Joseph Silvia
ENGL 102-057
Causal
Argumentative Essay
5 February 2013
Enlightenment – Fantasy Football: Saving or Destroying the NFL
In the late 1990's a simple self-controlled game was introduced
to the world that would soon become one of the biggest empires in America. As
most crazes, Fantasy Football was introduced through the Internet. At first, it
was a game that most people were not aware of, but the concept of this game in using
real life players and letting one control his/her own fate was very appealing
to even the slightest of football fans. Slowly but surely as the Internet grew
more popular, so did Fantasy Football. It quickly caught on as more and more
people were trying it and instantly becoming hooked to its allure. Fantasy
Football has turned into one of the biggest online empires of the decade and it
is continuing to grow rapidly.
The premise of Fantasy Football is very simple. A 15 round draft
of every NFL player is held to decide who will receive each player. Like a
schoolyard game of dodge ball, the best players are picked first with the worst
players being picked last. A quarterback, two running backs, three wide
receivers, a tight end, and then a supporting cast of bench players are
selected to fill into one’s starting roster in case of injuries or for the
inevitable bye week that each player must sustain. Then, each week his/her
position players receive fantasy points based on their performance. Say one’s
running back rushes for 55 yards and one touchdown, then his point total would
be 11.5 fantasy points, with six points per touchdown and 0.1 points per
rushing yard. At the end of the day, the team with the most combined fantasy
points wins that week’s matchup. This simple scoring system is very basic and can
be easily understood by children of all ages. This simple, yet addicting game,
lets players construct and manage their own teams of real life players. To
some, this type of gaming is a harmless way of making one’s favorite sport that
much more enjoyable; but to others, it has made a typical Sunday of football a
slow agonizing death.
Fantasy football
is a great way for fans to be included within the realm of the NFL and it has
been a booming empire since the early 2000's. New fans are being brought on to
the NFL every season through this fictitious game, and the National Football
League supports it in every way that it is possible to do so. Huge sports networks, such as NFL Network and
ESPN, have constructed websites, TV segments, magazine articles and even their
very own fantasy football podcast dedicated entirely to the fantasy aspect of
the game. These fantasy segments cover every skilled offensive player's past
stats, current stats and even projected stats. To many, fantasy football is a
way to make every NFL game worth watching, even the games that do not include
one’s favorite team. Though watching a home team pull off a big win can be
exciting, if one’s player does well and the favorite team still wins, it can be
that much more fulfilling. Fantasy football is not going anywhere any time soon,
and as long as there is an NFL season, there will be Fantasy Football.
Though
it has resulted in a more flourishing NFL fan base, it is hard not to question
if the likes of Fantasy Football are going too far. Are people still rooting
for their home team to win every Sunday, or are they too caught up in how their
Fantasy players are doing? Though Fantasy Football has brought in millions of
new NFL fans, it is clearly impacting the loyalty to our beloved home teams. It
is unfathomable how a diehard Chicago Bears fan, whose owners happened to draft
Aaron Rodgers in the first round, can possibly root for both sides in a huge
divisional matchup. It feels like loyalty goes out the window when a fantasy
player is competing against the home team. Is that enjoyable? If the Bears win
and Aaron Rodgers has a bad game, the owner's upset. If Rodgers has a career
day and the Bears lose, same predicament. Such a case like this one creates a
frustrating situation and waters down the NFL viewing experience. Being so
caught up in the stat sheets can make one lose interest in the actual games
themselves. Live action games for many are no longer interesting. Bringing a
fantasy fanatic to a live action game only to see him or her more interested on
how their fantasy team is doing, with their faces buried in their iPhone
refreshing the page for live updates, can be a very disgraceful sight. Fantasy
Football is devaluating the NFL experience as well as even turning the most
intense fans fickle.
There
is no denying the fact that Fantasy Football has caused more people to watch
football than any other marketing technique the NFL could ever come up with. It
has made people who would never of imagined watching a single game, engage in
an entire season of the NFL. It is no surprise that those people are more
interested in the fantasy aspect of the game since they were never big football
fans to begin with. There will always be people who are team first, and there
will always be people who are fantasy first. Whether you are rooting for the
Patriots to go undefeated, or your fantasy team to go undefeated, there is
common ground to be shared, the love and passion for this one-of-a-kind,
“All-American” game of Football.
Works Cited
n.pag. Web. 3 Feb 2013. <http://www.mainstreet.com/slideshow/lifestyle/fantasy-football-it-worth-it>.
n.pag. Web. 3 Feb 2013.
<http://games.espn.go.com/frontpage/football >.
n.pag. Web. 4 Feb 2013.
<http://bleacherreport.com/articles/805138-3-ways-fantasy-football-has-ruined-the-nfl-experience
>.
n.pag. Web. 20 Feb 2013.
<http://footballspeak.com/post/2011/11/05/Why-do-I-love-Football.asp&xgt;.
n.pag. Web. 20 Feb 2013.
<http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball>.
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