Fantasy Football

Yes, I am one of the 29 million people in the USA who play in a Fantasy Football League.  Why do I do it?  Good question.

I like football.  I watch a lot of football on TV, college and pro,  and attend a few games in person each year.  In a world where the coach of my favorite teams doesn’t always listen to the plays, I am sending to him telepathically, I enjoy the control I have of my own Fantasy Football Team.  I am the owner, general manager, coach, and supreme ruler of my team.  When I win, I get all the credit.  However, when I lose and want to fire the coach, I remember that I am the coach, so I always decide to give him (myself) another chance after all.

Playing Fantasy Football can be a bit obsessive.  I spend a lot of time looking for the perfect late-round pick in the draft or on the waiver wire.  At first, I’m ecstatic when I believe I’ve found a diamond in the rough, only to later discover the player is fool’s gold.

As if I don’t watch enough football already, it can pique my interest in games most people don’t care about.  Not too many people get excited about the two last-place teams playing, however, if my fantasy running back is on one of the teams, then I’m highly interested.

Fantasy football is also a lot about life.  I started playing 30 years ago with a bunch of friends.  We were all single then, and several of the guys were roommates.  Now most of us are married, and one of the player's son is now playing in the league.

On draft day, we all used to gather in a local bar and spend the afternoon pouring over magazines full of player information as we made our picks.  Now, we live in different parts of the country, and the player information is online, as is our draft.   

We’ve had lots of fun.  There were magical runs through the playoffs when I won our Super Bowl.  However, there has been tragedy as well. Two of our owners have passed away.  One guy passed away in the middle of the night after his team won his semi-final game.  Our commissioner kept his line-up the same for our Superbowl, and when he won his first championship, he sent the winnings to his widow.

Fantasy Football is a way of life, part of the ebb of seasons, and a connection to friends I don’t see that often anymore but I’m still glad to have them part of my life during football season. 

And yes, even though he sometimes makes line-up mistakes, I still have the same coach I started with 30 years ago!