Many sports fans are satisfied by just catching the game on the weekend. However, for some, this is simply not enough. Fantasy sports, especially fantasy football, provide die-hard fans a way to go deeper into the game and play their own version of it through exploring statistics, trading players and being active on the waiver-wire. For others, fantasy football is simply another way to connect with friends. Either way, it is rising in popularity among high school students.
As week one of the NFL season is in the rearview, so are fantasy drafts. Normally taking place before the season starts in August, these drafts provide fans a way to have fun with friends and select their squad for the year. Many players choose to have group drafts, where everyone in the league gathers together to choose players and have fun.
Senior Spencer Johnson, an avid football fan and fantasy player, explained his experience with fantasy drafts. “Five of the eight people in my league came over and we had fun yelling at each other for stealing the players we wanted. It made the league feel much more real and was a great way to start off our season,” Johnson stated.
Prior to drafting, many players work on their lineup. They use resources such as position rankings, mock drafts, injury updates, fantasy apps and projected points based on matchups to draft their players. These resources can also be used to keep up with who should be started, benched, or traded throughout the season.
Senior Matt Pischke is also an involved NFL fan and fantasy player. He explained his strategy for keeping up with the latest fantasy news around the league. “I keep up with the league year round so that helps me narrow down the list of players I want to draft…I rely heavily on the ESPN app for most of my information about teams throughout the season. The fantasy apps can give useful updates about the players on your team but ESPN gives me all news even if it’s not related to fantasy and sometimes that is more useful to me than information given directly from the fantasy apps,” Pischke described.
Forgetting to check a lineup and leaving an injured player in can be catastrophic, especially when many players are playing for more than just fun. Sometimes this is difficult because many players participate in multiple leagues. Leagues can even be different in the way they are set up. Players can opt to play in traditional leagues, pick-a-team leagues, and many others.
Some players take their leagues more seriously for fear of a harsh punishment. Popular fantasy punishments range from the Waffle House punishment, where the loser must stay in a Waffle House for 24 hours and every waffle they eat takes an hour off the time, to lighter options including hot wings challenges or operating a lemonade stand.
Others invest more in their leagues than just humiliation. The rise in popularity of fantasy football is very similar to the increase in sports betting. The combination of fantasy football and sports betting has resulted in many players playing for money in their leagues.
The responsibility is increased even more for those who run their leagues. Johnson explains what being the commissioner of one of his leagues is like. “This is my first year as league commissioner and it has come with a few more responsibilities. My main job was organizing our in-person draft and determining the point system” Johnson iterated.
Fantasy sports also provide viewers who are not interested in football a reason to watch. Many high school students who don’t regularly watch football keep up with it because they participate in fantasy leagues with their friends.
No matter what kind of football fan someone is, fantasy football provides an opportunity to come together over a fun activity.
Fantasy football will likely continue to increase in popularity as society goes further into the digital age. Whether playing for fun, money, or pride, fantasy players agree it is a way to further their interest in the game.
“It’s just a great way to stay connected with people and do something fun with your friends,” Pischke concluded.
