Have fantasy sports gone too far?

CEDAR RAPIDS - Sports are a large part of culture. They are everywhere we go - on TV, radio, our phones and anywhere else imaginable.

Have we become too involved in sports?

Fantasy sports have become a part of the sporting culture. If there is a sport, there most likely will be a fantasy equivalent of the sport.

With the rise of fantasy sports has come the rise of saber metrics, the use of math to predict what players will do and how their season will turn out. As new stats are created, and we understand the game in ways we never have before, do we ever reach a point where we over-analyze the games we love?

Jacob Crumbo, a participant in fantasy sports, believes fantasy sports help increase our knowledge of the game.

'It has helped me learn about what players are rising stars, what names to remember, and I have learned the variety of statistics kept in sports,” Crumbo said.

As the science of sports grows, and more stats are created, fantasy sports will continue to grow. But do we take fantasy sports too far?

'You will hear about it on the news every so often, players receiving hate mail, even strong death threats saying the reason behind them is ‘they lost them their fantasy matchup that week,' and it's kind of sad,” Crumbo said.

Fantasy sports do have benefits.

'It is a fun thing to do with friends and gives you a reason to follow the sport all season.” Crumbo said.

So as you set your lineup today - and look at the scores last night - remember it is just a game, no matter how serious some may take it.