The DraftKings And FanDuel Fantasy League Phenomenon: The Latest Chapter in the Sports Gambling Legalization Debate in America

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Baishampayan Ghos under CC BY-SA 2.0 License

Modern-day fantasy sports leagues have come a long way since their Rotisserie Days of Yore. As the New Millennium marches along you can't turn your television sets on without seeing an ad for some type of fantasy league trying to entice you-the consumer-into spending the All-Mighty American Dollar.  The two sports fantasy web sites that have made their imprint known over the last several months are DraftKings and FanDuel.


Of course with the growing popularity of sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel comes the question of whether fantasy sports leagues constitute a form of gambling?   If so, should it be viewed as a legalized form of gambling somewhere down the road? This is one of those topics where it seems there are a lot of gray areas. Since participating in fantasy leagues involves spending one's hard-earned cash and relying on an athlete's performance over a set amount of time in determining whether one wins or loses in said fantasy leagues, it would certainly seem possible  that you could make a case for fantasy sports leagues being considered a form of gambling.  On the other hand, it is important to recognize the value these fantasy leagues have in partnership with the four major professional sports leagues.  Fantasy sports itself has for years and will most likely continue to be an important part of the overall sports landscape for the forseeable future.


I know for myself as a consumer, I don't particularly see the allure of daily fantasy leagues.

Throughout my life I have watched sports for pure entertainment value without the desire to partake in gambling for the most part.  About the closest thing I've done in terms of sports gambling is betting on the horses at my local race track.  Sports gambling of any form is one of those things that should be done in moderation.  Whether or not fantasy leagues fall under the gambling distinction remains to be seen.  My only wish if this continues to be a hotly debated topic in the coming years is that it won't reach the Supreme Court level before something is decided one way or another.


Tim Musick
Copyright 2015
All Rights Reserved.

Hey Closeted Athletes!...Stop Worrying And Start Living!

Billy Bean-Major League Baseball's Ambassador of Inclusion.

Photo Courtesy of:Wikimedia and Greg Hernandez from California, CA, USA under CC BY 2.0 License

Baseball has Major League umpire Dale Scott, a veteran official with 30+ years of experience on the job and Billy Bean, Major League Baseball's Ambassador of Inclusion.  There's also minor league ballplayers David Denson in the Milwaukee Brewers organization and Sean Conroy of the Sonoma Stompers, an independent minor league team not affiliated with any of Major League Baseball's 30 clubs.  Football has Michael Sam.  Basketball has Jason Collins, referee Violet Palmer and Sheryl Swoopes. Soccer has Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe and Robbie Rogers. 

Abby Wambach 

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and Hmlarson under CC BY 3.0 License

If you're having trouble figuring out what these athletes and sports officials have in common, it is that they are all out of the closet when it comes to their sexuality while enjoying various degrees of success in their careers at this point in time.  This post isn't necessarily about those individuals who have shown a willingness and a certain comfort level to be open to the public about their lives, but rather those athletes or officials out there who for one reason or another still choose not to disclose that part of their personal lives. I should also mention that I'm not saying you should go about your daily life worrying about what others might think about you when it comes to how you feel about your own sexuality whether you are an athlete or not.  The choice of opening up that part of your life to others should be yours and yours alone to make.
  

As I've grown older and have continued to watch sports and media in general over the years, one thing I've come to realize is the power that any athlete celebrity or other public figure has as a role model to kids and adults of society at large.  Now I generally don't view any athlete or celebrity as a role model as it relates to my life because I believe that term should be reserved for someone in a person's life who they feel a close connection to such as a parent, teacher or other close relative, but I can certainly understand why some people in today's society would view athletes or other sports officials as potential role models-especially among younger sports fans who start to form their own beliefs and opinions about what goes on in the world around them at an early age.  To those other individuals who fall under the Public Figure category who identify (secretly or otherwise), themselves as members of the LGBT Community, I hope you realize the potential impact your story might have on someone's life down the road.


So as we wait for the next big name athlete or sports figure to open their closet door as society becomes even more accepting of these individuals than they already are, it is my hope that 10-20 years from now, what someone chooses to do in their personal life becomes a non-issue and people can be free to go about their daily lives however they choose to do so without the fear of being judged by others.


Tim Musick
Copyright 2015
All Rights Reserved.

The Toy Department of Life: Ranking The North American Four

Baseball.  Basketball.  Football.  Hockey.  In no particular, these 4 sports are what I like to refer to as the North American Four.  Soccer doesn't count among them since it hasn't really been among the most popular sports in North America throughout much of its history.  Those four major sports can also be put into the so-called Toy Department of Life because they help serve as a type of distraction to help take our minds off certain things going on in our lives that may cause stress or other personal obstacles we may face on a daily basis.



As a sports fans throughout a given year, I like to focus my viewing efforts on the four sports listed above.  The one guideline I will use in ranking each sport is I will focus on my own opinions and viewpoints on each sport from the past year or so.

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Frederick Dennstedt from Los Angeles, USA under CC BY-SA 2.0 License

1. Major League Baseball (MLB)-America's Pasttime will most certainly be at the top of this list no matter what season it is.  The fact that there's a game being played everyday of the week during the regular season is a definite plus.  I don't care if some fans out there view the sport as boring and slow at times.  At least teams not named the Boston Red Sox or New York York Yankees have joined in on the championship train in recent years.

2. National Football League (NFL)-The one sport that plays its regular season games on one of three (sometimes four, when Saturday games are added later in the season), days in a week.  The Sunday slate of games (Sunday Night Football included), to go along with Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football make it pretty easy to remember when a gridiron game is taking place in order to satisfy your weekly football fix.  What also beneficial for NFL fans watching on television is that the majority of each week's games can be found on one of the big three networks in CBS, FOX and NBC.  For those who have access to ESPN, the NFL Network and NFL RedZone, all your viewing bases are covered-so you should have no excuses for not keeping up with this gladiator sport if you consider yourself a die-hard fan of the yardage game.

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and Aude under CC BY-SA 2.5 License

3. National Hockey League (NHL)-The excitement of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is enough to put the game invented by America's neighbors to the North in the #3 spot on this list.  The emergence of the Kings and Ducks as perennial doesn't hurt either.  I also like giving my Grandmother a hard time whenever I watch because she has trouble following the puck from time to time.

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia

and Keith Allison under CC BY-SA 2.0 License

4. National Basketball Association (NBA)-If the Lakers of recent vintage would come out of their Dumpster Fire phase of the past few seasons, the squeaky sounds of sneakers running across hardwood floors would be moved into the third spot.  Until that happens, Adam Silver and company will have to wait a little longer for my full and undivided attention.



Tim Musick
Copyright 2015
All Rights Reserved.