I don’t care for football, but I love fantasy. So it would seem logical that I have at least some interest in fantasy football. But thanks to my math handicap and my fear for learning about things I don’t understand the whole fantasy football thing has just flown over my head.
Created in 1963 by a group of friends who developed a series of statistics that created the foundation of the game, fantasy football has developed a greater depth of comradery and investment in the beloved sport.
That’s right, I, Moody Matt give fantasy football my coveted Rooney Regal Seal of Approval. You win, universe.
It’s true there is something about the game, that involves building your own team and battling your friends in a game of numbers and bragging rights, that seems to give players a closer relation to the sport they love.
It takes something predominately manly and makes it completely dorky. You have to practically apply statistics when picking your team, thinking about the games in terms of points and not just watching like a beer soaked hick adds a greater intensity outside of just “Haha, my team is better than yours!”
Some of you may be scratching your heads saying “But…he doesn’t play?” Well, you’re not wrong there, but have I been wrong ever? If any point I have made is wrong then what is the reason for playing the game?
The only other reason someone may play is just so they can win money, which is a factor of the game. That can’t be it, because not everyone wins money and, come on, we live in America; no one here does anything just for the money.
As well, it elevates football and gives the beer chucking, wing inhaling and all around machoism of football an intellectual aspect. There is a part of you that has to do applicable math and critical thinking in order to make the best team. Sure you can just make a roster of future hall of famers, but a smart player may use the rookie with the stunning stats.
I have co-workers who play the game, and I see the sparkling joy that glistens in their eyes whenever their team has won and they get to rub it in their opponent’s face. There is something special about getting to live the life of a football manager. You feel like Leonardo Dicaprio on the bow of the Titanic. To girly a reference? My bad.
But still, fantasy football takes fans beyond the television screen and into the very heart of owning a football team made up of real players and seeing them actually perform and actually effect an aspect of your life. It’s like giving everyone the finger when they tell you “the Broncos aren’t your team.” In fantasy football, they can be.
Fantasy football, where do I begin? Fantasy sports, in general, tend to be the nerdiest thing that sports fans can participate in, but fantasy football tends to be the most popular.
Now, I’m an active participant in fantasy football and can tell you from experience that it is one of the greatest love/hate relationships that anyone can have. There are times when I’m on cloud nine because of how well my fantasy team preformed and there are other times when I’m questioning why the hell I play this stupid game.
I should probably give a quick overview of how fantasy football works before I get too far into this. You begin with a group a friends who want to play fantasy football and then have a draft. In this draft you pick players from across the NFL to be a part of your team. Usually a fantasy team lineup consists of a quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, a kicker and a team defense. Now this can vary across leagues, but this is usually the most basic lineup. With the team that you drafted you play against other people in your league and win by having more points than your opponent. Your team gets points based on the stats that each player you have puts up. A champion is crowned at the end of the year through a playoff system set up in the league. These are the basics to how fantasy football works and it can get very complicated from there.
There are some great benefits to playing fantasy football. If you’re someone you doesn’t understand football that well and want to start to know the game better, fantasy football is great for that. You get to know players around the NFL better and learn the really good ones form the not so good.
You start to develop feelings for players that you have on your team because of how they performed for your team. I had Calvin Johnson on my team a couple of years ago and he performed so well for me that I now just find myself rooting for him all the time even if he is not on my fantasy team or playing for the Broncos. There are also players that you will hate for the rest of your life and hope bad things will happen to them because of how poorly they played for you, I’m talking to you C.J. Spiller.
Fantasy football is also a great way for you to keep in touch with friends that you would have a hard time otherwise. I’m in leagues with friends from high school that go to school all across the country and would probably lose touch with quickly if it were not for our league.
This activity can also consume your life and cause you all sorts of pain. You can get so competitive playing this game that all you want to do is win. Doing hours of research to how to make your team better and when the team you put together only loses in the end, it can feel like a punch in the gut.
There have been a great many times that I have wanted to quit playing, so that I didn’t have to go through such pain, but every year I keep coming back. It’s too much fun to not think that it could be your year to win it all and to a sports fan winning is the greatest feeling around.
