There is general fear held by many sportswriters that fantasy sports – specifically baseball and football- come at a high cost to the real game being played.

"Participation in sports has been permanently altered by the influence of the World Wide Web on our daily lives. Without question, the Internet has impacted peoples' lives, especially their engagement in leisure. Rather than joining a fast-pitch softball team, swim club, or tag football team, millions of people now play what is known as fantasy sports."
(Flood, 2004)

"I worry what we've lost by focusing on individual players rather than real teams. Sports allegiances used to be passed from generation to generation. You often rooted for the hometown team or the one that your parents cheered for. You basked in the glory days and suffered through the losing seasons together."
(Wendel, 2006)