Football season, a time of pleasure, sorrow, and lots of debate for fans of every team. But no matter what team they root for, most football fans have one thing in common: They have a fantasy football team.
Fantasy football, the concept of drafting a team of NFL players and pitting said team against another team of players. A simple concept, but it has an incredible lure that is almost unexplainable. There is something so fun about getting a group of friends together, sitting down and drafting a team, trash talking the other teams while at the same time trying to trade for players on those teams, all while competing to take home bragging rights and a likely cash prize.
One thing that makes fantasy sports in general so compelling is its versatility. There are many types of leagues and ways to play for everyone. There’s the standard league, which most times is just getting together with friends and competing against each other. Then there is the keeper league, where a team is drafted, but a few players are allowed to be retained by each manager for next year’s league. There is also the dynasty league, where an initial team is drafted and kept every season, with a rookie draft taking place before the season. Another option is daily fantasy, where every day/week a new team is drafted, which shakes things up and keeps it interesting.
When asked why he enjoys fantasy football so much, junior Enzo Britez said, “I’m a very competitive person, so winning in fantasy football brings me lots of joy, as does the bragging rights.”
One of the most crucial aspects of fantasy football is the competitiveness of the league. When everyone buys into it and really takes it seriously, it makes a league so much more fun. When every conversation becomes a debate over whose team is the best, or what was a good trade and what was a fleece, it’s such a great time.
Of course, fantasy football is never without drama. That feeling the day after being blown out, or being the low scorer in the league for the week is just awful. And of course, there is no worse feeling than finishing with the worst record in the league.
Having the league worst record often comes with a punishment, which no fantasy football manager wants to partake in. There are some classic punishments, such as the twenty-four hours in a pancake house, and each pancake eaten is an hour off the time spent there. Some leagues have much lighter punishments, but then there are leagues with ones that are far worse.
Fantasy football was created by Bill Winkenbach, a business partner of the Oakland Raiders, back in the early sixties, and it shows no signs of going away. With popularity at its peak right now, and the fact that it continues to get more popular every year, the trash talk and debates seem to be here to stay.