Nothing sums up the perfect autumn afternoon quite like the all-American sport of football, especially when favorite players and teams are much closer to home than even Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium. Fantasy football, the popular Internet craze, allows fans, teenage and adult alike, to take weekly football teams’ statistics, and partake in football games beyond the television set and into their social routine.
Players taking part in Fantasy Football create a roster in association with the National Football League, and invite others to join the competition. Football players’ actual performance in NFL games determines the amount of points scored online. This often means many football fans begin cheering alongside individual players, regardless of the team they play for.
“I enjoy watching football, but online you combine it with the competitiveness between the fellow members of your league. People just love football, and these go hand in hand,” said senior and fantasy fan, Mark Kuklis. Kuklis is not alone, as many students at SHS take interest in Fantasy leagues.
Comparably to those involved in the high school, the nation itself has exhibited an increase in the Fantasy Football League, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. Fantasy Football, becoming an increasingly popular pastime, boasts over 15 million participants, involvement growing 7% since 2009.
With a growing reputation throughout America, more Internet sites and articles devote recognition to the strategies that lead to a successful roster. According to Sports Illustrated Magazine, certain players supply durability, imperative for victory as they consistently play well. The magazine lists Tom Brady as one of this month’s most valuable choices due to his consistency as a great player.
Weekly online columns on the magazine’s website, www.SI.com, supply insider information as well, listing both the stronger and weaker players, alongside analysis of the choices. As of Sept. 6, the notably less successful players, according to sports writer Chris Szagola, include Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning, Vikings player Bernard Berrian, and Sidney Rice from the Seahawks. Kerry Collins will be the starting quarterback for the Colts this week, replacing injured fantasy favorite Peyton Manning.
“I usually go for star running backs, quarterbacks, and WR in the early rounds of the draft. Some of the top players are Vick, manning, Brady, Rodgers, or Schaub. My teams starting line up consists of Peyton Manning, Peyton Hillis, Marques Colston, Steve Johnson, Pierre Garcon, and Antonio Gates,” said Kuklis.
Aside from helpful hints strewn about sports magazines and articles, cheat sheets throughout the Internet exist, allowing us to question the morality involved in the pastime. Some use the fantasy sites to gamble and bet against friends, which adds to the success of the game.
The enterprising of fantasy sports may invite more individuals to gain understanding and involvement from a sport so important to many Americans by bringing the football players into the social lives of fans. And while many appreciate an indoor activity that still encourages athleticism during the upcoming football season, ensure the pastime does not result in fixation with the Internet.