For a comprehensive look into the world of Fantasy Football, it is important to be able to see the world of Fantasy Football through the eyes of someone who is involved in it. Because of that, I have included an interview that I conducted with a close friend of mine, who also happens to play in the same Fantasy Football league as me. The interview is posted below in it's entirety.
Questions are in black, answers are in blue. The interview was conducted on my couch. I asked the questions, and a member of my fantasy football league happily and thoroughly answered all of the questions I asked. FF = fantasy football.
· How did you get involved in Fantasy Football?
· A lot of my friends form high school had a league, and I sat at the same lunch table as them. When I heard their smack talk and competitive spirit at the lunch table I knew the league was something I wanted to be a part of, and so I joined the league the next year and it has been everything I dreamed it would be.
· What would you say your favorite aspect of fantasy football is?
· Honestly, the rush. The feeling of opening up your FF app on your phone and seeing that one of your players went off for tons of points… well, there’s just nothing like it.
· Do you consider fantasy football to be a waste of time?
· Absolutely not. It gives meaning to NFL games that I wouldn’t normally care about, and I feel like I get to join in on the competition on Sundays.
· What impact do you believe FF has had on your NFL fanhood?
· Quite a large impact. I’ve become attached to certain players over the years, because theres a certain type of bond that exists between a FF manager and his players that makes you want to root for those players even after they’ve left your team. The Houston Texans are still my number one priority though.
· What impact has FF had on the amount of NFL games that you watch?
· It has increased the amount of time I spend watching NFL games, but more importantly it has increased the quality of the time that I spend watching NFL games, because I feel more invested in them.
· Do you consider FF to be largely luck based, or do you think it is mostly strategical?
· Due to the nature of the NFL as far as injuries, coaching decisions, and other things that are out of your own control I do consider it to be pretty luck based, but like other things in life, I like to believe that you control your own luck in a way, and I can’t help but feel partly responsible when one of my players makes a big contribution to my team.
· Do you know many people involved in FF?
· Yes, outside of my own 12 person league, I know many others that partake in America’s greatest pastime.
· If so, do they typically seem to follow the NFL more than those who do not play FF?
· Yes, they tend to care about the NFL more holistically than a typical fan, who only cares about one particular team, and they seem to care more about the impact that specific players have for whatever team they play for.
· What, if anything, do you not like about FF?
· That a lot of FF is out of your control, and you are at the mercy of many outside factors. For example, you can have a great week one week and score the 2nd highest points in the league, but if your opponent scores more than you it still counts as just another loss.
· What are some ways that you prepare for an upcoming FF matchup?
· Almost all of my intel comes from various online websites such as ESPN, reddit.com, rotoworld, and others. I also try to maintain a balanced diet and stay mentally fresh as I make my lineup decisions.
· How much time per week on average would you say that you put into your fantasy team?
· Umm, as far as directly managing the team goes, probably an hour or two a week, but if you consider watching games and ESPN and stuff then obviously a lot more time, but then again I would probably watch a lot of that stuff if I didn’t play FF also.
· What emotions do you go through after a victory?
· First is the utmost pride in my fantasy team. Seeing as the fantasy week ends on Monday, I tend to remain happy for the rest of the week, until it starts all over again the next week. I would describe my feelings after a victory as sheer euphoria.
· What emotions do you go through after a loss?
· I like to think there are a few stages in the emotional process after a loss. The first step is denial. After that comes anger, both at my players and at myself. Thirdly comes acceptance, and preparation for the upcoming week.
· What is your preferred method of preparation for an upcoming matchup?
· Up until the minute the game starts, I’m reading up on injury reports and checking all my sources for any valuable information that could increase my chances for a victory.
· What, if anything, would you change about FF?
· I would change the method in which players are drafted, because it does seem like certain draft positions provide favorable results. Also I would change my team’s record so far this season.
· Do you think that the NFL benefits from FF?
· Oh, tremendously! I myself would only watch Texans games and sportscenter before FF, and now I tune into any game that I can catch where either me or my opponent has a player in. Also NFL.com receives a lot of ad revenue and a lot of traffic to their site that they likely would not receive if they didn’t have fantasy football on there.
· How do you think NFL players feel about FF?
· Based off of numerous twitter accounts, some players seem to embrace it and even draft themselves in their leagues so that they can benefit doubly from their performances. Other players however, such as Chris Johnson, or “CJ2K” as his fans know him, tend to catch a lot of flak whenever they have disappointing performances, and I’m sure they don’t like that.
· What level of attachment do you feel towards your team and the players on it?
· I feel great attachment. I find myself rooting intensely for my players, and it really does seem like we are all on one team reaching for the same ultimate goal, but that being said I don’t let my emotional attachments get in the way of my path to victory.
· Do you think you will continue to play FF for the foreseeable future?
· Oh yes. FF is very comparable to other hobbies such as tennis and golf in that you can continue to play on into your old age. I find myself looking forward to the next season so that I can get an edge over my opponents, and I look forward to playing FF for many years to come.
· How did you get involved in Fantasy Football?
· A lot of my friends form high school had a league, and I sat at the same lunch table as them. When I heard their smack talk and competitive spirit at the lunch table I knew the league was something I wanted to be a part of, and so I joined the league the next year and it has been everything I dreamed it would be.
· What would you say your favorite aspect of fantasy football is?
· Honestly, the rush. The feeling of opening up your FF app on your phone and seeing that one of your players went off for tons of points… well, there’s just nothing like it.
· Do you consider fantasy football to be a waste of time?
· Absolutely not. It gives meaning to NFL games that I wouldn’t normally care about, and I feel like I get to join in on the competition on Sundays.
· What impact do you believe FF has had on your NFL fanhood?
· Quite a large impact. I’ve become attached to certain players over the years, because theres a certain type of bond that exists between a FF manager and his players that makes you want to root for those players even after they’ve left your team. The Houston Texans are still my number one priority though.
· What impact has FF had on the amount of NFL games that you watch?
· It has increased the amount of time I spend watching NFL games, but more importantly it has increased the quality of the time that I spend watching NFL games, because I feel more invested in them.
· Do you consider FF to be largely luck based, or do you think it is mostly strategical?
· Due to the nature of the NFL as far as injuries, coaching decisions, and other things that are out of your own control I do consider it to be pretty luck based, but like other things in life, I like to believe that you control your own luck in a way, and I can’t help but feel partly responsible when one of my players makes a big contribution to my team.
· Do you know many people involved in FF?
· Yes, outside of my own 12 person league, I know many others that partake in America’s greatest pastime.
· If so, do they typically seem to follow the NFL more than those who do not play FF?
· Yes, they tend to care about the NFL more holistically than a typical fan, who only cares about one particular team, and they seem to care more about the impact that specific players have for whatever team they play for.
· What, if anything, do you not like about FF?
· That a lot of FF is out of your control, and you are at the mercy of many outside factors. For example, you can have a great week one week and score the 2nd highest points in the league, but if your opponent scores more than you it still counts as just another loss.
· What are some ways that you prepare for an upcoming FF matchup?
· Almost all of my intel comes from various online websites such as ESPN, reddit.com, rotoworld, and others. I also try to maintain a balanced diet and stay mentally fresh as I make my lineup decisions.
· How much time per week on average would you say that you put into your fantasy team?
· Umm, as far as directly managing the team goes, probably an hour or two a week, but if you consider watching games and ESPN and stuff then obviously a lot more time, but then again I would probably watch a lot of that stuff if I didn’t play FF also.
· What emotions do you go through after a victory?
· First is the utmost pride in my fantasy team. Seeing as the fantasy week ends on Monday, I tend to remain happy for the rest of the week, until it starts all over again the next week. I would describe my feelings after a victory as sheer euphoria.
· What emotions do you go through after a loss?
· I like to think there are a few stages in the emotional process after a loss. The first step is denial. After that comes anger, both at my players and at myself. Thirdly comes acceptance, and preparation for the upcoming week.
· What is your preferred method of preparation for an upcoming matchup?
· Up until the minute the game starts, I’m reading up on injury reports and checking all my sources for any valuable information that could increase my chances for a victory.
· What, if anything, would you change about FF?
· I would change the method in which players are drafted, because it does seem like certain draft positions provide favorable results. Also I would change my team’s record so far this season.
· Do you think that the NFL benefits from FF?
· Oh, tremendously! I myself would only watch Texans games and sportscenter before FF, and now I tune into any game that I can catch where either me or my opponent has a player in. Also NFL.com receives a lot of ad revenue and a lot of traffic to their site that they likely would not receive if they didn’t have fantasy football on there.
· How do you think NFL players feel about FF?
· Based off of numerous twitter accounts, some players seem to embrace it and even draft themselves in their leagues so that they can benefit doubly from their performances. Other players however, such as Chris Johnson, or “CJ2K” as his fans know him, tend to catch a lot of flak whenever they have disappointing performances, and I’m sure they don’t like that.
· What level of attachment do you feel towards your team and the players on it?
· I feel great attachment. I find myself rooting intensely for my players, and it really does seem like we are all on one team reaching for the same ultimate goal, but that being said I don’t let my emotional attachments get in the way of my path to victory.
· Do you think you will continue to play FF for the foreseeable future?
· Oh yes. FF is very comparable to other hobbies such as tennis and golf in that you can continue to play on into your old age. I find myself looking forward to the next season so that I can get an edge over my opponents, and I look forward to playing FF for many years to come.