–by Gaven Li
Every Sunday, Monday, and Thursday is a holiday for all the football fans in the United States. Besides the tension brought by the exciting football games, the other thing most of the fans care about is . . . Fantasy Football. This game, which can be traced back to the 1960s, is definitely one of the most popular games in the United States. Today, we are going to talk about Fantasy Football with Palm Valley players.
Fantasy Football is a statistical game in which players compete against one another by managing groups of real players or position units selected from the National Football League teams (Wikipedia). Every week, players’ stats change based on their performances on the field that week.
Why do we love Fantasy Football? “It’s always fun to compete with friends in a sport we all enjoy,” says Jacob Langlois, junior. “I have been playing this game for a couple years. I think football is probably the most-followed sport in America, and it just adds extra enjoyment to it with this game.”
“I like [Fantasy Football] because it adds a different dimension to football, and it’s a whole new way to enjoy the NFL,” says Andrew Olson, senior, who started playing this game three weeks ago. “It provides the thrill of betting with the fun of football, and there isn’t any downside.”
Freshman Oliver Kauffman agrees with Andrew. “I think it is popular because you win money,” says Oliver. “It is really fun because it has to do with sports and it interests me.” However, his brother Nicholas Kauffman has a different opinion: “I think it is popular because so many people want to own a team, but can’t afford it, so this game gives them the sense of being able to compete against friends and ‘own’ a team.”
As the season goes, many factors might affect players’ performances. If a player is hurt in real life, he’s not scoring touchdowns for you. You need to bench or drop them. People who own Tony Romo or Steven Smith, Sr., (both who were seriously injured) must be quite upset now, while the guys who have the unstoppable Rob Gronkowski can’t even hide the smile on their faces.
