thefinishline 07/26/10
Fantasy Land
By Aaron M. Little
This week, all across our great nation, NFL training camps are opening. We are less than two weeks away from the first preseason exhibition, the AFC-NFC Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, August 8th. Pro Football fans far and wide are beginning to rouse from summer sports hibernation as the National Football League is coming to life in preparation for the 2010 season. But there is another 2010 season that is about to take football fans by storm.
The 2010 Fantasy Football season is on the radar screens of millions of Americans right now. ESPN estimated that around 27 million people played Fantasy Football in 2009, spending an average of nine hours a week (during the season) online “managing” teams. This is an incredible cultural phenomenon. This year marks my ninth year of involvement. I’ve played in leagues started by work cronies and leagues started by old high school friends. My most exhausting years were when I tried to simultaneously juggle three separate leagues while going back to grad school and being a married father of young children. Of course I’ve learned from my mistakes and now that I’ve graduated and cut back to only two fantasy teams per year...I’m a new man.
But seriously, fantasy sports (and yes, if you’re not into them, they exist well beyond just football) are a most deceptive thief of our time and energy. Sure, you can look at it as some type of “investment” if you play in high-stakes money leagues where you buy-in for hundreds of dollars, telling your wife that when you win you’ll have a thousand bucks, but explain to me how that’s not gambling? Like I said, I play Fantasy Football, so I’m condemning no one. I just think that before we bust through the gate of the 2010 season, we need to evaluate our priorities and make sure any and all of our “investments” are prioritized correctly. For Christian men, husbands and fathers, this is even more crucial. If we’re spending more time checking player stats and proposing trades than we are reading the Word on a daily basis, something’s not right. If our children begin to expect us to zone out for the entire afternoon every Sunday during football season, there is a problem.
Just a couple points to ponder as we start up the leagues over the next several weeks. My advice is to enjoy, but don’t become consumed by Fantasy Football. Anyone have any other words of wisdom on the topic?
This week, all across our great nation, NFL training camps are opening. We are less than two weeks away from the first preseason exhibition, the AFC-NFC Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, August 8th. Pro Football fans far and wide are beginning to rouse from summer sports hibernation as the National Football League is coming to life in preparation for the 2010 season. But there is another 2010 season that is about to take football fans by storm.
The 2010 Fantasy Football season is on the radar screens of millions of Americans right now. ESPN estimated that around 27 million people played Fantasy Football in 2009, spending an average of nine hours a week (during the season) online “managing” teams. This is an incredible cultural phenomenon. This year marks my ninth year of involvement. I’ve played in leagues started by work cronies and leagues started by old high school friends. My most exhausting years were when I tried to simultaneously juggle three separate leagues while going back to grad school and being a married father of young children. Of course I’ve learned from my mistakes and now that I’ve graduated and cut back to only two fantasy teams per year...I’m a new man.
But seriously, fantasy sports (and yes, if you’re not into them, they exist well beyond just football) are a most deceptive thief of our time and energy. Sure, you can look at it as some type of “investment” if you play in high-stakes money leagues where you buy-in for hundreds of dollars, telling your wife that when you win you’ll have a thousand bucks, but explain to me how that’s not gambling? Like I said, I play Fantasy Football, so I’m condemning no one. I just think that before we bust through the gate of the 2010 season, we need to evaluate our priorities and make sure any and all of our “investments” are prioritized correctly. For Christian men, husbands and fathers, this is even more crucial. If we’re spending more time checking player stats and proposing trades than we are reading the Word on a daily basis, something’s not right. If our children begin to expect us to zone out for the entire afternoon every Sunday during football season, there is a problem.
Just a couple points to ponder as we start up the leagues over the next several weeks. My advice is to enjoy, but don’t become consumed by Fantasy Football. Anyone have any other words of wisdom on the topic?