A Dallas Cowboy Fan’s Love for NFL Fantasy Football
By author
So last week we heard why Erasmus hates fantasy football. I can see a few of your points, sir, but I just can’t get on board with hating fantasy football. I have a friend from New York the same way. I invited him to play in one of the fantasy leagues I’m in because we needed a few more people, and his response was simple: “I’ll only draft Jets players”. My response was even simpler: “You’ll lose”. So, I do have some familiarity with the super fan mindset. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that mindset. I have a ton of respect for the fans that won’t play fantasy football because they won’t support any other players of any other team and I think it is pretty cool. Now before you start thinking that I’m not a fan I can assure you I am as die hard as they come. So the following paragraphs are me defending my love for fantasy football.
Like I said, I understand the super fan mindset, but it would be physically impossible for me to hate every single player on every single team except the ones wearing the Star. It just flat out doesn’t make sense to me. For example, I like Wes Welker because he played at Texas Tech (don’t like the Patriots). Zach Thomas is one of my favorite linebackers of all time and he only played one year with Dallas. I also like Michael Crabtree, Drew Brees, and Kyle Adams (Crabtree went to Tech and Brees and Adams attended my high school).
What that means is that I want their team to absolutely bomb the season but I want those individual players to excel on those teams. It doubles for every single person on my fantasy football roster. If you think just because I have Mike Vick as my starting QB that I want the Eagles to win games your wrong. On the contrary, I wouldn’t mind the Eagles franchise never winning a game again, but I sure would like to see Vick throw two touchdowns and run for two more while still losing an absolute heartbreaker every single Sunday. Fantasy football isn’t about real life, that’s why it’s called ‘fantasy’. I’m the General Manager of a team that I own, draft, and name all by myself. How cool is that?
I know statistics wasn’t the game thirty years ago but the game has evolved. I talk about sports statistics like I know what I’m talking about on the regular. All the sports magazines and media talk about statistics. No one needs to pull a James Harrison and live in the past. Of course on Sunday it’s about team stats. So I urge you to think of fantasy football like the real draft; you’re not drafting a whole team, you’re drafting players on individual statistics and seeing how that combination of players play during the season.
I do have a rule when drafting that I won’t break (unless it’s stupid not too) and that is I’ll never draft any more than one Dallas Cowboy on any single team. Now this does exclude waiver wire (free agent) pick ups during the season, because I’ll always try to pick up hot streak Cowboys players. What this rule does is prevent me from being stupid. If I only have one Cowboy on my roster then he is a must start. No debate, no nothing. Last year I went for Tony Romo in the later rounds as my one Cowboy. Makes things a little less complicated in a very complicated game.
Think of what fantasy football contributes to real life football. I guarantee that if you take someone who has never been more than a ‘passing glance’ fan and get them to join a fantasy league, they will have 10 times more knowledge of teams, players, and the sport in general. Fantasy football is doing a lot to get people more involved with the sport, so in turn it contributes more to the world than just the boat loads of money it generates every year.
I know there is always going to be the fan who says “Well, at least so and so got a touchdown”. I understand how frustrating that can be for the fans more focused on real life than fantasy, but I don’t find anything wrong with someone taking something positive away from a loss. Especially with the Cowboys, lately that’s all you can do.
So now that I have played fantasy football and got a taste for winning I doubt I will ever be able to go a single real season without playing my fake one. There was even a part of me that was scared the lock out would stop fantasy football until next year (sad I know), but that’s what happens.
I read somewhere that Celebrity Gossip was the 7th legal thing a person could be addicted too; I think fantasy football must be the 8th.
Erasmus, I know you hate it and I respect your opinion, but don’t knock it till you try it first!
But always remember, in fantasy football you can’t be a fan of any team.
Thanks for reading, Good luck and Go Cows.
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