Fantasy Sports: The Salvation of the Sports Industry?

Like me, there are millions of people all around the world that enjoy playing fantasy sports. Call it a competitive spirit or just a way to waste some time contending against friends or strangers, fantasy sports has taken the world by storm. According to a 2008 research survey by Ipsos, there are nearly 29.9 million Americans that take part in fantasy sports and the total market impact of fantasy sports is just under $4.5 billion.

My introduction into fantasy sports came just over 11 years ago and I have been an avid fan ever since. I am not a person who plays for "big money" but I have won a little cash here and there. Before I ever started playing fantasy sports, I considered myself a die-hard sports fan. However, I didn't really pay all that much attention to watching games or following teams. I just loved sports - mostly because I loved to play them.

Looking back, I don't really think I was as much of a sports fan as I thought I was. In fact, if I was honest with myself, I was beginning to get sick and tired of all of the drama that surrounded professional sports and athletes. It seemed that every time I turned the TV on I would hear about a player holding out for more money on an already over-inflated million dollar contract. The love of the game was being overtaken by the love of money, and I was getting sick of it.

I have heard similar stories from many of my friends and colleagues as well. It seems that most people are generally in stark opposition to the way in which professional athletes have turned a game into nothing more than a business. I know many people that have stopped watching professional sports altogether because of it. I am sure that I would have followed suit had it not been for somebody introducing me to fantasy sports.

Although I still don't necessarily agree with the amount of money that professional athletes make, I do understand that it is all a matter of supply and demand. The greater the demand for sports, the more money players will be able to petition for. I also understand that my enjoyment of playing fantasy sports only serves to fan the flames that I once desired to flicker out. Yet, still I play.

Like me, I have known many others who would not have much to do with professional sports if it were not for fantasy sports. I am sure that my experience is not all that uncommon either. It seems to me that fantasy sports has been the greatest thing to happen to professional sports in quite some time. Playing fantasy sports allows a person to feel as if they're actually involved in the dynamics of a game, even if it is only on paper. It brings out a sense of commitment and a desire to watch sports like nothing else can.

In my personal opinion, I believe that fantasy sports has forever changed the future of sports for the better. It has provided an injection of much needed enthusiasm (not to mention money) that was beginning to wane a few years back. It has served to revitalize and industry that was beginning to be looked upon much the same way that "Wall Street" is today - as a place of insatiable greed.

So what do you think? Do you think that fantasy sports is good for the sports industry or do you think that it has only served to perpetuate something that should have been dead a long time ago? Has fantasy sports been the "economic bailout" of professional athletics? Please feel free to leave your comments and/or rebuttals.

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