Fantasy Football is one of the fastest growing industries in not only the sports world but in the whole business world. For those who do not know, Fantasy Football is based off the stats of real NFL superstars, connecting fans of the NFL to the players themselves. Friends, coworkers, and family members alike all join together in the dog days of Summer to help put together a league for the upcoming NFL season, where they will compete against each other to try and take home the championship and ultimately win bragging rights over their friends until next year’s season.

Each league member is the manager of his or her respective team and is responsible for deciding which players will “start” or “sit,” just as the managers of real NFL teams do. Each player in the NFL can only be owned by one fantasy manager, and those that are not “owned” are free agents and can be added by any team at any time. A typical roster in a Standard League consists of one starting quarterback, two starting wide receivers, two starting running backs, one starting tight end, one “Flex” spot, where a manager can start either a running back, a wide receiver, or a tight end, and also one kicker, and one defense/special teams unit.

Each NFL player earns points for everything he does in real games–or in some cases, for what he doesn’t do, which can result in a loss of points. The goal of fantasy managers is to put together the team that will gain the most points in their respective “match-ups” for the week. The fantasy team with the most points at the end of the week wins their match-up.

For some managers a lot is at stake, some even betting money based on the success of their team. For others, the excitement garnered by beating their friends and gaining bragging rights is plenty satisfying enough of a prize.  

Fantasy Football can be very time consuming. In fact, participation can get in the way of activities when teens spend hours at a time setting their lineup, proposing trades, or reading about upcoming match-ups. This begs an important question: Is Fantasy Football taking over the lives of some high school students during the fall semester? Fantasy Football is becoming so popular that some Scituate High School students can’t help but get involved in the fun.

Junior Liam Madan claims he participates in Fantasy Football because “everyone else does it.” He estimates that “more than 50%” of male students in the school participate. Madan adds that he has participated in Fantasy Football for the past “three years” and plans to continue next year as well. Madan also enjoys participating in other fantasy sports, such as Fantasy Baseball.

Many students check their team daily, as they like the competitive nature of trying to beat their friends. During lunch hours, students can be heard engaging in friendly “trash talk” as they discuss the upcoming match-ups for the week. Admittedly, some students view the games as a distraction or an excuse to put off doing their homework; however, Fantasy Football is a game that is meant to be a weekend hobby.