Fantasy Cricket League

This IPL season created a lot of buzz right from the day the bidding for the players started. The controversy over the snubbing of Pakistani players, the much awaited announcement of the two new franchises (which gave the satta bazaar a whiff of fresh air) coming up in the next season and then the frills and thrills of the T20 game itself.
Amidst all this euphoria, there came up something called Fantasy Cricket League. Although, the concept has been there for quite some time now, it is only in this semester, rather this IPL season that I have realized how well it is catching up with youngsters.
I see this as an attempt to commercialize the game. The idea of bidding for players and teams itself seems to degrade the very spirit of the game. Add to that, I find people cheering only for the players that form a part of their own ‘so-called’ fantasy team. Only a few days back as I was watching an IPL match where our very own Sehwag seemed to be in his prime form, someone from the crowd was Bronx cheering him just because he was not a part of his own team. He went to the extent where he was praying for Sehwag to be out in that very over(because he had elected the bowler to be in his squad) and hoped that the batsman at the other end scored some runs, again for the same reason.
Some may argue that this ‘Fantasy’ thing has brought more flavor to the IPL and people turning up for the matches have increased. To me it is nothing more than a sham justification, an excuse for people to get rid of their boredom giving them a reason to go on arguing and spatting for hours together. I understand that one may have reasons to support a player – talent, attitude, character or sometimes even nationality (a good enough reason because the very idea of matches between two countries seems to justify it well). But keeping all this aside and supporting a player so that one’s ‘fantasy’ ranking improves doesn’t go well with me.
I consider this to be worse than wagering, atleast there one has a chance of winning something. What pleasure can one possibly achieve seeing a lower number (rank) on his fantasy chart or tad extra number of points on the scorecard? I find people are ready to cut on their diet, outings and leisure time because they may run out of time to elect a fantasy team and with the IPL likely to go over two months this has become a daily thing now.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying it. But, in my opinion, one should not take it too far. Don’t avoid your diet for some faux team selection or shout your hearts out for your ‘fantasy’ team player.
If you really want to take it so seriously, start betting where atleast you compensate for all your time you spend talking and thinking about the game. But see that’s the problem! One can enjoy the game for some reason like Fantasy Cricket League but as soon as you talk of money, all the hue and cry starts. You are chided for not being ethical. But, why do you lock your ethics in some box when I talk about something no more than virtual betting. To me, in either cases I am not enjoying the game for the right reasons, in the former earning nothing more than headaches and tensions.
Seriously guys, no offence, but I do not find a fair reason to this. Give this a thought and I am sure one can find a million other better grounds to cheer for the game, the teams or the players.

Cheers,
Piyush.