The Shlaef Says…
You smell that in the air? Yeah, that’s the sweet smell of the leaves changing and that means only one thing: baseball is finally over. Although I’m a rather avid baseball guy and live and die for my Chicago Cubs, it doesn’t even do my fantasy football fetish justice.
Fantasy football doesn’t include beer, brats and foul balls, though what it does invoke is so much more. Fantasy football is a way of life. It encompasses every Sunday morning on the couch from the hours, 12PM-8PM, and there are absolutely no excuses for turning off the TV.
Football has changed dramatically over the years and no, I’m not looking at you, Commissioner Goodell. What has changed the most; is the loyalty and commitment that resides with-in the fantasy football community. This once hobby, turned lifestyle, used to involve pencil and paper and human error to account for each individual players’ statistics on a weekly basis. Now it’s all computer generated and instead of 16-year-old pubescent boys participating, the age range starts at 10 and doesn’t end till over 60. Male, female it doesn’t matter; because of the passion for the game, coupled with technology, this has reached epidemic status.
The days of simply rooting for your beloved hometown team are passé people. Yes, I love the Chicago Bears and still wish I would have been around for the days of Iron Mike stomping around the Soldier Field sidelines. Yet, I wouldn’t trade my yearly fantasy football experience for anything. There is just something about gambling, friends, and smack talk with your best friends that really gets the adrenaline pumping. It gives me my moment in the sun as I get to be a “pseudo” general manager for a full 13 weeks as I coddle my imaginary football teams lineup all week, until we inevitably reach Sunday afternoon. And believe me when I tell you, I am not the only one who’s fascinated and almost obsessed with the joy fantasy football brings to people. Here’s a figure for you: $13,400,000. That is the amount of money lost by employers thanks to employees focusing on fantasy football, according to @ChallengerGray, a verified Twitter accounts, estimate. And this coming from the heralded Darren Rovell, ESPNs financial employee means you have no choice but to buy into the hype.
Now I can gush and heap praise on the sports Gods for creating such a wonderful yet complex mechanism that gives me even more to cheer for on football Sundays, but I won’t. What I will do is urge anyone who has the opportunity to read this blog to try it out this upcoming season. Like I mentioned before, this isn’t exclusive to any demographic and more and more women are participating than ever before. So pull up ESPN or Yahoo! Sports and start reading people! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Stay tuned for some more fantasy football advice periodically throughout the season as well. Now get out there and kick some fantasy football ass.
The Shlaef
-jake shlofrock
