Fantasy Football Frenzy

With the start of the NFL season kicking off on September 6 and Fantasy Football drafts underway, it's time to predict how this season and the corresponding bets and punishments will play out. Before examining the season, let’s look at Fantasy Football by itself. Fantasy Football is a game where participants act as owners and general managers of virtual football teams. They build their rosters by drafting players from the National Football League (NFL) and other leagues, like the Canadian Football League or NCAA. Points are earned each week based on the real-life performances of the selected players. Now, let's look at the pros and cons from the perspective of Oakton students. Students who are participating in Fantasy Football were interviewed for their opinions, rewards, and punishments. Brody Neihardt (12th) participates in Fantasy Football and he said “Yeah we put a few dollars down and the winner gets it. The person who loses is going to a college baseball showcase and none of us play baseball so whoever loses is just gonna try out infront of all these college baseball scouts.” When asked about the pros and cons he said “I think the pros is that I'm more engaged into watching NFL and a con is that I get a little angry” Krishna Veiga (12th), another Oakton student who participated in Fantasy Football, said “My league put down 50 dollars for each person for the winner so the winner will get around 200-300 dollars. And they have no punishment just if you lose you don’t get the money.” Some pros of Fantasy Football according to him is “you get more into the game and it's good seeing a player on your team earn you points and encourage him to watch more football.” One con he said was about putting in money and losing it. Cooper Gnipp (11th) said “My league does not have any rewards or bets but only a punishment. The punishment is harsher than the rest with an 18 mil mile where the loser has to consume 18 milligrams of a substance and run a mile.” And the pros he said was “you get to watch football and a con is the punishment.” In general, many people see many benefits of Fantasy Football. It brings people together, friends and randoms alike, to have friendly competition. It could be a great way to strengthen friendships and make new connections. Fantasy Football also helps you focus on the game and makes you plan and think strategically. Some downsides of Fantasy Football is the time it takes. Managing a fantasy team and monitoring their weekly performance and adjusting the lineup is very time-consuming. Another big downside that affects most of the interviewees is the risk of gambling. Most of the leagues involve money, creating stress for the participants. Lastly, people can get too emotionally invested, for example Brody saying he gets angry from watching football. This can affect their overall enjoyment of actual football games. However, this might not be true depending on the age or severity of players. Most interviewees think that the benefits outweigh the downsides and it's all for fun. Overall,Fantasy Football is a fun mix of strategy and friendly competition. While it has its ups and downs, like getting more into NFL games or feeling stressed about managing your team, the main point is it's all about having fun. So, whether you’re winning big or facing a funny punishment, remember, it’s all just a game in the end.