By William Prego/Contributing Writer
You’re on the clock with the first pick in your NFL Fantasy Football draft, who are you picking?
This is the age-old question that’s been asked since the year 1963.
Every year, millions of NFL fans gather with their closest group of friends to engage in arguably the most brutal non-contact sport there is. Smack talking, team pride and bragging rights rule the world of online sports between the months of August-January.
“Fantasy football is a sport of its own,” says Nicolas Perez, fantasy football veteran. “I probably spend more time on my phone checking for fantasy updates between Thursday and Sunday than I do checking my emails at work.”
Each year, fans of the football world have the opportunity to play with their best friends or complete strangers in the ultimate test of football knowledge. Also, since its conception in 1963, fantasy football has only grown more and more each year.
A large part as to why TV providers now offer packages strictly for football is because of the popularity of fantasy football and the demand that was created to keep track of every team’s play-by-play statistics.
“Fantasy football forces me to cheer on other teams, even when they are playing against my favorite team. I find myself screaming at my TV because one of my fantasy players catches a touchdown against my own team,” said Perez.
Although camaraderie is the main focus behind joining a fantasy league, there are leagues where friendships are thrown out the window for a 5-month span.
“Sometimes I go weeks without texting the other guys in the league cause I’m so mad about my record and team performance,” said Robert Garcia, third-year fantasy football player.
The world of fantasy football is continuously growing, granting companies like FanDuel and DraftKings multi-million dollar evaluations each year. There’s seemingly no cap to how big fantasy football will become.
“I think the engagement levels allow for [fantasy] it to continue growing and transcending the sports world,” said Garcia.
Whether you play for money, bragging rights or fun, fantasy football has evolved into something, not even its creator Wilfred Winkenbach would’ve thought possible.
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