LABR
Encyclopedia
LABR was the first high-profile fantasy sports experts league of its kind. Formed by John Hunt, the fantasy baseball columnist for USA Today Baseball Weekly, the league was first formed in 1994 and featured such celebrities as Peter Gammons
, Keith Olbermann
and Bill James
.
LABR stands for "League of Alternative Baseball Reality" and was given that nickname and the pronunciation ("labor") by Olbermann as a play on words with the labor strife in baseball at that time. Hunt ran the league and published the results of the LABR league in the Baseball Weekly's (now USA Today Sports Weekly) fantasy baseball preview issue each March from 1994 through 2006. He opted not to return for the 2007 league and was replaced with in-house staff. The dollar values players were sold for in the fantasy league are used as a benchmark for readers in their own fantasy drafts.
The LABR has lost its early status as the premier experts' league, as in 1997 a rival fantasy baseball experts league, Tout Wars
, was created by Ron Shandler
, who was fed up with the lack of promotion USA Today gave the LABR league.
Peter Gammons
Peter Gammons is an American sportswriter, media personality, and a recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing, given by the BBWAA.-Education:...
, Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
and Bill James
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...
.
LABR stands for "League of Alternative Baseball Reality" and was given that nickname and the pronunciation ("labor") by Olbermann as a play on words with the labor strife in baseball at that time. Hunt ran the league and published the results of the LABR league in the Baseball Weekly's (now USA Today Sports Weekly) fantasy baseball preview issue each March from 1994 through 2006. He opted not to return for the 2007 league and was replaced with in-house staff. The dollar values players were sold for in the fantasy league are used as a benchmark for readers in their own fantasy drafts.
The LABR has lost its early status as the premier experts' league, as in 1997 a rival fantasy baseball experts league, Tout Wars
Tout Wars
Tout Wars is the most high-profile fantasy baseball experts league and was the focus of the 2006 best selling book Fantasyland. It was created in 1997 by Ron Shandler who was fed up with the lack of promotion USA Today gave its annual LABR fantasy baseball experts league...
, was created by Ron Shandler
Ron Shandler
Ron Shandler is the author of Baseball Forecaster, an annual publication focused on applying sabermetrics to fantasy baseball, and founder of , a website with the same focus....
, who was fed up with the lack of promotion USA Today gave the LABR league.