Column:
Why I love fantasy football
Published Sept. 4, 2009
No, this column about football has nothing to do with Brett Favre or Michael Vick. The nauseating amount of coverage they have received has made me sick and almost makes me long for the pre-Favre and pre-Vick 2009, in which the football world was busy discussing pertinent and meaningful issues regarding the NFL, such as Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson.
Alas, though there's the question as to whether our two favorite off-season pick ups will hit the field come week one, there has been one element of football we'll undoubtedly see come game day, rain or shine. Something that draws a host of fans to the game instead of leaving a bad taste in our mouths; An element inciting more discussion and argument amongst fans than Chad Ochocinco ever could; something football fans look forward to months in advance, almost as eternal and crucial to the game as the pigskin itself.
For without fantasy football, I'd probably be doing my homework right now.
Fantasy football has helped the NFL immensely. It is an unparalleled gift, the likes of which no other sport can boast. Not to say fantasy sports are exclusive to football. Far from it. Baseball, basketball, golf and a multitude of other sports each offer its own unique fantasy system, but none of those have even come close to impacting its sport the way fantasy football has.
Fantasy football increases interest in the NFL. On fantasy football draft day, hundreds of players can be taken. Not every player is named Adrian Peterson. Toward the closing rounds of the draft, many of us are acting on our hunches, selecting some players we have never heard of. This not only makes us better versed in football, but now we have a vested interest in this unknown. Kickers never had so many fans.
Alright, it is Sunday night. The NFL on NBC is coming on shortly. My favorite NFL team isn't playing that night, but I have two running backs and a tight end for my fantasy team taking the field at 8. I'm watching. Period. And I doubt I'm alone.
The NFL isn't the only league benefiting from fantasy football's incredible popularity. Friends join your league. Then friends of friends join and before you know it, those friends of friends have joined your fantasy hockey league and it continues to blossom from there.
Now, this being said, fantasy football is not solely to credit for football's success in America. There were such things as fans before fantasy football rolled around. Still, not everyone takes fantasy football as seriously as others, but even those who don't receive exposure to the game and become more fluent in the sport.
The truth is fantasy football made fans out of the casual watchers and hardcore addicts out of the fans. Never before have I met so many people so aware of various statistics. Fantasy football continues to bring in many people who otherwise wouldn't care about the NFL, helping many of us to forget our differences for just a second, let our nerdiness show and focus on annihilating our competition, often getting rewarded for risks made along the way. And even if that gamble didn't pay off this year, the beautiful part is there is always next year.
As long as there is football to be played, fantasy football will be there. Brett Favre, too.
