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People need to stop hating on fantasy football.
There are certainly more productive ways to spend one’s time, but it isn’t really any different from any other hobby.
Smack talk towards gardening, painting, puzzles or any other pastimes is few and far between. Yet, so many feel the need to rain on a parade they clearly know very little about.
Few feelings match the joy of the annual fantasy football draft. Akin to a holiday, draft night is filled with food, friends and occasional shenanigans.
Fantasy football is for both sports fanatics and casual fans, an easy way to connect with friends and family in an engaging and competitive way.
“Fantasy football helps players better understand the sport. I love how it’s a great mix of luck and skill,” said junior Brentlee Powers.
Though the friendly competition often rises in stakes from a variety of factors, namely embarrassing punishments for those who come in last place in their respective leagues, fantasy football remains lighthearted.
Generally, the most vocal doubters of fantasy football are those who know the least about it. It’s as if the saying, “don’t knock it ‘till you try it,” never existed. The steadfast haters usually fail to listen to reason, calling it “fake football”, and rolling their eyes at its mere mention.
For those skeptics who would like to educate themselves, fantasy football actually dates back to 1962, according to CBS Sports.
For many years, fantasy football was entirely by hand, including score calculations. According to The Fantasy Footballers, in 1997, the first successful online fantasy football site was launched by CBS, and by 2006, more than 18 million people were playing fantasy football. Numerous different sports sites launched their own versions of fantasy football, including Yahoo, NFL and the current most popular site, ESPN.
In recent years, newer sites like Sleeper and Underdog Fantasy have even further evolved this online activity. With more ways to play, fantasy sports has blossomed to more than 50 million annual players, according to Statista.
For many, sports is an integral part of life. Whether as a fan or a player, sports are woven into the schools, media, fashion and especially wallets of society. Even for more casual fans, fantasy football is an easy way to engage with the sports that so many people love.
If sporting fandom isn’t criticized, fantasy football shouldn’t be either. The Super Bowl is consistently the most viewed television event in America each year, to no one’s surprise or chagrin, so why would those who would like to engage with such a popular sport be criticized?
Beyond sports, there’s really nothing to dislike about fantasy football. Filled with hilarious antics and trash talk amongst friends, a vote against fantasy football is a vote against fun.
