Keller @ Large: Fantasy Football, Fantasy Politics, Fantasy Marriages
BOSTON (CBS) - How did your online fantasy football team make out in Thursday night's game?
It's a question an amazing number of people are asking these days as so-called fantasy sports websites are quickly becoming a white-hot commodity.
People are flocking to play – fantasy sports revenues are projected to soon surpass those of the Las Vegas sports books, and the casino industry is hearing footsteps.
With success comes scrutiny, and both state and federal officials are eyeing the industry's claim that it's offering games of skill that are exempt from internet gambling laws. But we'll leave that debate for another time.
Today I'm more interested in the idea that the appeal of fantasy extends far beyond sports.
You could say that devout fans of certain presidential candidates are engaged in fantasy politics, where they stock their ballot with candidates who catch their fancy for reasons not necessarily related to their fitness for office.
At times it seems like our foreign policy is a fantasy game of sorts, where we let our agendas override reality when we choose which foreign leaders to cozy up to and which to leave undrafted.
Judging from the 50 percent divorce rate, courtship and marriage is something of a fantasy game as well, where enough bad judgements are made to keep the house – or, in this case, divorce lawyers – in business.
Some fantasies are healthy; I'm harboring one about a snow-free winter in the city.
Most are harmless, assuming you can afford to lose what you wager.
But too much fantasy might not be the best thing when real-life is involved.
Listen to Jon's commentary:
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News weeknights at 11 p.m.
Email Jon at keller@wbztv.com or reach him on Twitter @kelleratlarge.
