Joey Votto put on a Toronto Raptors t-shirt to go with his Reds shorts after he arrived at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday and then before talking to reporters, he threw on a Raptors hat. After the Reds’ victory over the Pirates, Jesse Winker wore a Bobby Orr Boston Bruins sweater as he listened in on interviews by Tucker Barnhart and Derek Dietrich.



As someone who has covered sports for the last 25 years, I know that my relationship with sports fandom has changed because of my proximity. But I’m around enough to know baseball players still follow sports and I wonder how their relationship to sports fandom has changed now that they’re on the inside.



So, Wednesday morning, I talked to two of the Reds’ veterans, both of whom I know are still interested in sports: Votto and Barnhart. Votto, in particular, gave some wide-ranging answers.



Joey Votto



How has being a pro athlete changed your relationship with pro sports and...