By Angeli Fetizanan, Grade 10
Every fall, millions of people across the country get hyped for fantasy football. Something that started with a friendly bet between a group of friends has become an entirely different beast. Scoring and winning a championship is a thing of the past. For many people, it is a ritual and a means of connecting with friends in an entirely new way of watching football.
Outside the game, the social element of fantasy football is arguably more important than the competition itself. Friends, family, and coworkers are involved in leagues and communicate throughout the season, keeping up with various players, making trades, and cracking jokes about their player selections. It has transitioned from merely reporting on one’s league to one that is communicative. Draft night is a whole experience. Whether the draft is done in person or online, there are arguments about who to select, laughs about the ridiculous picks that someone made, and people who curse themselves for making decisions they wish they could go back and change. People are also engaged viewers when they are watching the games for which the players they selected are competing. These moments frequently become memes over the course of a season and even years.
Fantasy football has also been sweeping across the workplace. Employees who would otherwise never speak to each other are instantly friends over selecting a player. It has become something that people talk about to each other to ease the tension at the office. Fantasy football is also on TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and other social media platforms. These platforms keep people engaged far beyond their fantasy leagues.
In addition, the spectator sports industry has been overturned by fantasy football. It has become a means of viewing the game that goes beyond allegiance to one’s favourite team. Individuals are now tracking players across various leagues they would never have watched before. A game that one would typically flip through to find a moment of interest has become an integral part of conversations with various people. The league has expanded, and people have become more involved than ever in other teams.
There are even subgroups that focus only on fantasy football. Fantasy leagues, predict-a-plays, and podcasts create a dialogue space for people on topics that keep them engaged. When they are part of these groups, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to get bogged down by their team continuously losing. Above all else, fantasy football connects people with one another. People who would otherwise never see each other can check in regularly during the season through their fantasy leagues. They can track progress, and moments people can celebrate or despise that cost their teams points.
Fantasy football connects people through new and different situations. It has provided fantasy players with a way to create a weekly routine during every football season. People now have someone they talk to every year, despite not having seen them since high school or college. It has also provided people with a shared experience of creating contests around how various players perform on different teams. In reality, fantasy football is not just about scores. It connects people through conversation, rivalry contests, and most importantly, fun times spent together. Connections, memories, and traditions last far into the future, well after the present football season.
