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So how come fantasy football is accepted and even advertised on TV and radio while fantasy role-playing is still often considered a strange activity participated in by strange people?  When was the last time you heard a radio spot offering you instant cash to role-play?  Why can't Hasbro cough up money for TV spots for D&D 5th when these fantasy football leagues are recruiting during prime time?

I mean, pretending is pretending, right?  They are both numbers games with colorful logos and fanatical fan bases.  Games Workshop did real fantasy football in 1987 with Blood Bowl.  That other hobby, while conceived in 1962, didn't hit the big time until 1997.

Edited by seneschal
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I work in a newsroom pretty close to the Sports department (I face them when I'm working on my computer). Although I don't like sports in general (except for Fencing and – occasionally – Hockey), I laugh out loud every time I hear fantasy football chatter going on among my coworkers, which generally involves people of different departments coming over to talk in the Sports Department. Their conversations sound exactly like roleplayers discussing stats, numbers, and hypothetical circumstances, just in a different context.

And yes, I am pretty much the resident roleplaying geek for the majority of the office, though some people here admitted to having played older editions of D&D way back in the 70s and 80s and then didn't go back.

Not the only video gamer, though. :)

 

Just though I'd share all that to help support Seneshcal's musings.

Edited by Lord Sephleon
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OTOH, nobody in Hollywood makes it a point to bring up his Fantasy Football or Baseball experiences while growing up, unlike, say, Vin Diesel or Nathan Fillion.  It might be a long time, but we just might become socially acceptable.

Of course, when that happens, all the fun of "our own thing" will be gone, won't it?  If you can/have_to discuss with your auto mechanic and your bus driver the differences between D&D versions or why Rolemaster never took off like some thought it should have, how will that be different from having to fake an interest in non-local sports?

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Not even just 'fantasy' football, but regular spectator sports as well, are full of imaginary participation on the part of the fans. Guys I now who get all worked up about 'their' team and talk in terms of 'we' when referring to what happened during a game, as if they were on the field playing. I've got a friend who has loads of Seahawks memorabilia in his house... but he's never played football, doesn't even live in Seattle.
It's really no different than the guy with fantasy swords on his walls.

But somehow watching sports on TV is more macho.

Edited by Simlasa
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