This last summer, I made a commitment to try new things during my senior year of college. I did not want to graduate, only to later realize that I had turned down countless opportunities that could have improved my college experience. One such experience was fantasy football. I know it seems like a small or petty undertaking in the grand scheme of things, but it has truly revolutionized the way I spend my Sunday afternoons.
I was originally invited by my friend Daniel Hamm to join his ESPN.com-run league. I had no interest, but I figured I would give it a shot. After drafting what I considered to be a very mediocre team, I almost gave up on the prospect of participating at all. However, I stuck with it. I won my first game almost by random chance, and decided to build from there. By picking up NFL players through free agency and the waiver wire, starting and benching players, and reading up on practice and game reports, I felt like I truly ran a small football team. It quickly became addicting. I absolutely HAD to watch games and real-time updates on scores when my players were playing. It instantly gave me a reason to cheer for players and teams that I never would have cared about otherwise. They weren’t just football players anymore. They were MY football players.
Maybe this is why it’s called “fantasy” football. The term “fantasy” indicates that the sport isn’t real. The teams and points are just made up. However, it goes deeper than that. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “fantasy” as “the free play of creative imagination” and “the power or process of creating especially unrealistic or improbable mental images in response to psychological need.” I feel like these hit the nail on the head when it comes to describing fantasy football.
Anyone who’s ever participated in a fantasy league knows that it’s first and foremost about bragging rights. Some leagues involve money prizes, but primarily winning your league ensures a year’s worth of taunting for next season.
Similarly, I think fantasy football taps down into a subconscious part of our being that desires to be included in something greater than ourselves. Where our athletic abilities fall flat in the real world, our abilities to run a fake NFL franchise gives us a boost. We do it for entertainment, for pride, and for our competitive spirit. When Michael Vick pulls out his random 25-point games, I feel like I’m winning with him. When Chris Johnson inevitably underperforms against an inferior defense, I feel his frustration as if I’m there on the sideline. However, in the end it is all still fake. It’s a fantasy, and no matter how attached we may become to our players or our teams, the relationships we build with them are reset each year. Whatever reality we perceive is cancelled season after season.
However, this won’t keep us from playing. As my roommate Tyler Brown put it, “Who cares what happened last year or what will happen next year? It’s fun here and now. Get over yourself and enjoy the game.” He’s right. Fantasy football is nothing if not entertaining, and overthinking it can ruin the experience. My team needs me, and I can’t afford to let them down with only three weeks til the playoffs.
Shameless Plug of the Week: ESPN.com’s fantasy football system is the only one I’ve played in, but I must say that it’s easy to use and I enjoy its format. I would recommend starting a league with ESPN.com if you’re just getting into fantasy football.
— Hunter Tipton is a senior in microbiology. He can be reached at [email protected].
