When you think of an American past time, many people think of the sport that sweeps the nation and garners its undivided attention. I am of course talking about football. Now football requires a lot of athleticism, time, and effort to play which is why the NFL isn’t for everyone. This leaves people to seek other options of partaking in this sport. While most people will simply grab a bite to eat and watch some Sunday Night Football, many people want to be more involved. The option I am talking about is fantasy football. As the NFL season is underway, so is the fantasy season which has been the topic of many conversations around campus.
Fantasy football allows the average person to essentially own and coach their own team. You start by creating your own league with whomever you want. People invite friends and family members to face off in their league to see who can score the most points during a week. Points are based on how well the players on your team do in the actual real-life NFL games. Once you create your league, it’s time for the draft. Not only is there a draft, but you can also trade players or let them go if they are not doing well. Just like in the real-life draft, there are top picks, or players, every year. These players are the most valuable for a team and are the ones that most people desire to have as a part of their roster. The top three draft picks for this year are wide receivers CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys) and Tyreek Hill (Miami Dolphins) and running back Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers).
In addition to gaining points, your players can also lose you points. A touchdown of course gains you points, but if one of your players fumbles the ball and doesn’t regain control of it, you will end up losing points. That is one of the reasons people get rid of players. Not just if they aren’t gaining many points, but also if they are losing too many points. Fantasy football really gives you an inside look into the inner workings of managing a team. Whether you like a player or not, you have to do what’s best for your team that will help you to win your league. As the owner of a fantasy team, you are the general manager, coach, and of course the owner. People play for fun, but you can also play for money. Fantasy football is very similar to real-life in more ways than one. You also have a post-season in which you play playoff matches as well in your league. Once you reach the final week, one person wins it all and this is the person who has one the most games (or in some cases scored the most points during the season).
I have asked a handful of students what their opinions on fantasy football are and the same thing kept getting repeated. It is a way to stay connected with friends and have fun while being a part of America’s favorite past time. Fantasy football allows for some great conversations and gives people something to talk about that is connected to their favorite sport. Overall, fantasy football is a way for people to connect and have respectful conversations. People from two very different backgrounds can get along by discussing who they got in the draft or how their league is going. It gives people a common interest since it has nothing to do with your favorite team or what team you think will win the Super Bowl. It’s something that brings people together because who doesn’t love some friendly competition? And that is what fantasy football is all about.