Fantasy Football: Fun or Folly?

I used to get excited to plop down on the couch Sunday afternoon and root for my favorite NFL team, but now I find myself dreading each week and praying for a kicker to score for a team I can’t stand.

This may be an experience you’ve had playing fantasy football along with millions of other Americans, and it’s a testament to a big question surrounding fantasy football: Is fantasy football a fun game for NFL fans that brings them closer to their friends and the sport, or a widespread obsession linked with gambling that is ruining the fanbase?

Fantasy football is an online game where players draft and manage an imaginary team of real-life NFL players, gaining and losing points based on their performances, and competing against others in their league. It is almost always played with a group of friends, and commonly includes some form of gambling, cash prize, or a punishment for the loser.

On the positive side, fantasy football is a great way to socialize. Fantasy football gives friends who don’t see each other very often a reason to stay in touch. For many fans, fantasy football also deepens their understanding of the game. In my experience, fantasy football forces players to become more engaged, and can make them bigger football fans. Most importantly, fantasy football can be very fun and lots of players just simply enjoy it.

Unfortunately, If you ask any NFL fan who plays fantasy football, they’ll tell you that it changes the way you watch and think about the game. Instead of rooting for your hometown team, you start to root for players and teams that you don’t like, and even subconsciously root against your own team. Fantasy football makes the game more about individual players and stats instead of the game itself and the love fans have for it. Some players also become so engrossed in the game and spend so much time on it that it can affect their real life and relationships.

Not only this, a major factor fueling this possibly unhealthy level of competition is the extent to which fantasy football has become another way to gamble on sports. Sports betting apps are more prominent than ever, and almost every home league includes some sort of gambling. Many leagues require a buy-in to fund a cash prize, and a lot also include a punishment for the loser, which can range from harmless to downright dangerous. The line between game and gambling is blurrier than ever, and it can turn fantasy football from a fun game to a dangerous endeavor.

In my opinion, fantasy football has morphed from an innocent game to something that is still fun, but also changing the way fans watch the NFL, and not for the better. Whichever way you see it, fantasy football will remain a very popular game for NFL fans, and if you play or plan on playing, it’s important to make sure that it is fun and enjoyable, not a frustrating obsession.