Anybody who has listened to my rants over the years knows that I have been playing fantasy sports since 1989. Over the last 27 years I have seen this game grow to levels I could have never imagined all those years ago. Back then this was just a game a few of us nerds played in order to pretend like we were real managers and general managers. Fantasy sports were looked down upon and made fun of by pro athletes, broadcasters, reporters, writers and, basically, most adults in general. It was “Dungeons & Dragons” for want-to-be jocks.
But over all of these years something strange has happened. Fantasy sports have grown exponentially. There are over 50 million people who play some form of fantasy sports today. In fact, fantasy sports are a billion dollar industry that very few laugh about or talk down about today. We have a trade association, lobbyists, a radio station, television shows, our own television network and a bustling infrastructure that is the envy of the entire sporting world. Well, minus all of the recent daily game lawsuits and such, of course, but you get my drift. Oh, and remember those athletes who used to talk down about fantasy and act as if it was a game for losers? Well, now they are begging to get on our airwaves and promote their crappy products and even to discuss fantasy sports strategies with the audience.
In fact, it’s hard to believe that just a decade ago none of the major sports leagues wanted to embrace fantasy sports. Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) actually sued for the right to protect player statistics from the evil fantasy sports players and industry. They lost, of course, and eventually MLB just like the NFL, NBA and NHL have realized that fantasy sports are terrific for their product.
I can remember not too long ago trying to get a press pass for a late season Chicago White Sox game where the paid attendance was less than 13,000 people with less than half of that in the actual crowd. I was laughed at when I mentioned that I had wanted to cover the game for the now defunct fantasy site that I was working for at the time. Access denied.
Fast forward just a few years to an opportunity that I had to become the official “Social Media Correspondent” of the Chicago Cubs. All of a sudden all of that baseball knowledge and expertise was being not only no longer funny but an asset to a big league club. Of course, I had to decline this opportunity when they basically told me that I would have to sit in the stands for every home game and would receive no special access to the front office of players. Oh, and I’d have to pay for parking at the stadium which literally would have cost about $12 less than what they were going to pay me.
Through all of these experiences I have learned something about what it is that we in the fantasy sports industry do. We are pushing sports forward. Think about the last time you either went to a game or watched one on TV. How prevalent was the out-of-town scoreboard at the park? Was there a scrolling ticker updating you on all of the latest need to know information at the bottom of the screen? Fantasy sports are the reason for these items as well as so much more. Newer stadiums are literally being built with complete high speed Wi-Fi and a fantasy sports café prominently featured.
It’s not just the fantasy game aspect, either, that is changing the way sports are played, watched and covered. How many of you have read the book or seen the movie “Moneyball” about Billy Beane and his Oakland A’s? The entire premise of “Moneyball” is based on Bill James advanced analytics and sabermetrics. These are the same tools most of use to crush our fantasy leagues and take home big prize pools in daily fantasy sports. In the years that followed Billy Beane and Paul DePodesta became household names and set the trend for the new age of professional sports.
These days every front office of every team in every league has a dedicated staff to advanced analytics. Teams are investing millions of dollars into programming and researching new and useful metrics that can aid in getting an advantage over the competition. The nerds have won!
I say all of this because it’s important to me that all of you understand the direction sports are heading. It’s not longer OK to call yourself a sports writer, reporter, broadcaster or analyst and simply tell us how Mike Trout is “good.” The days of lazy reporting and phony analysis are over.
Even the most casual of sports fans these days want to know the “why” part of the games that they love. Manny Machado broke out in 2015 and is now one of the most valuable third basemen in MLB.
Well yeah we all know that. But why did he break out in 2015?
Old school analysis would be something along the lines of Manny Machado filling out his body more and getting stronger. At least that is how most old school scouts would perceive his accomplishments last season.
But the truth is because he took nearly three times as many pitches as he did in any of his previous two full seasons. This led to more bases on balls and an improved understanding of the strike zone. By generating favorable counts (2-0, 2-1, etc.) Machado was able to gear up and instead of simply making contact, he was able to sell out on power to make the pitcher pay.
Modern day sports analysis must have an understanding of all of these advanced metrics and statistics. As much as I love Charles Barkley’s candid analysis during NBA telecasts, the fact that he doesn’t have any concept of what a player’s rim percentage or true shooting percentage makes him a dinosaur to the modern fan.
The future of sports talk and sports analysis is already here. Those of us leading the fantasy sports industry right now will be the ones who push the sporting industry forward. It is no longer OK to not know. This holds true for sports as it does for many other aspects of life as well. The statistics that we currently use for our niche purpose of winning our fantasy leagues are also being used in the front offices across all the major sporting leagues. This is no coincidence either.
It’s about time we all expect more out of those who provide our sports content. Don’t you think that local sports radio hosts should be able to recite what a player’s wOBA against that day’s starting pitcher is? Shouldn’t the local beat writer know how many pitches per plate appearance the leadoff hitter sees currently as well as historically? Why don’t television (or radio) broadcasters know the ball/strike ratios of that day’s home plate umpire? Wouldn’t this knowledge make the commentary and, more importantly, the game more interesting for you the viewer?
I don’t know about all of you but I’ve grown tired of all the hacks that pretend to be sports analysts. I’m tired of watching a game or reading an article from somebody who has only a caveman-like understanding of the sport. The world spins and people evolve and it is about damn time that the sports industry does as well. The game is being played on another level than it was twenty years ago. Thus, it is about damn time that we stop settling for this 1990 version of sports talk.
I urge all of you to challenge these guys. Seriously, and you can start with me if you like. You must put us all on the spot as often as you can. Be respectful, of course, but ask the most important question over and over, “Why?”
Why do you think that Carlos Correa will regress this season?
Why do you hate Kevin Kiermaier hitting leadoff?
Why is Shane Greene having such a hot start to the season?
Why do you think the Red Sox will win the AL East this year?
The days of settling for “because I said so” analysis are over. We have come so far from the days when I started playing fantasy sports and recording my scores from the morning newspaper. Back then we would settle for any analysis that we could get. But today we’ve got a wealth of important metrics at our very fingertips and it’s time to rise up and start demanding more.
Fantasy analysts have been leading the way for the better part of the last decade when it comes to true sports analysis. It’s only fitting that we begin to infiltrate and take over the way all sports talk is done.
Whether you agree and want more in-depth analysis from your sports commentators, or disagree and think that analytics are witchcraft it doesn’t really matter because this was just One MANS Opinion.