Are You Ready For Some (Fantasy) Football?
Part One: What is Fantasy Football?
By Ted Peetz and Alex Prewitt (September 20, 2006)
My name is
Ted Peetz. I’ve been playing Fantasy Football for nine years.
I have one championship under my belt, and I’ve made the playoffs
in six out of the nine years.
I am a Fantasy Football champion.
My
name is Alex Prewitt. I’ve been playing Fantasy Football for seven years.
I have one championship to my name, but the last two years I’ve
sucked, thanks to Deuce McCallister. Just wait until next year. I am aFfantasy Football junkie.
Introduction
This is the first installment in a series about
Fantasy Football, the newest fad, nay, the biggest full-blown phenomenon
to hit the United States and
the world of sports since the forward pass. In this series we will
take you through our Falls Church Fantasy Football league and the
inner workings of a champion, starting before the season starts,
continuing through the NFL season, and finishing in our fantasy playoffs.
In this specific issue we’ll introduce the basics
of Fantasy Football, and hopefully by the end, you’ll sound like
an expert and be winning championships in no time.
The Basics
So what exactly is Fantasy Football? Well have you
ever wondered what it would be like to run your own squad? Have you
ever been sitting at home watching the game, and
you just knew that Bill Belichek should
have gone for it on fourth down? Well my friend, this is the game
for you.
Fantasy Football gives us the opportunity
to become the coach, owner, and general manager of a personal football
franchise.
It gives all of the arm-chair jocks in us the chance to prove that
we can do a better job managing and owning a team than does Dan Snyder.
If it happens in pro football, you’ll be able to do it in your league:
draft players, pick-up free agents, bench under-performing stars,
analyze stats and read scouting reports. The game is designed to
mirror real life football, and your mission is simple: build a team,
dominate the competition, and win your league’s championship.
So why is Fantasy Football so popular?
Why do 10 million people play Fantasy Football each year? Well, first
of all,
it’s one of the most fun and exhilarating
things you can do in life. There’s nothing like trash-talking the
rest of your league before the draft about how your team will smash
the competition, then laughing at that one guy in your league on
draft day who picks “T.J. Houshmanzilly.” Also, it’s really easy to play. I mean even
Peter Campanelli understands it. Just find
a league, pick a team, and you’re on your way. Plus, it’s addictive.
Trust us. Play it once, you’ll be hooked.
Fantasy Football is not only big in the sports world,
but it has a large economic impact. According to a study, there is
an estimated economic impact of $1.5 billion in the industry and
about $4 billion of total economic impact. The World Championships
of Fantasy Football are held each year in Las
Vegas, with over 100 entries per year.
How To Play
Now that you have an idea about
why Fantasy Football is so much fun, we’ll tell you how it works.
The first thing you have to do is find a league to join. It could
be a bunch of friends
from work, school, or just a random group of people online. A plethora
of sites have leagues you can play for free on, such as Yahoo!, ESPN,
NfL.com, and CBS Sportsline.
Next, prepare for the draft. Familiarize
yourself with players in the league, which guys are worth drafting,
which
ones are poised for a breakout season, and which players could potentially
fail. Look up injuries, so you don’t take that one guy who tore his
ACL in the preseason. Many fantasy players look at projections, magazines,
or “cheat-sheets” for advice on who to draft.
The Draft: Most people consider
this the single most fun day in Fantasy Football. Here’s your chance
to start molding a championship-caliber team. The league draft can
last anywhere from
12-25 rounds, so be ready for a long draft day. Be prepared, draft
with confidence and enjoy.
