Blog 17

I am thinking about using a linear with nodes outline for my hypertext essay.

The Purpose of my Hypertext article: To inform the audience of how digital technology has improved fantasy sports.

Fantasy Sports used to be done with pencil and paper. Fantasy followers had to keep track of their teams’ stats to record the number of points they would receive for that day. As technology came into the picture, more fantasy sports games were available online for the convenience of the fantasy sports fans. People were able to watch games at ease without the need of doing any work. They just had to go online and look at the results.
Fantasy Sports leagues started almost 40 years ago. Paper- based versions of fantasy football started in the 1960’s. Rotisserie Baseball started in the 1979. Both of these sports started off with a bunch of friends that were competing against each other for the title of “best knowledge of sports”. People that followed Rotisserie Baseball had to rush to the morning newspaper to see the box score of their games. Playing paper- based fantasy sports, players had to come together for the discussion of the rules and the initial draft. Players also had to communicate with the commissioner of the league at least once a week to discuss their starting line- ups. The scores and outcomes at the end of each week also had to discussed and recorded. Some sports writers that participated would even call Major League offices to acquire injury updates on the players they owned in the fantasy league.

Fantasy Sports evolved as free web technology came into the picture. It made it more convenient for participants to play. The use of free web technology reduces the need of social organization. People were able to pre-rank their draft order making it possible for on-line drafts to occur. There is no more need for weekly meetings. Everything was available online. Scores and statistics were no longer necessary to record. It was already calculated and ready to be viewed. People are able to relax and enjoy the game. Most leagues are found online at ESPN.com and Yahoo.com. They can also be found on official league websites such as NBA.com, NFL.com and MLB.com.

Since fantasy games are available online, it makes fantasy owners able to participate in many leagues at ease. Fantasy owners can play in a league with people they have never spoken too or ever seen. People can now play with people in other countries. Fantasy owners are also able to communicate with one another on certain websites. Most websites have a messaging system built in so that players can trash talk, talk about trades, and discuss certain matchups.

The Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) was formed in 1998. It created a forum for the interaction of the hundreds of companies that were emerging in the growing Fantasy Sports Industry. There are many different types of fantasy games available to play online. There is fantasy auto racing, bass fishing, soccer, cricket, horse racing, hot- rodding, and many more. More sports started to join this fantasy arena because of the fan base of fantasy gaming. There are approximately 30 million people that participate in fantasy sports in the United States and in Canada. People participate in fantasy leagues for many reasons. Some leagues have a cash payoff and some people play for bragging rights.

Fantasy sports can only expand in the future. People are already able to check up on their fantasy stats through text messaging. There are also phone plans/ applications that allow people to update their rosters and make trades from their phones. There are already some television shows that are specifically made for fantasy sports players. The communication function on certain websites can be on all of the websites. They could also make it possible to have video chat. Fantasy sports will become more fitting for a wider range of people. I believe fantasy sports will become more popular as years go by.