I’ve been hearing more and more from people that are football fans who hate fantasy football. From what I can gather, they think that they are “purists” of the game and that fantasy football is ruining the game because of the emphasis on individual statistics and not on teams and winning games. I came across an LA Times article today that was especially fervent in it’s attack on fantasy sports.

According to writer Dave Zirin:

Fantasy football worships at the altar of individual achievement, an unholy distortion of what football is all about. The true majesty of football, the reason I become one with my television set every Sunday, is that it is the ultimate team sport. There is a reason quarterbacks Dan Marino, Dan Fouts and Fran Tarkenton, wide receivers Cris Carter and Steve Largent and running backs Earl Campbell and Barry Sanders never won Super Bowl rings.

The main thrust of his argument is that as fantasy players, we are so pre-occupied by individual stats that we can’t appreciate the games. I can’t disagree more. I think fantasy sports makes fans even better fans. After becoming a fantasy fanatic, I read more and talked about football more than I did before. I don’t just know about my favorite teams but about all NFL teams. To be successful in fantasy, you have to be as knowledgable as possible.

Zirin’s argument about Jonathan Ogden’s absence from the Ravens lineup is laughable. Anyone worth their salt knows that Ogden is vital to the Ravens’ pass protection and run blocking, and as a result, success. Successful, winning teams equal good fantasy players. It’s a nice circle: you can’t have a good team without good individual players and vice versa.

The NFL and 15-20 million estimated fantasy owners have it right - fantasy football makes fans better, smarter fans.