When Carlos Quentin rammed into Zack Greinke, breaking the pitcher's collarbone, Ryan Schroeder's thoughts immediately turned to his fantasy baseball team.
After all, Schroeder had just lost his second-best pitcher 10 days into the season.
"Are you kidding me?" Schroeder, of Fond du Lac, remembers thinking. "I can't believe this is happening already."
Such are the thoughts of modern-day sports fans. They aren't just rooting for their favorite teams anymore. They've got fantasy team players and NCAA brackets to worry about, too.
There's nothing new about fans picking NCAA brackets or playing fantasy sports ? where they draft their teams and compete against each other based on their players' performance. But there seems to be little doubt these activities have helped rev up fans' personal involvement in the games they watch.
For those who saw their sports careers end in high school, selecting a fantasy team is a way to stay involved in the games, said Mike Wickett, co-host of the "Chuck and Wickett" morning talk show on SportsRadio 1250 WSSP-AM.
"We can't all be running backs, but we can all be GMs. We can all try to be (Packers general manager) Ted Thompson," Wickett said.
The Internet and social media have brought an explosion of information about sports, which has only elevated fans' interest.
Drew Olson, who co-hosts "The D-List" talk show on ESPN 540-AM, worked at the Milwaukee Journal and Journal Sentinel for almost two decades, including 12 years covering the Brewers. He recalls the packet of information he would get from the team before games. It was a set of detailed statistics that went only to beat writers.
"Now everyone has that," he said. "The guys who are in 10 fantasy football leagues know as much about the game as the guys who cover it for a living."
Sports talk radio is everywhere ? Milwaukee now has three such stations ? and if you're not near your radio, you can follow the chatter online or on your smart phone.
You can listen ? and debate ? constantly.
"Social media has been huge for that. Before you know it, there are 25 opinions up there," Wickett said.
"It's deepened people's connections to the teams they like and the leagues they like," Olson said. "It's made the diehards dig in even more. It's made you a hyper-aware fan."
When things go wrong for fans' teams, "there's still a throw-the-bum-out mentality. That hasn't changed that much," he said. "But there's more depth to the discussion."
Teams have noticed. In a new stadium proposal, the Atlanta Falcons have included fantasy football kiosks where fans would be able to get up-to-the-second statistics of all games.
This increased interest in sports is just part of life for fantasy league players.
"When I watch football, I'm way more involved," said Matt Huffaker of Oconomowoc, a UW-Whitewater student and fantasy football team owner.
On a typical Sunday, he'll have his iPad out, not to mention his iPhone and iPod. He doesn't want to miss anything.
Fellow UW-Whitewater student Kelley Kula of New Berlin shares the feeling.
"You think it's relaxation Sunday. You're not relaxing at all."
With their personal connection ? not to mention there's usually a little money at stake ? fans tune in to games they might not normally watch.
"I could care less about the Chargers and Broncos. But if I have a Broncos receiver, you can bet I'm paying attention to that game," Wickett said.
"They're more invested now," Olson said of today's fans. "You're not going to bed on Monday night. You're staying up to see if your running back gains another 50 yards."
Fans also face the dilemma of their fantasy player going against their favorite team.
"They say, 'I want the Packers to win, but I want the running back on the other team to score three touchdowns.' You're seeing that play out all the time," Olson said.
Aside from the joy of winning a little spending cash, there's another reason fans enjoy this closer connection to the games they watch.
Winning your fantasy league or finishing first in the office NCAA pool is kind of cool.
"It gives you bragging rights more than anything. You can hold it over people for the next year," said Jeff Mueller of Wisconsin Rapids, a sales rep for Nestle and fantasy football team owner.
Of course, all this makes it hard not to take the losses personally.
Mueller was betting on the Big Ten ? Wisconsin and Indiana in particular ? to do heavy damage when he filled out his brackets for the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
"Wisconsin kind of screwed me over," he said, recalling the Badgers' loss in their first game to Mississippi.
There are the players that fantasy owners love.
Schroeder has been enjoying every second of Jean Segura's season. He stole the young Brewers shortstop , who is hitting .333, with a later-round draft pick in his fantasy league.
If the Brewers game is on in the background, Schroeder stops whatever he is doing to watch Segura hit.
There also are the players that can't be forgiven.
Huffaker has no love for San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree.
In a playoff game vs. New Orleans in January 2012, Huffaker needed Crabtree to have just 30 yards in receptions to move on to his fantasy league's championship and a shot at the $500 pot.
"I'm a cheap, broke college student, so that's a lot of money," he said.
Crabtree ended the day with 25 yards receiving, knocking Huffaker out.
"I was driving in my car, listening and getting so mad. I still think about it."
With all this passion, the players sometimes hear about it.
Packers running back Alex Green said some fans he met during the team's off-season Tailgate Tour told him that he helped their fantasy team.
"Other people came up to me and said I lost them their game or their season," Green said. "I can't be mad at them. It's just their honest opinion."
Through the wins and losses, players performing well or disappointing, there are still some unbreakable tenets in the world of modern-day sports fans.
"You don't draft a Bear. No. 1 rule," Kula said
Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
FANTASY FANATICS
Fans aren't shy about expressing their feelings about the players on their fantasy teams. Here are a few examples:
"That's not what I'm paying Chris Johnson for."
? Mike Wickett, local sports talk show host, in September 2012 after the Titans' running back gained 4 yards rushing against the Patriots
"At the hospital getting an MRI, and security tells me (I) hurt his fantasy (team) by not playing yesterday ? complete lack of interest in the fact that I was at a hospital."
? Tweet from Seahawks receiver Braylon Edwards
"My 2012 fantasy football draft class."
? Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria when asked by SI.com what he was least thankful for at Thanksgiving
"I love you Aaron Rodgers."
? Tweet from a fantasy team owner Dec. 23, 2012, in the midst of the Packers' 55-0 thumping of Tennessee. Rodgers threw for 342 yards and three TDs and ran for another score.
"I'm really angry with (Josh) Hamilton right now."
? Ryan Schroeder of Fond du Lac, whose fantasy team includes the Angels' outfielder, who was was hitting .222 with seven homers and 17 RBI at the time
Erin Go Bragh St Patrick lisa vanderpump Dancing With the Stars 2013 NIT Bracket March Madness 2013 bracket March Madness 2013
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন