8 Reasons To Play Fantasy Football This Season
Football season is here. If the scene in Mankato last weekend was any indication, Vikings fans are starving for some football.
The team reported to training camp with hundreds of exciting fans waiting for autographs from their favorite player. For the team, it's down to business with less than two weeks before they head to Canton, Ohio, to play the Steelers in their first preseason game.
It also means fantasy football drafts are just around the corner. It's an industry that took off in the last 10 years and is only getting bigger every year. If you're not in at least one fantasy league this year, you're in the minority. Once the drafts are done, then it's all about NFL Sundays on the couch.
Here are eight reasons why if you haven't played fantasy football, you should.
Good Way To Stay In Touch With Friends
Everyone does it. You graduate high school, spend your four years in college and lose track of the friends you spent years building relationships with. What better way to keep in touch with your buddies than play fantasy football? It's a fun way to get your group of guys together and talk sports when everyone has busy lives between families and careers.
Commitment Level To Leagues Varies
The great thing about fantasy football is that you can be as committed to it as you want to be. You can play in one league, you can play in multiple leagues. You can also spend as little or as much money as you want.
Websites Offer Variety Of Fantasy Football Games
Thanks to the Internet, fantasy football has exploded into a worldwide phenomenon. It's played everywhere and on multiple websites. There are season-long leagues, and weekly leagues where the most dedicated fans have won thousands, and even millions of dollars. You can also specify what types of points you want to score (points per reception, touchdown heavy, yardage) based on who you draft for your league.
Vacations Often Planned With Fantasy Drafts In Mind
We have our reasons for taking vacation, and yes, some of us use fantasy football as a reason to get away for a weekend and throw back a few beverages. It helps if your league has members scattered that can only meet in one spot that everyone can agree on. But if you're going to spend three hours picking football players with money on the line, why not make a weekend out of it with some golf and a little party?
No Football Expertise Necessary
A great thing about fantasy football is, like many sports contests among fans, you don't have to be an expert to be good. It's often better to be lucky when drafting some players, and your team is only good as long as it stays healthy. A lot of people who play the fantasy game call themselves experts, but very few actually are.
Fun Way To Keep Competitive Juices Flowing
Let's be honest with ourselves. Other than winning some money, the reason we play fantasy football is to talk some smack among our league competitors. Many leagues even have "smack boards," where you can go back and forth with your opponent, all in good fun. If you play fantasy football, you're probably competitive. It's a platform to get those juices out in a fun way.
Winning Money is Always Fun
When we enter a fantasy football league, there's a financial payout at stake for most of us. Other than the fun of being competitive, the chance at winning money is what fuels many to play. You make a lot of player choices in the course of a season whether it's a trade, dropping or adding a player or whether you bench or start a player. Putting a little money in your pocket at the end of the season makes it all worth it.
Sundays are Meant for Football
Having a fantasy football lineup assures one thing: Sunday is meant to be a day of rest, and you'll like be spending your NFL Sundays on the couch. There's no more token image than a dude reclining in a chair, football jersey on and laptop in hand monitoring his fantasy team's every move, every point scored on any given Sunday. In some instances, it means the same for Thursday and Monday nights also. Fantasy football gives you the chance to watch multiple games on Sundays, and not just your favorite team. Just make sure you take out your significant other during the week to make up for your Sunday on the couch.
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Fantasy football is fun, competitive and as engaging as you choose it to be. It's important to enjoy it and not stress over every move or every loss. Otherwise, you could have a few stressful Sundays and a lot of gray hair.
