypical sports fans whose recliner-lounging ways may have side effects such as a beer belly, clogged arteries and dysfunctional family situations. Now added to this list is carpel tunnel syndrome and badly hunched-over posture.

Besides causing participants to become annoying conversationalists who constantly refer to their standing in a competition no one cares about, I find the fantasy sports craze disturbing because the game is highly unrealistic.

In fantasy sports, final scores are based on the individual performance of each player in real life. This perpetuates the philosophy that a team is nothing more than the sum of its parts. It ignores the importance of good coaching and planning how to work together to best use the strength of each player.

In reality, no man's achievements on the field are his alone. Without a good offensive line, a quarterback has no time to make a good pass. When an outfielder leaps into the stands to catch a near home run, he helps keep the ERA of the pitcher at a minimum. The actions of every player, whether good or bad, affect all of the other players on the team.

It is unrealistic to say that what a person did in one game is what they would have done in another situation. Many events would never have taken place if someone had reacted a little differently or had the timing been slightly off.

For example, one of my all-time favorite baseball moments occurred when an unfortunate dove crossed paths with a Randy Johnson fastball and erupted into a cloud of feathers and then went falling to the ground. Had anything at all been different in the timing, this could not have happened. The entertainment value of sports comes largely from knowing that anything can happen at anytime.

The scoring system also drains sports of their romance and excitement. Take, for example, the plot of your typical movie about an underdog sports team. You have a group of misfits who, thanks to perseverance, unity, hard work and inspiring background music, come together and make it to the top. Such a scenario is not really possible with a fantasy team.

Though the name "fantasy" gives the impression of something imaginative and wonderful, in essence, it reduces the game to nothing but numbers and distracts from the excitement of reality.

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