Long Live the People
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:30 pm
Every Monday -- OK, who am I kidding, once a week I will drop by and post an essay that will somehow, some way be related to fantasy baseball. Today's is a short editorial on the state of our wonderful hobby.
_____________________________________
Sorry I’m late gang, it was a very busy week at the day job. And on top of that, I started to do something I should have been all along. There’s a word for it, it will come to me. Help me out here – what’s the word for doing something you don’t want to do, even though it is incredibly important and actually really isn’t THAT bad once you try it? Oh wait, I remember. The word is exercise.
When I first started making a name in the fantasy baseball industry, I thought it was kind of cool that I could pick up a magazine and say, “Hey, I know some of these guys.” Then I was able to say, “Hey, I’ve been drinking with some of these guys.” Then after seeing my name and picture inside one, it was more like, “Holy cow, I am one of these guys.”
It’s “these guys” that I want to talk about a little bit today. I was once asked what is the most surprising aspect about the fantasy baseball industry, something those on the outside may not know. Hands down, it is the incredible camaraderie and symbiotic relationships that permeate through the fantasy baseball brethren. On one hand, we are all in the same business, fighting for your hard-earned dollar. But you would not know it if you saw us hanging out together at an AFL ballgame in November, or the pre-LABR draft get together at Hooters, or the post-LABR party in the Rotoworld suite, or hanging out at the FSTA meetings, or playing poker during Tout Wars weekend. You would never know we were business foes if you were in the same restaurant as us during our annual venture into New York City’s Little Italy the Friday night before Tout Wars. Look at the dedication of any Fantasy Baseball related publication and right before the author’s family is rightfully honored, there is a long list of industry colleagues thanked. We do guest appearances on a rival’s radio show or do a chat on their web site. Even though he has a staff of capable presenters, Ron Shandler invites several of us to speak and promote our site’s services at his November First Pitch Forum in Arizona and the upcoming spring tour.
I’ve been around the block a little bit in my forty-something years, yet I have not seen any other business with such complete openness and sharing of information. Many of these individuals feed their families, put a roof over their head and put their kids through school with the money they make here. I just don’t know of any other vocation where the list of one’s business rivals and good friends would have such a large cross-section of identical names.
All this said, going forward, I have a concern. As Cindy Lauper once sang, “money changes everything” and the business of fantasy baseball is becoming big business – very big business in fact. And as most of us know, with big money and big business comes a certain amount of ruthlessness. I just hope as a group we’re able to hold true to our roots and never give up the relationships described earlier.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not naïve. I realize I can’t have it both ways. I am quite pleased the industry has taken off in the manner it has. And while I am not nearly as plugged in as others, I have seen instances of “business is business.” The landscape is changing, mostly for the better. But money talks. I just hope those who have more recently recognized the financial opportunity presented by fantasy sports in general realize the driving force of the industry is the people. And the heartbeat that keeps the people together is the wonderful relationships, both business and personal, that have nurtured this once passing fad into a booming industry. Money cannot drive this industry – people have got to continue to drive it. Sorry, but this is one business that cannot be outsourced or computer driven. You can’t press 1 for AL advice or 2 for NL advice.
Long live the people.
[ February 23, 2007, 08:35 PM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]
_____________________________________
Sorry I’m late gang, it was a very busy week at the day job. And on top of that, I started to do something I should have been all along. There’s a word for it, it will come to me. Help me out here – what’s the word for doing something you don’t want to do, even though it is incredibly important and actually really isn’t THAT bad once you try it? Oh wait, I remember. The word is exercise.
When I first started making a name in the fantasy baseball industry, I thought it was kind of cool that I could pick up a magazine and say, “Hey, I know some of these guys.” Then I was able to say, “Hey, I’ve been drinking with some of these guys.” Then after seeing my name and picture inside one, it was more like, “Holy cow, I am one of these guys.”
It’s “these guys” that I want to talk about a little bit today. I was once asked what is the most surprising aspect about the fantasy baseball industry, something those on the outside may not know. Hands down, it is the incredible camaraderie and symbiotic relationships that permeate through the fantasy baseball brethren. On one hand, we are all in the same business, fighting for your hard-earned dollar. But you would not know it if you saw us hanging out together at an AFL ballgame in November, or the pre-LABR draft get together at Hooters, or the post-LABR party in the Rotoworld suite, or hanging out at the FSTA meetings, or playing poker during Tout Wars weekend. You would never know we were business foes if you were in the same restaurant as us during our annual venture into New York City’s Little Italy the Friday night before Tout Wars. Look at the dedication of any Fantasy Baseball related publication and right before the author’s family is rightfully honored, there is a long list of industry colleagues thanked. We do guest appearances on a rival’s radio show or do a chat on their web site. Even though he has a staff of capable presenters, Ron Shandler invites several of us to speak and promote our site’s services at his November First Pitch Forum in Arizona and the upcoming spring tour.
I’ve been around the block a little bit in my forty-something years, yet I have not seen any other business with such complete openness and sharing of information. Many of these individuals feed their families, put a roof over their head and put their kids through school with the money they make here. I just don’t know of any other vocation where the list of one’s business rivals and good friends would have such a large cross-section of identical names.
All this said, going forward, I have a concern. As Cindy Lauper once sang, “money changes everything” and the business of fantasy baseball is becoming big business – very big business in fact. And as most of us know, with big money and big business comes a certain amount of ruthlessness. I just hope as a group we’re able to hold true to our roots and never give up the relationships described earlier.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not naïve. I realize I can’t have it both ways. I am quite pleased the industry has taken off in the manner it has. And while I am not nearly as plugged in as others, I have seen instances of “business is business.” The landscape is changing, mostly for the better. But money talks. I just hope those who have more recently recognized the financial opportunity presented by fantasy sports in general realize the driving force of the industry is the people. And the heartbeat that keeps the people together is the wonderful relationships, both business and personal, that have nurtured this once passing fad into a booming industry. Money cannot drive this industry – people have got to continue to drive it. Sorry, but this is one business that cannot be outsourced or computer driven. You can’t press 1 for AL advice or 2 for NL advice.
Long live the people.
[ February 23, 2007, 08:35 PM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]
All kidding aside as I watched the fantasy sport world grow over the years I have noticed how people in the industry do participate together in each other's business indeavors and probably is one of the reason why, if not the main reason, the industry has grown so large and will probably continue to grow. I also think if people's head to too big or the industry begins to get cutthroat for the money. Those people could risk alienating themselves from the rest of the industry and possibly hurting there business as people refuse to work with them. Obviously only time will tell but hopefully the money won't go to peoples head and the industry continues to strength. Which I think everyone see no signs of slowing down.