Strat-O-Matic games were the gold standard before computer sims existed. (Except the basketball game, but basketball is really hard to do.)
Computer management sim games broke through the barrier of long-term playability. A long time ago I played a solitaire Strat-O baseball season with all MLB teams and a 32-game schedule, and it took me a year and a half. Strat-O hockey, about the same thing with a 20-game schedule and full playoffs. Football, I never came close to getting through a season with every team because it doesn't make sense to play a fraction of a football season. It was fun, but it was really limited.
Other things that are better about computer sims: 1) They have a life of their own and don't simply recreate what happened last year in real life; 2) The fictional league option is a hoot. My Sacramento Royales just lost two out of three to the Brooklyn Oil Kings, but at least we didn't let Jeremy "Grumbles" Bowman beat us this time. Ya got no chance against Brooklyn if you don't keep Bowman from going off on you. Everybody knows that.
The only reason I would play Strat-O now is if I was in a league with friends, rolling dice and drinking beer. That was fun when I was doing it 25 years ago and I think it would still be fun.