A no-perspective blowhard on fantasy football

Stumbled upon this link from SI.com writer Elizabeth Newman and wanted to know what others thought.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/elizabeth_newman/09/01/queens.court/index.html


I personally think she got it all wrong here. She was trying to bash fantasy football players for being losers with no perspective, when I don't think she had any in the first place. I've played fantasy football since I was in high school (I'm six years out of college now), and fantasy baseball for several years (an auction league with guys who worked at my college paper).
It's not about the money or lack of fulfillment in our lives.... it's about having fun with your friends and watching sports. In my hometown fantasy football league, several of my cousins and uncles are in the league, and probably will be as long as we have it. It's family bonding... my dad and uncle have drafted for me since I moved away from home 6 years ago and can't make the draft.
My other fantasy football/baseball leagues are the guys from the college paper. I've cemented relationships with good friends and turned non-acquaintances into friends just by drafting, trading, etc., over the years.
Heck, in my baseball auction league, we get together in an MLB city, go to a game the day before (we draft a week into the season becuase of commitments), draft, then go out and have fun that night, too. Wives included. My wife loves fantasy football... it's gotten her interested in the NFL. And I'm still a huge Cubs and Vikings fan regardless of how my fantasy teams do. This is just extra juice.
Ms. Newman, if you're reading this, get a clue.

 

I have one draft (NFL) and one auction (NL) a year and each day is like Christmas, especially (and this will stun BYH perhaps) the NL league.

It is a keeper league (9 to 14 players - of the 24 player roster - from year to year with salary escalators, plus a fixed acquisition budget during the season).

But the reparte and camaraderie of auction/draft day.... I can't explain its greatness to someone who hasn't participated. THAT's how great it is.

 

We do an obituary of the day at our paper, something more than the paid obits (and better written). It's a slice-of-life feature daily. It spookily happened to be my turn when my best friend's dad died last month. I think this sums up the good stuff of fantasy football you're talking about. The column seems to miss a fairly important part of what we think is important in our league.

 

As usual, DBV, excellent roll there.

 

I'm in 37 leagues this year. I did 14 alone on Sunday. Two more tonight -- they are running concurrently at a sports bar and I will dash back and forth between rooms to complete my teams before the kickoff.

 

Exactly, DBV. We play for money in the leagues I'm in - and sometimes we get snippy with each other - but we're friends, and really, it's not about the cash. It's about getting together with friends who are spread out across the country and you don't see except on draft day, unless your paths happen to cross during the year.
Heck, I probably spent over $1000 on my baseball draft trip this season - and only $80 of that was league fees. Best thousand I've blown all year.

 

I must admit... if you have everyone who is actually playing in an entire league... what's the point?

I do not get this.

Hopefully, I was missing the sarcasm font.

 

My friends and I play for money in our leagues.....$100 a team. But, the best part of fantasy sports is the bragging rights, an entire year of talking shit!

 

Best thing about the SI column: she's bashing her company's customer base. Next thing, she'll write a column about why anyone would want to waste their money buying tickets to games or waste their time watching sports on TV.

 

Mike Silver's next "Rollin' with.." should be with this chick. Hook her up on his cellie.

 

Viagra does NOT give men false hope that they're something they are not -- really, really poor analogy on her part.

I don't know which bothers me more: The clichéd writing or the fact that she's never tried it.

 

I've never done a fantasy league in my life (I like betting on games instead), but who gives a flying F if other people are doing it? Who does it hurt?


Just don't destroy regular sports threads to tell us how Player X just F'd you with his four strikeout game.