While most eyes will be glued to their sets this evening, it isn't the only game in town. The "Gorilla Mob" faces off against "Rico Suave." Other teams kicking off their seasons include, "FAVREFGNUGEN," "Sacks and the City," and "The Big Tebow-ski." Don't go scrolling through the guide looking for these games because you won't find them on TV. The contests in question will be played out on a gridiron in cyberspace.
It's the game within the game: Fantasy Football.
Fantasy sports in general came to be around 1960, but the game as we know it began in 1980 with the creation of Rotisserie League Baseball. "Owners" drafted a team of active pro players and tracked their statistics during the current season. The game got its name from La Rotisserie Francaise, a New York City restaurant where some of the participants used to hang out. By the late 80's the idea had spread to other sports, creating the hype that exists today.
Men, women, and children get involved in the spectator sport that puts friend against friend and brother against sister. Ask around and I bet you'll find at least 10 people who are participating in some type of fantasy football league. Fantasy sports took off by way of the Internet. Sites like ESPN and Yahoo make big bucks hosting various leagues throughout the year. Individuals can play for free or spend hundreds of dollars for their football fix. You have your Pick 'Em style where players simply guess the winners for that week's games. More sophisticated contests have you choose the point spreads too. Then there's Suicide leagues where a player selects a winner of one game per week. You continue playing as long as you're correct, but the catch is that after you choose your first winner, you cannot pick that team again for the remainder of the season.
Those types of leagues are entertaining but the big daddy of them all is Head-to-Head style. Your knowledge of players, stats, injuries, and league trends is put to the test week after week. This type is the most fun to me because even though you don't get to suit up on Sunday, it gets very competitive. Also, it's interactive, so you and the other owners have a chance to get to know each other. It all starts at The Draft. You have the option of a web draft, but it can be difficult to get all your players in front of a computer at the same time. Besides, a live draft is cool because it usually involves food, good conversation about players, and your fair share of trash talk. The live draft also gives you a chance to size up your competition by seeing what skills (or lack of) people have as general managers. Will he take a running back with the first pick? Why'd she wait so long to get a QB? Did this guy just draft another tight end? These questions and more come up during a draft.
Despite all the good times, fantasy football can make you look inside of yourself. Long time allegiances to teams, hometowns, and family trees go out the window when your fantasy squad is trailing by 5 points and your wide receiver fumbles the ball at the 1. This game makes you question your loyalty and values. If you've played fantasy football, you've been faced with the decision of starting a quarterback who's interception prone against the best defense in the league. But in "real life," this QB happens to play for the team you've rooted for since childhood. Your heart says, "Go ahead, start him. He'll show up for me today." On the contrary, the GM inside you who paid $100 to get in this league says, "Not a chance. Go with the backup."
On values, the idea of winning as a team is a distant memory. Fantasy is about individual players getting as many points as they can. A guy runs across the goal line for a touchdown and several patrons in a sports bar cheer like they won the championship. Taking a glance at the score, you notice that the scoring team trails the opponent 35-14. Right then you know that those fans have that player in their fantasy lineup. The actual score means nothing, but to them that touchdown means a win or loss in that week's fantasy match-up.
Not to get too heavy, but competitive sport brings out the best and worst in people. Your character is put to the test when you square off against an opponent. Whether you have dirt on your pants and run with a ball - or beer in your glass as you work on a laptop - Sundays are made for gladiators.
Fantasy Football gives everybody a chance to be legendary. Even if it's only for a season.
[image via bankruptcybill.us]
Man's Writes, you've hit this one right on the head. Fantasy football is the catalyst for divorces, separations and bankruptcies all over the globe. Okay, maybe not bankruptcy. As a champion five times over, I'm well aware of the satisfaction that winning a title brings. On the flip side, those who continue to lose and fail to compete on any level return each year with hopes of winning the title that continues to elude them....This my friends, is Brown!
ReplyDelete@Anonymous - Hahaha! You referring to me, Dog?
ReplyDelete@Mr. Jones, I would never refer to an author in a negative light on his/her blogspot.
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