Fantasy Sports: I'll Make a Hero Out of You

            Fantasy sports are inherently mythological, so it only makes sense that communicative mythologies in sports function in fantasy sports as well. While participants’ motivations for playing differ, there is an underlying desire to win that takes root in human nature. The level of intensity varies among the four fantasy communities established by Billings, Butterworth, and Turman: statistical enthusiasts, fan-first players, the homers, and the “socialists.” Because fantasy sports allow participants to create and manage a “dream team,” their involvement is primarily personal, unlike real sports where involvement is with/for a group. Like a story where fantasy sports participants are the main character with limited control over the plot, there are many opportunities to become the hero of their individual stories, conscious or not. All fantasy sports participants are entangled in the classic mythological powers of heroism, and like their motivations to play differ, so do the plots of their stories.

Equating victory with heroism, statistical enthusiasts want to build their resume. The complexity of their participation shows a strong desire to win. This community typically invests more interest in fantasy sports as opposed to real sports, which suggests superiority over the personnel in head of real teams. Thus, fantasy sports are the job of stat enthusiasts, and the more leagues they win, the more their personal heroic identity is manufactured. When looking at the individual stories of this community, heroism is in positive correlation with number of wins.

Fan first players remain more loyal to their real teams than stat enthusiasts, so there are situations where their desire to win in fantasy sports dwindles. However, these participants root ideally for a situation where both teams succeed. Their chances of reaching hero status double (hypothetically) because participants have interest in both real and fantasy sports. Fan-first players achieve hero status with fantasy wins similar to stat enthusiasts, but real teams, keep in mind, represent participants’ identities, and a real win is much sweeter in their eyes. Either way, this community’s heroic status is based on a ‘W’.

Homers are perhaps the most dedicated to creating a story worth telling. Unlike fan first players, they root solely for the success of both teams by selecting their real team’s players for their fantasy team. This type of involvement illustrates more of an epic journey than the first two communities. Homers believe they become heroic through their loyalty to the team. Every year they don’t win makes the winning year sweeter, because homers have dual interest in their favorite teams.

“Socialists” are only interested in fantasy sports for the social aspect. Their interest in winning is much lower than the other fantasy communities; however, their winning of the fantasy league could lead to increased social life. If the participant is friendly and sociable, increased social life holds hero status because they’re meeting people (a win in their column). If the participant is shy, perhaps winning the fantasy league at work could motivate them to overcome their shyness, a heroic act in itself.

As we’ve seen, fantasy sports offer many opportunities for participants to feel good enough to claim hero status. Although participants may not always be aware of their drive for heroism, it is undoubtedly nestled somewhere in their souls and shows in both real and fantasy sports.