Fantasy football has taken over the lives of many Westminster students this fall, many of whom are motivated by larged prizes or a fear of embarrassing punishments. Every Monday morning, after the huge games on Sunday, classrooms are filled with students enthusiastically discussing their frustration or gratitude for the performances of NFL players the previous night.
For those unaware, the concept of fantasy football is simple. Right before the beginning of each NFL football season, friends, families, classmates, and even coworkers can come together and create a fantasy football league. Each fantasy player in the league, normally one of twelve in a league, drafts a team before the NFL season begins. Regardless of the NFL team the athlete is on in real life, fantasy players can draft them onto their fantasy team. Each week, fantasy teams face off, and the team with more points (earned when players on each fantasy team scores a touchdown, gains yards, and more) wins. Traditionally, at the end of the fantasy season (last week before the NFL playoffs) the winner of the league will receive a cash prize and the loser will face a harsh punishment.
Fantasy adds another layer of interest to NFL football for both avid sports fans and the average joe.
“Fantasy adds stakes to every game, even if you’re not part of an organization’s fan base,” said sophomore Samanyu Ganesh.
While the average student at Westminster may only root for the Atlanta Falcons, they tend to also watch other games in order to keep up with their fantasy football players. The rewards and punishment aspects of fantasy are great incentives for students.
“My league is doing a ‘milk mile’ as punishment,” said Ganesh. “That’s four laps around the track while drinking a glass of milk between each lap.”
Fantasy Football has also been able to bring homerooms closer together.
“Although we didn’t want to sign up at first, we are surprisingly enjoying it,” said advisor Amy Patel. “I might even admit that it’s building community in our homeroom.”
Patel and other members of her homeroom were slightly reluctant to the idea of a Fantasy Football league with her homeroom. However, now that it is integrated into her class, they are all thoroughly enjoying it. Many Westminster homerooms even have Fantasy leagues with punishments. Yet, usually the loser has to bring breakfast for everyone one day, not run a mile with a stomach full of milk.
Fantasy Football contains more aspects than just managing a person’s individual team. Fantasy leagues can appoint a manager, who has responsibilities such as monitoring trades between teams, making sure no cheating ensues, and looking over the league standings.
“It’s a lot of fun to manage a fantasy league,” said sophomore Noah Rohn. “I get to look over everything that happens in the league while trying to keep things fair.”
As a manager, Rohn makes sure the league is in order so it is enjoyable for everyone. Rohn recommends fantasy to all, even those who don’t know much about professional football. He isn’t alone in this opinion either.
“I would recommend fantasy because you get to enjoy competing against friends and it makes watching football more exciting,” said freshman Campbell McElroy.
Due to the added depth it brings to football, the excitement of possible rewards and punishments, as well as the bonds of friendship, fantasy football is a great option for anyone at Westminster who loves a little friendly competition.
Edited by Helen Slawson
