Fantasy football has become a phenomenon that has gone across the entire country, with millions of fans playing and transforming the way we experience the game. It is played in all 50 states in the country. It has a great combination of competition, strategy, and camaraderie that has taken the football world by storm. It all starts with a draft before the season starts. But even before that the ranking comes out in the summer so you have all summer to decide who you want to draft. There is new rookies involved and old vets on new teams and just so many different scenarios that go into all of it. You can study all summer then do mock drafts leading up to the draft to know who you want to get. About a week or two before the draft you find out what pick you’re going to be and then you can really get the mock drafts rolling after that. “There's no denying that fantasy football has evolved into a huge industry over the past few years. But just how huge is it? A new study asserts that American employers are losing as much as $6.5 billion each year to fantasy football. Chicago outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas recently released a study calculating exactly how much money employers lose every year due to their employees procrastination and managing their fantasy football rosters. Their number? $6.5 billion.” -(Eric Brown)
At its core, fantasy football turns an average fan into ultimate super fans because they feel like they are the owner of a team.. It empowers them to become team owners, coaches, and general managers, as they assemble and draft their own teams by drafting real NFL players. Some people draft a lot of players from the team they already like so they can double up and root for both at the same time. This gives fans a sense of ownership and control over their team's season because they are in control. “We're starting Monday with a draft of the greatest fantasy seasons of all time, where you'll get your answer on McCaffrey — his 2019 season was the third overall pick in our draft going back to 1997.” - (Chris Towers)
Fantasy football has taken over American culture in all sorts of ways. The strategy involved in fantasy football is what sets it apart from other forms of sports entertainment because there is so much to keep track of. Players need to carefully analyze everything that goes into the game including; player statistics, injury reports, and match-ups to decisions about their starting lineups. There is so much strategy involved and the person who makes the right move should end up winning, also there is a hint of luck involved.
But fantasy football is not just about the competition, it’s about creating a community with friends, coworkers, and even strangers come together to form leagues, talk smack, and share their love for the game. It creates bonds and connections that go beyond the football field, because it is such an investment. People come together to discuss strategies, trade players, and to show off their team. “The National Football League has become the true passion of sports fans across the United States over the past decade, so it's no shock that the popularity of fantasy football has also increased at an enormous rate. An estimated 30 million people participated in leagues last season, and the overall numbers should continue to rise. In fact, there are some fans that have not yet been introduced to the fantasy football phenomenon but are very interested in learning more about how it all works and how to get involved in their own league.” - (Michaell Fabiano)
Fantasy football has revolutionized the way we watch football. You also watch the game in a distorted view because your might be rooting for guys from both teams of the game you are watching. It has brought fans closer to the action because they are so involved in it. Every touchdown, yard gained, or interception becomes a reason to celebrate or be extremely upset and question all the moves you made, Games are ten times more fun to watch once you have one of your players play for the teams on tv. “About 40 million people play fantasy football in the United States, according to reports. In India alone, another 20 million play fantasy sports, a number that could increase to 150 million next year, according to Business Wire. Daryl Michael Lim, who plays in the same league as Vergara in the Philippines, estimates the number of Filipinos who play fantasy football is "safely in the thousands." -(Josh Weinfuss)
In conclusion, fantasy football has become a cultural wave that has taken over the football world and the country. It has changed the way we watch the game and view players. Some people take it overboard. Passion is strong in fantasy football, just like it is with real football.
After reading your post, I know understand why some of my friends have to watch every football game to make sure their fantasy football team is doing good. The "ownership" that someone feels when they draft their favorite players is definitely a great way to involve more people. I've never really been a fan of football, but its cool to see how it has created a community for many people. I have some friends who have the most outrageous bets if their fantasy football team looses.
Ah yes, fantasy football. My sister is a fanatic and if it wasn't for
her I would not know what it was. It's also so interesting whenever football season comes because now you have people not only worrying about their team losing but also their fantasy team. It's so fun to witness! I, myself, don't know a whole lot but when I hang out with my friends and they talk about it, it sounds so complex. I look like this
I'm going to be honest, before reading this I really didn't know what all fantasy football entailed. It's really cool to learn that there is so much that goes into it! (people seem to gain from it too)
I didn't knew that this game was widely popular among the sport's community. I made a little bit of research after reading your post and it look like it is like a videogame, but instead of one playing the respective games, players need to wait and see if their data can match up against other player's data. It's an interesting concept that apparently has affected jobs around the country. I am glad you shined some light to this community and hobby.
I had no idea fantasy football was so widely played, let alone that 30-40 million people participate! I appreciate that you shared the community aspect of this—I feel like that's often overlooked, but it can be a huge factor as to why so many people get involved (and stay involved).