Sports > May 1, 2008

By Forrest Kobayashi | Contributing writer

In today’s world, there is no denying the fact that the professional sports leagues of America are extremely popular.

The National Football League and Major League Baseball are two leagues that garner a great deal of attention on a national level. One of the reasons for a wide and diverse fan following is due to the presence of fantasy sports.

What are fantasy sports exactly, you ask? Fantasy sports are games where several individuals (owners) build teams that compete against other members teams, based on the real-life statistical performance of those players.

For instance, a fantasy baseball league would use the statistical production of real players in Major League Baseball. Points or category totals are totaled, and a winner of the “league,” or group of owners, is determined.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to own your own professional sports team?

One of the big draws for fantasy sports is that each owner has complete control over his/her team. Trading, cutting and signing players are just three of the abilities an owner has. If one of your players isn’t playing to your liking, feel free to cut him for another player.

Be warned: that player you cut can then be picked up by another owner and placed on their roster. This active adding-dropping idea keeps the league exciting all year long.

Fantasy sports certainly have made a massive impact on America.

A recent study by the Fantasy Sports Trade Commission estimates that 19.4 million people over the age of 12 in the U.S. and Canada alone play fantasy sports, which is a staggering number.

So what is the appeal to playing fantasy sports? Some people play with the intent to win prizes or money.

Some people play for something to cheer for on game days. Others look to bring families or groups of old friends closer together.

Whatever the case, fantasy sports provide a great way for a fan of any sport to become more connected to the sport of their choice.

Another benefit of fantasy sports is that you can find a game for nearly any sport you can imagine.

There are leagues for football, basketball, golf, NASCAR — heck, you name it, they probably have it.

Fantasy sports don’t just offer America addicting games, they are covered quite extensively in blogs, Web sites and other forms of media.

Fantasy sports have created an entire industry. ESPN brought in several fantasy sports experts to make predictions and recommendation to viewers.

Magazines and books are produced prior to the start of every fantasy season with the intent of helping fantasy owners prepare for their draft.

Personally, fantasy baseball and football have had a large impact on the way I view sports. Through participating in multiple leagues each season, I have found that I have strayed away from the idea of rooting for a specific team in any given sport. Instead, I find myself cheering for players on my fantasy squads.

“Rooting for laundry,” or rooting for a specific team, is becoming less and less of a norm as fantasy games continue to make a massive impact across the country. The great debate over whether one should root for their real-life team over a fantasy team has become quite an issue in sports fanatic world.

My obsession with fantasy games began around age 10, when I signed up for my first fantasy football league with Yahoo. I was instantly hooked.

One of the fondest memories of my childhood is loading my fantasy football team up with Rams players (to this day, my favorite NFL team) and rooting for them on Sundays.

Though I struggled my first year, I began to appreciate the uniqueness and thrill of such an awesome game.

Going into my 11th season playing fantasy sports, I have found myself more involved then ever. I read fantasy sports related magazines, books and blogs daily. I attended a live fantasy baseball forum to get a head start on the season.

I’ve invested nearly $300-$400 dollars in fantasy baseball and football leagues, materials and guides in the past year.

Are fantasy games the greatest games on earth?

Try your favorite sport out, you won’t be disappointed.