I moved to college back in September of 2020, moving two hours away from my hometown. That month was full of a lot of transitions and emotions, but one thing helped me with this rocky period of time: Fantasy Football.
I never was a fan of football. I watched a few high school games, would occasionally watch some highlights and would listen to my dad talk about the Seahawks. I used to only listen because I knew he enjoyed it and I didn’t mind, but soon I actually began to enjoy hearing about the teams, the games, and the players.
My dad played Fantasy Football over the 2019-2020 season, and I became invested in his team and wanted to know how he was doing. Before this, I had joked that Fantasy Football was for people who were bad at fantasy and bad at football. His league, which was himself and some of his siblings and in-laws, became enticing. This was his first year playing, and he won first place!
The following fall, when I was getting ready to move out, I asked to join the Johnson League. That September, during the first week in my new apartment, I did my first Fantasy Football Draft and started what has now become a great tradition between myself and my family.
Fantasy Football as a concept may be confusing to those unfamiliar with it. Simply put, it’s a Dream Team. Players in their leagues will participate in a draft, where they will take turns picking football players to fill out their rosters. These are real players on real teams. Once all of the positions are filled and a team is ready, players wait for the actual games to begin. Each football player gains points depending on their actual performance in the game. If a player catches the ball and runs with it, he gets points. If the player fumbles, he loses points. This means that even if the team loses, but the player does well, they score high. But this also means the opposite is true. A team can win, but if your Quarterback struggled, or even got hurt, they won’t score your Fantasy team a lot of points.
The points between all of your players will be added up to your team’s score. This means that it is incredibly important to keep track of your players. Knowing who is injured, who has a bye-week and who’s been having poor projections are all important aspects of the game. It takes a lot more planning and skill than one may initially think. I know, I was surprised at how important projections and knowing the game are.
I’m very close with my dad, and we’ve always gotten along very well, but having another thing in common, and one that we could talk about weekly, really helped me to be able to maintain that relationship with him. Every week we will talk about our team and players, talk about scores and, of course, talk about our favorite team, the Seahawks.
I’ve also actually gotten into football. I don’t have the time to regularly watch games, but now I pay a lot more attention to the scores and enjoy seeing clips.
This year marks my third year playing Fantasy Football. I won 5th my first year, 2nd my second year, and am currently 5th, although I’m hoping that’ll keep improving. I’ve enjoyed getting to talk to my dad, aunts and uncles over the last few years, having an easy way to start conversations and a great way to catch up. It also lets me engage my competitive side and enjoy some banter with my family.
Interested in more about Fantasy Football? Check out this article on the best recipes to make for game days!