How I Learned To Love Fantasy Football (And So Can You!)

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fantasy football

I’m a sports girl. I’ve always loved a cold beer and live action sports. My husband and I enjoy going to live games and also viewing from the comfort of our own couch. One of my favorite “before kids” memories is just laying around all day on Sundays and watching football.

Football has always been a staple in our house. Sports bring people together and I’ve always been passionate about that. I’d say that football was one of my favorite sports until something changed the game. It wasn’t something on the field or controlled by the league, but something the fans did.

The fans were given the power to play Fantasy Football.

I didn’t know exactly what Fantasy Football entailed. But I quickly saw how your average Joe (my husband) felt like a million dollar GM creating and managing his own football dream team. And whatever this Fantasy Football thing was, it consumed my husband. Not only every Sunday, but Monday, Thursday, and occasional Saturday on game days and the days in between spent “researching.”

fantasy football

So what is Fantasy Football?

Here’s the basics:

  • Each league is made up of at least 6 teams.
  • You are the manager and get to draft your dream team and put your best players in each position.
  • Whoever scores the most points wins.
  • It can stay simple or become more complicated with point scoring and strategy depending on how your league is set up.
  • You can set up a league and play with your friends or join a random independent one.

My husband suddenly went from rooting for a few teams to every team. He cheered against his favorite team because he had players on the other side, and was upset when our team scored because he needed passing points instead of rushing. He was group texting his friends and talking “smack” on the “smack board” all day and I was beginning to loose my patience.

Football wasn’t fun anymore.

I am an understanding and open minded person. I don’t mind eating at the coffee table to watch a game or rearranging plans every now and then to accommodate game schedules. But there was a time where Fantasy Football had consumed our lives and it was driving me crazy. I had to do something.

I decided if you can’t beat them, join them.

So I did what any frustrated person would do and went to Facebook. One late summer evening I shared my request to start my own league:

Fantasy Football has ruined my Sunday football. Any ladies want to join a fantasy league to balance it out?

In just a few hours I found 10 friends that felt the same way, and the “idontneedaman fantasy football league” was born. Suddenly there was more to the game than wearing a cute jersey and perfecting the Pinterest appetizers.

Our league has evolved over the last seven seasons.

It started as a friendly bunch of girls who drank champagne and had an idea about football. We drafted players for their good looks, team colors, and mascot. This past draft, we drank frosé (evolving) and came prepared with statistics, depth charts, and cheat sheets. It’s a sport that is not taken lightly anymore and now we play for cash which is always an incentive.

Despite our league name I think the men in our lives were more excited about the girls league. They participate without our request and love to compete with us. With team names like Sparkleparty, Winosaurus and MyTDsAreReal, we girls know how to have a good time. It’s made the game much more engaging and given me something to relate to and root for. 

Interested in starting your own fantasy football league with your gal pals? It’s simple and free. There are many platforms to choose from including ESPN, Yahoo and NFL.com for more information!