In 1962, when fantasy football is considered to have begun, people started to spend their Sundays glued to their devices watching their team play out. Park has seen a rise in fantasy football participation amongst the high school community..
English teacher Andrew Carlson said he enjoys playing fantasy football because of how it makes the football games more entertaining. He said he doesn’t follow his fantasy team closely, but does keep up with it.
“It’s a way to keep things interesting when watching football, it allows me to be more engaged in the games,” Carlson said. “I do my draft each year based on rankings and stuff, and then I do a lot of my pickups and stuff as the year goes on.”
Junior Nathan Lewis said he may use fantasy football too often. He said he feels decent about his usage because he is able to stay focused on other things.
“I’d say maybe I spend too much time (on fantasy), it’s like 20 minutes a week, just looking at who’s playing the matchups and who’s going to play,” Lewis said. “It doesn’t distract me at all so I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
Senior Alan Gardner said he enjoys fantasy football because he is able to do it with his friends. He said he likes watching his team’s success.
“I like fantasy football because it’s really fun to play with your friends and just kind of keep an eye on the games,” Gardner said. “Just watching the points go up, it’s kind of satisfying to closely follow your team.”
Carlson said he likes that players can get into the game and it’s fun for people to do with their friends.
“It’s always good to have a little competition, especially when most people are playing with their friends and you get the bragging rights and all that other stuff,” Carlson said.
According to Lewis, he doesn’t spend an absurd amount of time following his fantasy team. He said he prepares to follow his fantasy team by tending to his personal obligations in a timely manner.
“I normally spend a lot of time watching the games on Sundays,” Lewis said. “I try to do my homework mainly on Saturday before the games so I am usually able to get it out of the way.”
According to Gardner, he doesn’t have an addiction to fantasy football. He said he likes to follow, adjust and analyze his team.
“I’m not (addicted). It helps me do something else—it’s relaxing,” Gardner said. “I like to watch live games or watch the app to see how players are so I know about substituting them or not.”
According to Carlson, people are into the game because it’s a way to come together and allows them to be involved in the game. He said Americans have gotten very into football which might contribute to the excessive use of fantasy football at Park.
“It’s another way to stay engaged with the game,” Carlson said. “Football’s become, I don’t want to say ‘America’s sport’, but it’s the one that Americans are involved with the most when it comes to sports.”
