My Fantasy Sports Addiction

There comes a time in everybody's life when they are forced to take a step back and contemplate the particular set of circumstances that have conspired to make up the gist of said life. Having said that, does anybody know if there is a 12-step program I can work for my ongoing addiction to...

Fantasy sports at ESPN

Back in 1997 I drafted my first fantasy sports team. It was a baseball draft, held at night on ESPN. My dad had talked me into joining a league he was in, so I decided to give it a try. I've been hooked ever since.

I drafted my team in a computer lab on the campus of UNLV, jumping back and forth between two different computers, because one of them kept crashing and needing occasional reboots. I'm sure a few heads were turned, as I monopolized those two computers, but I didn't care; I was living in the moment.

When the draft ended, I went to French class and took an exam. I don't remember what I got on that test, but I can tell you probably at least 5 players I drafted that night and how they performed for me throughout the season. From that point forward I was hooked.

When it comes to playing fantasy sports, nobody beats ESPN for overall accessibility and functionality. Not many people will readily admit that, because that's like saying you like other giant monopoly types, like Microsoft, The New York Yankees and the utility companies.

There's no getting around it, though. ESPN is the best. I've been using them since 1997, and I've tried countless others. This is not to say that other fantasy sporting sites don't have some fine features, it's just that ESPN far surpasses the rest.

What ESPN offers the casual and rabid fantasy goers

ESPN fantasy sports can be broken down into 3 categories: A, B & C. Pretty simple stuff.

*Category A sports - These fantasy sports require the participants to pay for the privilege of competing for prizes. Last year(2009) I won my fantasy football league (1 out of 10 ain't bad, I suppose), so ESPN sent me a t-shirt as a prize. ESPN is not a gambling site, so if you're in it for the money, you'll have to find your competition elsewhere.

Category A

Fantasy football

Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy Hockey

Fantasy Basketball

*Category B - Breaks down into other major sports that will attract fans that want to compete, but who would never dream of paying for the privilege.

Category B

Nascar and other racing games

Bass fishing (Yes, I have a bass fishing team)

Soccer / Football

*Category C - Can best be described as tournament type competitions. Right now the 2010 Winter Olympics are underway, so there's a fantasy game at ESPN that'll allow you to pick the winners of several daily competitions. The winner is the player with the most correct picks at the end of the games. That person will probably win a TV or something like that. I usually finish in the top 90th percentile in these games when I put my mind to it, but I've never really flirted with the top prize; That's Ken Jennings territory, if Ken Jennings were into fantasy sports. You get my point.

Category C

NCAA March Madness Brackets

Olympic games

World Cup Soccer

Other miscellaneous fantasy games

ESPN is also currently running a game they call "Streak for the cash" which allows people to pick one game at a time throughout the day, while trying to amass the longest streak during the month. This sounds easy, but I've been playing this game for almost a year, and my longest streak is 12 games.

Typically, the monthly winner will end up around 20 wins. ESPN used to run the Streak for an extended period of time, but then it seemed to drag on too long. Then, they would pay out $2000 for the Streaker with the most wins in the month, not necessarily consecutively. Now, they just pay $100,000 to the Streaker with the longest consecutive monthly streak AND a monthly overall total winner.

When you put it all together, ESPN comes up with a ranking system it calls its UBER rating, wherein it compiles a competitor's scores through a calendar year based on the games they've played. I routinely finish in the 99.9% That's not bragging; That's pointing to the title of this Hub, and the addiction to the hobby of fantasy sports. Truth be told, I've gotten away from it over the past few years, ever since I discovered internet marketing and The 'Four Word Film Review' . My love of all things film related has soothed the savage fantasy beast, as it were.

So, there's much to choose from at ESPN from a fantasy perspective. The great part about playing there is the unlimited resources at your fingertips for researching games and players. Check it out if you think you might be interested; It's a great way to pass the time.

Like I said, I've tried other sites, but I always gravitate back to ESPN. Every year, in fact, a friend of mine runs a league at some other online sports site, a big-name one even, but it's a little disappointing in the end. It's like growing up eating Hostess cakes, then marrying somebody who's always buying little Debbie or Tastee Cakes, etc. It just isn't the same, and they just don't get the message when you try to clue them in on how it's supposed to be done.

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