Fantasy football sucks, because it is not football, it is a fantasy. Like a wet dream. Like jacking off to Pamela Anderson in US magazine. It ain't real.Fantasy football is absolutely huge in this country these days. And it has completely distorted and undermined our understanding of the game of football. It is a game of numbers and statistics. To which I retort an old saying, "Figures don't lie, but liars can figure."
My case was made by Steeler CB Bryant McFadden this past weekend. McFadden has come under criticism by fans and the media for allowing Atlanta's Pro-Bowl receiver Roddy White catch 13 balls for 111 yards on him last weekend. Just looking at those numbers you would say White burned McFadden like toast. But that is simply untrue.
You must look at what McFadden was tasked with in the context of LeBeau's defense. He lined up against White with a 5 to 7 yard cushion on most downs. His job was to prevent the big play by Atlanta's primary receiver. So, did White break any long gainers? Nope. In fact, he was thrown to 23 times. That means McFadden was successful in preventing a catch 10 times! Hell, Matt Ryan only attempted 43 passes the entire game and 23 of them were thrown to Roddy White!!
Did Atlanta take that 5-7 yard out that was there? Absolutely. Did Roddy White score a TD? Absolutely not. But Fantasy Football players who analyze the statistics will see that Roddy White did have a big day statistically. Then they will spout off more statistics which support their case for "knowing football." They don't know jack shit. And they miss the best part of watching the game.
6 comments:
I honestly just typed a small dissertation in response to your post-- Then deleted it. I just couldn't find the strength to get into this and stay committed.
Simply put, the "average" Fantasy player may know just enough to make their picks but it is all about the money... 99% of them won't even watch a game.
However, there are MANY of us who know the game. We enjoy football and never miss any game that happens to be available to watch. We know how to differentiate between game stats and fantasy stats. To suggest that we will be all up in your face due to a fantasy stat is just nuts.
Yes. Fantasy is not real but it is a team that is methodically assembled by the league owners to perform well as a unit.
You never mention that you have or haven't ever played. I'm assuming not (or you would have said "I gave it a shot"). My grandmother always said, "Don't knock it until you have tried it". Jump on board. Give it a shot. Learn that there are some very knowledgeable people out there!
i ran a dynasty league for 11 years. i really enjoyed it. it dissolved a few years ago and while i thought i would miss it - i absolutely do NOT. i was asked by a few people to join their leagues when they knew i stopped running mine but i refuse. it's actually nice to not have to care about who the third best receiver on every team is...lol. i do agree with dog though, there are a ton of people who werent big football fans before they started playing FF and just because they play they think they know the game. if you were a diehard fan first and then started playing, you are rooted more in reality. knowledge of the game is superior, not knowledge of the raw numbers.
I played Fantasy football for 2 years back in '88 and '89 when it first came out. I had Dalton Hilliard the year he scored 18TDs for the Saints whatever year that was. So I know what I'm talking about. Back then you had to scour the papers for the stats to keep score. No automated internet scoring back then. It just wasn't entertaining for me even though I did pretty well. Fan used to invite me to join his league year after year and I politely declined.
I never said there weren't knowledgable people playing Fantasy football. But Fantasy players on the whole miss the nuances of the game trying to keep tabs on, to use Fan's line, the #3 receiver on all the teams. It's just a game, you know, like Monopoly (real estate methodically assembled by owners).
Look at the RedZone channel. I appreciate it for the higlight quality it brings to games I cannot watch. But that thing is exclusively produced for the benefit of Fantasy players. It's all scoring plays and little else unless there's only 3 4:00 games like last week where they can stick with live game action a bit longer.
Fantasy is a fun game to play, no doubt. It's Roger Goodell's way to "grow the NFL." But don't confuse it for real football. And don't confuse success at Fantasy for real football knowledge either.
Maybe I missed the real point of why it sucks. 'Cause Roger Goodell wants to turn the NFL into a flag football fantasy league. Left in charge, you will not recognize the game in 10 years. It will have been completely Disneyfied, pussified, and fantasized.
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