Why are Fantasy Sports so Appealing to the Masses?

Why are fantasy sports so appealing? The simple answer is that every person (usually men) love fantasy sports because they can be their own general manger. Most people I meet still can't understand how I can obsess about fantasy sports as much as I do but my girlfriend is just starting to understand it in her 2nd year of playing fantasy baseball. She loves her players like she was coaching them herself and is equally attached to them if not more attached to them than she is to her real baseball team, the Boston Red Sox. Her one rule, which I usually follow as well is not to have any players from your team's arch-rival on your team. So in her case, no Yankees, in mine, no Phillies. 

So there's two reasons why, to be their own GM and to have players to root for and chastise when they do not perform up to standard. But what is the importance of all this? The importance is that fantasy sports are creating a new breed of sports fans in America. The common fans are becoming scarcer due to this "game" that started to really take off about 10 years ago but was somewhat popular even 20 years ago. The internet age has only helped fantasy sports more and more, the more people with smartphones and iPads the more crazed fans get created. Applications to follow your fantasy team get created everyday and are amongst the most popular downloads on iTunes. Every sport has fantasy leagues for it, even NASCAR, Golf and Soccer, but Football and Baseball are still the most popular to play. 

I have been an active fantasy player since 2004 and run all my own leagues in baseball, basketball and football through yahoo. I have also played in numerous leagues on espn as well and while those are two of the big sites, cbssports, foxsports also have massive followings. Millions of people play these sports and obsess like I do, so don't judge me, judge us as a society of fanatical sports fans. Heck, there has even been a television show about fantasy sports on FX called "The League" which is about a group of friends in a fantasy football league together. So whether you like it or not America... fantasy sports are here to stay and will continue to grow as long as the real sports we depend on do not disintegrate like they keep threatening to do.