Football is back. The tailgates, the cheering, the body paint, the trash talk of opposing teams – it’s all returned for another season. Along with the traditional game, fantasy football began again Wednesday night. Fantasy football is an interactive, online competition in which people get to live out the thrill of being the coach of an NFL team. According to ESPN.com, “Real athletes and their real-life performances are used to generate points for fantasy teams in fantasy leagues.” These leagues can be played for fun, but there is often a pot of money awarded to the overall winner of the league. Competitive feelings run high among college students like business sophomore Edward Fakier. “We play for money, and we are very competitive, but that’s all part of the fun,” Fakier said. Gabriel Gutierrez, English senior, is also a fantasy football player. He said he’s looking forward to dethroning his league’s defending champion because “he hasn’t stopped talking about it since he won last year.” Avid fans across the nation recently took to their computers to participate in the first step of fantasy football: the draft. “Fantasy football is a fun way to get more into the games and also have fun with friends,” Gutierrez said. “The league can get intense from time to time, but it never negatively affects any friendships. We look forward to getting together once a year to do the draft.” Admiration of the game draws many fans to fantasy football. Players can sign up online with the NFL’s website and join either a random league or create one with their friends. The members of the league then set a date to draft players for their fantasy football teams. League teams consist of eight offense and special teams players: one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one place kicker and one flex player (a running back, wide receiver or tight end), plus a defense and six bench players. These players are chosen from a database of NFL players and are ranked on their previous performances. Once the season begins, players can sit back and watch their virtual team rack up points. Leaguers can also trade, add and drop players from their team as they see fit for an upcoming game. Fakier said he believes it is often luck that yields success. “Any given Sunday, anything can happen,” Fakier said. “Your star player could get hurt. Someone you picked up in a 10th round, a ‘no name,’ can be your highest scorer. Beginners should pay attention to matchups. Know when the worst and best defenses are playing your players’ teams.”
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