Nova Scotia sports fans go deep into fantasy leagues

These days few people followgames more closely than fantasy sports fans and according to three Nova Scotians, fantasy leagues are even changing the way people watch the games.

The Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimates that 41-millionpeople in the U.S. and Canada played fantasy sports in 2014. That's up from33.5 million the year prior.

Here are some local perspectives:

MarkBlack has played in multiple fantasy leagues for the past 15 years. He's mostly into baseball.

"Pretty much every morning, I go online, I see who's injured, who's not playing, who's on the Waiver Wire, who got dropped, who's upset because their contract is up," he said.

Black sayshe's always looking for "high value" players, who are often relatively unknown but have the potential to improve. He says fantasy gives him a deeper understanding of the game because he's looking beyond a team's star players.

Black says he's more interested in his own fantasy teams than he is in his favourite actual teamthe Boston Red Sox.

"Yeah, [individual] players might be where I have my heart."

Unlike non-fantasy players, Black says he watches more games to their conclusion just to see if individual players put up more stats.

DOWNSIDE:

He's always going over on his smartphone's data plan because he's constantly checking on his fantasy teams.

JohannaGalipeau started her own fantasy clubthree years ago.

"Because all of your guy friends and our boyfriends were playing and we'd be out having drinks or having dinner and we would just zone out because they would start talking about fantasy football and we had no idea what they were talking about," she said.

Hockey used to be Galipeau'sgame, but now she prefers the NFL because of fantasy leagues.She's sticking with the NFL, she says, becausefootball has fewer players and a shorter season.

"And now I own a Kansas City Jersey with Jamaal Charles on the back," she said.

"I never thought I'd own a football jerseyI barely watch hockey any more."

DOWNSIDE:

Her all-women's fantasy club called "Show Me Your TDs" has grown in popularity and she's had to cut some people out including relativeswho weren't as engaged as they should be.

PaulDoucette refuses to play in fantasy leagues for a number of reasons.

"There's less team loyalties," he said.

"Right now I'm wearing a Steelers Jersey and there used to be this idea of a Steelers defence, a giant steel curtain, and now it's like 'Yo JJ Watt', like a singular player. With fantasy sports you can get into one player on a crappy team."

Doucette also says he can't handle the stress of making the wrong choice in fantasy leagues.

"People get really bummed, more bummed when their [non-fantasy] team loses.I find they're like 'Ahhh! my fantasy team is broken, why did I sit that guy, I'm so stupid'. I'd hate to feel that stupid about sports".

UPSIDE:

His friends have finally reached his detailed knowledge of football.

"[With fantasy sports] I find now more people talk about quarterback yardage,people know more about running numbers. They have more of an idea of the numbers side of the game. Before, it was more like 'Yeah, I watched the game, it was good.'"