Many years ago, the sports world gave birth to a rough and unruly
child. At first, fantasy football was frail and it’s leagues
were all but alone in the world, and many thought it would not survive
compared to it’s Rotisserie baseball counterparts. But survival
became fantasy football’s middle name, and it did more than
just survive, it flourished.
FF grew up hard, poor, and unrespected. It was a homely little kid
without many friends, who dressed funny and played with funny toys.
When people noticed the hobby at all, most people just wanted it
to go away. But, it was somewhat like the ugly duckling who became
a swan, fantasy football has become tall, strong, and aristocratic.
Far from being the poor stepchild, fantasy football is now beloved
by millions nationwide, most of whom have only recently become aware
of it’s wonders and charms.
I had the privilege of meeting fantasy football when it was still
an infant, and became one of it’s early friends. I’m closer
to it today than ever before, but it’s changed so dramatically
that sometimes I hardly recognize it.
Every hobby has a culture that grows up around it, colors it, and
pervades it. Learning and mastering the skills of any interest is
important, but it’s never enough to merely walk the walk. If
you truly want to be a disciple of the hobby, you must also talk
the talk. Scuba diving has a culture. So do gamblers and motorcycle
clubs. Auto racing has a family of cultures. Soccer’s culture
is almost cult-like around the world.
What is the culture of fantasy football, and who defines that culture?
Early on, those who take the game at heart colored it with interactive
mathematics, and peppered it with simple rules, league interaction,
and traditional team names. Later, technicians, computer buffs,
and friends of the first generation discovered the hobby. Technological
innovations washed away much do-it-yourself aspect of things, and
replaced it with easy to gather detailed information. Now, every
NFL player is a public player.
Changes happened again in the late 1990s, in the form of a very
talented group of fantasy football players turning pro and semi-pro
with print and online publications promoting easy-to-find suggestions
to novice. This altered the information gap between teams and improved
the balance of team rosters. It also promoted a shoot-the-breeze,
tinker-with-your-roster owner personality. And, the multiple-team
owner was created.
Now the year 2001 is upon us. The average fantasy football fan is
near the same age as the hobby and has been playing less than four
seasons. They were never introduced to fantasy football as it was,
and have no vantage from which to mourn the shrinkage of neighborhood
leagues and loss of the benefits of self study. They have walked
into a hobby that flashes easy to join leagues, high tech resources,
aggressive team ownership, and mind-numbing egos. Like those before
them, their attitudes, values, and interest shape the culture of
the hobby, color it, and make it look like them. We have a big responsibility,
new fans and old, to shape and solidify fantasy football’s
culture as it achieves true maturity. The trick will be in not leaving
anyone behind.
Fantasy football has reached a point where it’s big enough
and strong enough to absorb new groups, ideas, and personalities
without taking away something from someone else. There is room for
full diversity. There is room for dedicated single-team owners and
multi-league guys. There is room for public online leagues and neighborhood
gatherings. There is room for father and son to both enjoy the hobby
with far different dedication. There is room, in fact, for everyone
who wants to play, and to realize each person’s vision of the
perfect hobby.
It’s up to us, all of us. We with experience need to welcome
the newest crop of enthusiast and teach them honor, tactics, and
respect for the hobby and it’s fans. The young need to respect
and embrace those things that make fantasy football great. And,
the senior fans need insight from unique perspectives and viewpoints
that they may not commonly consider.
Everyone knows TC. He is entering his 16th
season as an active fantasy football participant and his seventh
season as a leading member of the online FF community. In addition
to hosting the popular YouthFantasyFootball and FanEx websites,
he is active in various other projects within our hobby. Specifically,
he has become a popular freelance writer whose work has been widely
published both online and in print. Yep, everyone knows TC... sooner
or later.
