Fantasy football can be a rollercoaster of emotions for those who partake in managing an imaginary team. Many people do not understand the reason why grown men can be so obsessed with a game, but sometimes it is because of the stakes that the end of the season holds. Some leagues have a buy-in where the top placers receive money, but a majority of leagues have a punishment for the loser.
These punishments can range from something as simple as buying the group a dinner to extreme public humiliation. Popular punishments include the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin’ Challenge, cage throw, spray tan or the milk mile.
The culture behind fantasy football has been growing during the recent years due to the increased popularity of sports in social media. The popularity of fantasy football punishments has been highlighted on many large profiles and pages across social media. The fame of the punishments even resulted in a random punishment generator run through the Buffalo Wild Wings website.
Pleasant Valley students have been involved in multiple leagues with fantasy punishments. Some punishments are much worse than others. “I knew that there was a punishment involved but I never thought that it would be something extreme. I will say it could have been worse, I cannot imagine some of the other punishments that are even worse than mine,” stated senior Nathan Musal.
Many people take their punishments a step too far. The losers of the leagues have been more than just ashamed or embarrassed. Many punishments have gotten to the point of physical harm. Whether it be fruit dodgeball, spending 24 hours in a cage or the paintball firing squad, participants can leave the punishment with injuries.
Senior Adam Bullock lost his 2021-2022 fantasy league and was forced into attempting the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin’ challenge until he successfully completed it. Luckily, it only took one attempt. “The challenge was not as bad as it sounds. I think that eating hot wings as a punishment is overall pretty mild in terms of severity,” stated Bullock.
The motive behind having such an extreme punishment at the end of the season is to encourage players to try their hardest during the season. It does not take much work to manage a team in fantasy football, but the slightest slips could cost a player anything from their dignity to their health.
