Staff Writer- Mary Athorp

Let’s talk about Fantasy Football, shall we? 

Frankly, what’s the big whoop? It seems to have sucked a large majority of people into its grasp. It’s to the extent that as I sat and watched last Sunday’s football game with a group of friends, my friends were looking at their phones and not the game… nonetheless, engaged in what was happening on the television, but not necessarily watching it happen. This isn’t to say (cue a whiny voice) “my friends were on their phones and not being present,” it was more an observation of surprise, given that my friends are usually the ones locked in on the television, excited for the action. Personally, I’m not much into football, so I wasn’t offended any, just taken aback that something was seemingly more interesting on their phone than the actual game. And so, the curious person I am, I began to question one of my buddies, convincing them to show me what was on their screen. What a surprise it was to see that they were just looking at a bunch of names and numbers. I blinked, decided if asking for an explanation was worth my time, and then I said: “What is going on here?” 

And so, here’s my Fantasy Football for dummies in case you’re like me and don’t speak sports fluently.

Essentially, there’s a draft. Oftentimes, at least with my friends, people will form a group. Each person in that group acts as a “team captain” of sorts. Their team will compete against the other teams in the group throughout the football season. During the draft, the “team captains” will pick real-life football players to be on their imaginary team. Each real-life player has a rating on the Fantasy Football app, in reference to their skill level in the real world. 

Okay, now for the games themselves. Each week, every real NFL football team plays one game. Occasionally, a team will have a bye, meaning they don’t have a game scheduled but will continue to play the following week. Just like each NFL team has one game, each Fantasy Football team has one matchup per week. One “team captain” is paired with another. Each “team captain” selects players from their drafted team to “play.” Unfortunately, if one of their players on their Fantasy team has a bye that week, they cannot pick them to “play” because there would be no performance for the app to score the athlete on. So, whoever the “team captain” doesn’t choose to play remains on the Fantasy Football bench and must stay there until the next matchup. There are no subs in Fantasy Football. When you pick your player, it’s a locked decision. 

Now, how does one win a matchup? Obviously, in real-life football, there are varying skill levels and talents. This determines how a player is rated on Fantasy Football. Their score is affected by how they perform during their scheduled NFL game. The ratings from all the players from their various games throughout the week are combined to determine the overall score on Fantasy Football. Whichever “team captain” has the higher score at the end of the week wins the matchup. 

Suddenly, it makes sense why my friends were glued to their phones. They were watching their scores! Every move a NFL player makes affects their rating on Fantasy Football, and it could change in a split second. No wonder my friends were rapt, their team is on the line at all times! 

It’s easy for me to quickly judge something and form my own opinions about things I don’t know that much about. However, writing about Fantasy Football has given me the time and the space to think about it and why people love it so much. I didn’t realize how much of a group activity it was. It’s also fascinating how each person is “on their own” with their Fantasy team, yet surrounded by others, and can connect over scores, ratings, games, and more. I have a growing respect for the overall idea and creation of Fantasy Football. As much as I might not be particularly interested in it, I admire how it brings people together, whether they live close or far, or, frankly, are knowledgeable about football or not. Heck, I could accidentally pick a good batch of players and be strangely good at Fantasy Football – an underdog story, if you will. It also challenges them to make personal decisions  – a virtual way to bring out healthy competition, which isn’t always the easiest task. Plus, I’ll admit, I can actually understand how much anticipation and excitement would come with seeing how your players did during the week and how that would affect your Fantasy Football score.  Maybe… oh man, this is a stretch, but maybe there’s a world where I could get into it… 

I’m not sure, but what I do know is that I’m glad I don’t have to wonder what’s making my friends so distracted during the football season anymore. Hopefully, this article brought you a little more clarity on the mystery of Fantasy Football. And hey, now you know for next year how to get in on your own Fantasy team… You can write your own underdog story.