Millions of people tuned in over the weekend for the start of the 2012 NFL football season. Fans all over the country donned their favorite team’s colors as they cheered, cursed, or cried depending on the progression of the game. Some spectators, however, watched with a different perspective. They displayed no team loyalty; did not possess the passion of the frenzied fan. Instead, they watched individual players and cheered for single accomplishments. No, these aren’t your typical fan. They are what’s known as a fantasy football team owner and part of a phenomenon that is taking over the NFL.
Just what is this fantasy football craziness about?
Fantasy football is an online competition played by football fans throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. Participants draft their own football players and then compete against the teams drafted by other participants. Teams accumulate points based on the performances of the players during their actual games. Scoring varies from league to league, however many mimic realistic scoring scenarios. Touchdowns are typically six points, offensive players are awarded points based on passing, receiving, and rushing yardage, kickers receive points for field goals and points after completions, etc. Negative points are also assessed for fumbles and interceptions.
Team owners assume a role similar to that of the actual team’s coach/general manager. The owner must choose his/her team’s starting line-up at the beginning of each game, choose replacement players, orchestrate trades, etc. The ultimate goal of each team is to make the playoffs at the end of the year and then, of course, to win the championship. The bottom line is that if the players on your team perform, your team succeeds. As they go – you go, which is why team owners often feel a deep connection to their players. Those players often share that connection.
In December of 2011, injured Viking’s running back Adrian Peterson told ESPN that he wanted to attempt a comeback for that weekend’s game against the New Orleans Saints not because he felt a sense of responsibility to his teammates, but out of loyalty to his fantasy owners. “It’s very important, especially for my fantasy team owners,” Peterson said. “They’ve been giving me a hard time.” On Monday, Atlanta Falcon’s wide receiver Roddy White posted the following Twitter message to his fantasy owners: “Fantasy owners got to get y’all some more points.” When all-pro players take the fantasy football world into consideration when analyzing their performance or making decisions about their health, the enormous scope of the fantasy sports network is clearly illustrated.
Michael Tomanek started playing fantasy football before it was the Internet craze it is today. Regarding the ease of the current system, he said, “The various online platforms make it easy. When I first did it 12 years ago, this was not the case. The draft took place at a group meeting and we did not have the rankings or projections to aid our choices. The league manager had to track all of the stats. This is no longer the case, so teams can be local or spread out over great distances.” In fact, it is estimated that over 25 million people are currently involved in some sort of fantasy football league, in countries spread out all over the world.
How did this all get started?
The beginning can be traced to 1962, when Oakland Raiders limited partner Bill Winkenbach, Oakland Tribune beat writer Scotty Stirling, and Raiders public relations consultant Bill Tunnell sat in a hotel room one night after a Raiders football game and scratched out the basis for the fantasy football game we know today. In the beginning, the game was called the “Greater Oakland Pigskin Prognosticators League” or GOPPL for short. Participants during the first year were limited to Tribune staff or people associated with the Raiders organization. The following year, the league was expanded and from there it began to grow exponentially. The rest, as they say, is history.
Why is it so popular?
Tomanek believes that fantasy football is so appealing because “people like to win and associate themselves with winners.” He also thinks that it “plays into the fantasy/delusion that we know something nobody else does.” The system allows fans to feel a sense of control over the destiny of their team, unlike the helplessness and frustration they often feel when rooting for their favorite city. When one’s beloved team is 2-10 and clearly out of contention for the post-season, his/her fantasy team can still be a source of hope. It levels the playing field for all teams.
The National Football League and the sports world in general have embraced fantasy football and recognized its potential to expand the sport’s fan base. In 2011, Commissioner Roger Goodell directed teams to show fantasy statistics during games on stadium video boards. ESPN has several television segments and Internet sites dedicated to providing fans with fantasy football analysis and advice. Mainstream entertainment even jumped on the bandwagon when FX unveiled The League, a sitcom based on fantasy football. The pervasiveness of the league across several segments of society indicates that it is no longer a pastime reserved solely for hardcore football fans.
What is the future of fantasy football?
Like many societal fads, fantasy football participation will likely ebb and flow over time. “I think it will hit a peak and then level off over time,” Tomanek said. “Those that truly like it will stick with it, and others who merely want to try it will fade away.” Whether or not it remains the phenomenon it is today is yet to be seen, but its impact on the game of football is undisputed. Just ask Roddy White.
by Jamee Larson