More than 20 million Americans play Fantasy Baseball -- but for several years now, I've felt there's something wrong with the concept of Fantasy Baseball, in which participants pretend to be owners and manage a team comprised of real players. The point is to outscore the other teams in your league based on how the actual players do in real life.
The problem, I think, is that while participants get to imagine what it's like to manage a roster of players, the game of baseball remains the same. It takes a lot of effort to compete in Fantasy Baseball -- so much so that there a subscription-based websites dedicated not to Major League Baseball but to Fantasy Baseball statistics and articles just to give you insights to compete against people in your Fantasy Baseball League. While some leagues do pay the winner a nominal fee if your team comes in first, you could spend real money to compete in an imaginary league.
The problem, from my perspective, is if you're going to spend real money and put in a lot of time into Fantasy Baseball, you should, at a minimum, come up with some ideas to improve the game, ways to make what once was America's pastime more interesting and compelling.
So please check out my latest article, "Welcome to Fantasy Baseball 2019," that includes some of the following recommendations:
The problem, I think, is that while participants get to imagine what it's like to manage a roster of players, the game of baseball remains the same. It takes a lot of effort to compete in Fantasy Baseball -- so much so that there a subscription-based websites dedicated not to Major League Baseball but to Fantasy Baseball statistics and articles just to give you insights to compete against people in your Fantasy Baseball League. While some leagues do pay the winner a nominal fee if your team comes in first, you could spend real money to compete in an imaginary league.
The problem, from my perspective, is if you're going to spend real money and put in a lot of time into Fantasy Baseball, you should, at a minimum, come up with some ideas to improve the game, ways to make what once was America's pastime more interesting and compelling.
So please check out my latest article, "Welcome to Fantasy Baseball 2019," that includes some of the following recommendations:
- Shorten the game: Fans have to get some sleep – not during the game – something not possible with games longer than “Lord of the Rings.” (Average length of an MLB game in 2017 was 3 hours 8 minutes; “Lord of the Rings III” runs 3 hours 20 minutes). Games will now stop after 2:45 hours regardless of the inning.
- Require Teams to Have Cooler Names and Logos: Are fans of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox really rooting for an article of clothing? (How about something more relevant, like baseball caps? If not, how about spelling socks correctly?) Meanwhile the White Sox logo doesn’t even depict something that looks like a sock, so what’s the point?
- Update "Take Me Out to the Ball Game": Baseball loves its history but to appeal to younger fans, update the song to reflect what fans in the stands are really buying (it’s not peanuts and Cracker Jack). Might as well update the second to last line because no true fan feels that if the home team doesn’t win, “it’s a shame.”
