Last Thursday’s start of the NFL season also marks the beginning of the season for fantasy football leagues nationwide.
Fantasy football is the closest thing to purchasing your own team; participants become coach, president and owner. Participants can either create or join fantasy leagues. Each team drafts or acquires via live online auctions and a team of real-life NFL players.
Fantasy football places the fan in a role of power, which is exerted through a decision making process. Similar to reality fantasy sports, it provides fans the opportunity to control fact based online situations. CBS, ESPN and Yahoo are all major sports providers of fantasy football.
According to ESPN’s fantasy football index team, owners score points based upon their chosen players on the field statistical performances. Fantasy points are awarded based on these numbers.
Brandon Hawkins, 21, a junior political science student from West Palm Beach, has been playing fantasy football for almost 5 years.
“The most important factor that goes into fantasy football is selecting your players,” Brandon said. “I use a player’s production from last season as a tool to help me choose who I want on my team.”
The direction an owner takes in managing their team is a personal choice based on their personal preferences.
There are two ways to arrange a fantasy football league. A winner may be chosen by tallying the total number of points at the end of a season or leagues may use a head to head format in which teams play against a single opponent each week. Points ultimately determine who enters the fantasy playoffs and who brings home a championship
Some students on Florida A&M University campus say that fantasy football is a good way for meeting people.
“Fantasy football is a way I keep in touch with my friends,” said Tavares Hampton, 24, a senior psychology student from Lake Wales, Fla. “It’s a great way to keep up with the game of football in general.”
Each week based on the NFL schedule, fantasy owners will set up their rosters depending on how well they think certain players will perform
D’angelo Parker, 21, a junior Computer Science student from St. Petersburg, organized his own league of fantasy football with a group of friends.
“I do it for my love of the game of football,” Parker said. “Sometimes we play for money and other times we do it for fun.”
For Nadia Laing, 20, a psychology student from Orlando, she said that people who play fantasy football become obsessed with it too quickly.
“I think it is a waste of time and money,” Laing said. “People get a little too upset with it. It’s as close to people saying I’ll wait outside to get some Jordan’s for it.”