Players for the Boston Red Sox this season have a key element missing from their clubhouse: Fortnite. It seems the popularity of the game has infiltrated the world of other professional sports so much so that players were having a hard time keeping their heads in the real game. While the game is not literally “banned” for the team, prominent players have come forward saying that it’s not seen at all this season compared to last. Apparently, most of the team had the game set up in their individual lockers. Now it seems Fortnite is no longer a distraction after a team vote was established.
Other teams seem to be following suit
It isn’t just the Boston Red Sox who are avoiding Fortnite; other teams are doing that or implementing stricter restrictions. For example, the Texas Rangers actually banned players from playing Fortnite in their clubhouse this season. My home team, the Toronto Blue Jays, is restricting even video games for all players. We also have heard of incidents during the last season of players losing it over how obsessed their teammates were with Fortnite. A player for the Philadelphia Phillies, Carlos Santana, actually smashed a television because of how distracted he felt fellow Phillies were by the game.
While Fortnite may be a great stress reliever, a great time waster, and even a career for some, it seems to be having real-world consequences on these athletes across all major leagues, MLB, NHL, etc. Now restrictions and outright bans have been put in place to get players to focus on their actual sport and not video games. This is a new problem that leagues have never faced before, but with the growing popularity of these games and the rise of gaming addictions, action has to be taken. Perhaps these players can learn how to balance work and play and leave Fortnite for the off-season.
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