By Tony Hernandez
Fantasy football is making a name for itself and becoming more popular among football fans each season.
Fans not only watch the games, but also are involved in tracking the performances of their favorite players, along with helping them learn more about football and it’s statistics.
Fantasy football is an interactive competition in which users compete against each other as general managers of virtual teams built from real players of the National Football League (NFL).
In this league, the objective is to take the players they draft and put out the best team possible, simply on judgment and receive points for how well a certain individual does or lose points based on his lack of performance. A general manager role is also able to trade, sign or release a player, giving full control of their team just like a real general manager.
The league itself works as follows; participants decide which type of league they wish to join. They play for fun, in certain leagues or play for money that is won at the end of the year for having the best record in your league. Next, they acquire a roster of players (either through a draft, or auto pick system), them each week individuals set their lineup and watch as touchdowns, field goals, yards gained, and defensive plays generate points for or against their team.
Whether they win or lose, and climb or fall on the leader boards, all depends on how well their players do on the football field. Will they male a risky move to start that backup running back, or will they play it safe and keep their starting lineup consistent? That’s just one of the chances you have to take as a GM for your team.
The object of the game is to outscore each opponent (other owners) on a weekly basis, which are always chosen randomly, so that at the end of the season (depending on the league) the player that has the most points or wins the league. Winners usually receive a grand prize of money, depending on the league or just the sense of accomplishment by having the better team all year and proving their football knowledge to fellow opponents. In one case, ESPN even has its own league where the grand prize is a trip to the next year’s super bowl.
The fantasy football trend is emerging and becoming a hobby of many sports fans. Men, women and even kids can participate and gain knowledge of football as they go along. It gives anyone the power to live their own dream of owning a football team stacked with their favorite players.
“Fantasy football is intriguing because each week is different from the last. You never know if players you chose are going to perform well or not,” says ELAC student, Veronica Garza, “It’s always fun to see if your predictions you make come true, it’s always a gamble but that’s what makes it fun.”
Math major Victoria Chidboy explains how fantasy football helps her with her basic math. “Each action in a football game is given a separate numerical point value. Each time a certain player scores or does anything to affect the outcome of the game; I need to take it into consideration. Using basic arithmetic, I can generate how many points my team has earned each week. Not only am I sharpening my basic math skills, but I’m having fun doing it.”
