The Obsession With Fantasy Football...Is It Too Much?

I had a buffalo fan do the same thing a couple of years ago. I had to be restrained. I get why people like it….but I just can’t convince myself to pull for other teams. What really annoys me about fantasy is how so much of the media coverage is dedicated and geared towards it. Fantasy analysis and football analysis are two different things. Sure there’s a lot of crossover, but I don’t care how many fantasy points a guy is going to get and it skews fans perception of what a good football player is.

I’m a Texans fan and cannot make myself root for other teams, except special situations where a win or loss by a team is good for my Texans.

I agree with your post. So I make sure 80% of my team is Texans. That way I’m essentially rooting for the same team.

When the Texans don’t show up (vs Dallas & vs NYG) neither do I. When they do well, or suck, it has double meaning.

The 1st rule of my FFB is: you do not draft Dallas Cowboys.
The 2nd rule of my FFB is: you DO NOT draft Dallas Cowboys.

As CoolBreeze said, w/ our secondary and their cyclonic suck action, it’d be dumb not to have division opponents’ WR on your lineup. And it goes w/o saying, if your opponent has your real team’s opposing QB, expect to lose. But that’s fandom

I have 3 Texans and 0 Colts, Jags or Titans. I can’t bring myself to root for them.

I sat Eli Manning against us but i played Hakeem Nicks bc I couldnt stand for Eli’s and my own success being one in the same but i hedged it w Nicks still in. (I got autodrafted) so i traded away Pierre Garcon immeditately. The way I see it, whether I start a player or not in fantasy they will do what they will on Sundays regardless. I dont root for them but i make rational decisions to try and win, if you dont do that, then whats the point?

Fact is, if you cheer for an opposing team touchdown then you are a poser Texans fan.

I grew up a Broncos fan before moving to Texas in 1995 when I also joined my first fantasy league. I picked mostly Denver players and the Defense/ST so I could emotionally pull for both simultaneously. This was actually enjoyable! After decades of frustration, the Broncos finally won two Superbowls. That being said, my fantasy team never made post season action (scoring rules, injuries). Emotionally, I was far more satisfied with the “real” vs “fantasy” results. No second thoughts whatsoever.

Fast forward to 2002 and my wife and I jumped into the Houston Texans “all in” with PSL club seats and a ten year contract. We’ve never missed a home game! My fantasy team shifted toward Texans players with a balance of other talent around the league. When watching the game, I NEVER root for the fantasy players over the Texans. I’ve noticed most of the season fantasy winners in our league are just the owners who had the fewest injuries in a given season. I’m barely interested in continuing in any fantasy league since it just seems like a useless distraction from the real game.

Just like women’s chests, I far prefer “REAL” vs “FAKE”.

I have the Texans, first and foremost. I have fantasy teams, secondary. I never, ever root against the Texans, but I also have no problem playing Zach Miller against them.

Support their team first, and their fantasy team a distant second. I’m a Giant fan… when the Saints destroyed us last year and I was starting Drew Brees, I can tell you honestly that all I felt was pure misery at the beating the Gmen took.

As far as your pic caption goes, that is kind of true, definitely… I have Bradshaw on my team this year and when Brandon Jacobs scores, I’m happy but part of me wishes it was Bradshaw instead. Lol.

only one is a money league, 300 a person with 12 teams, winner takes all. in this one i throw my fandom out the window. i have NO houston texans, and i do have the cowboy D. i did pick AP over CJ, but because i thought hed have a better year.

when there is money on the line, that comes first. but if i have lets say AP against the texans, i want him to do great, but the texans still win. I NEVER EVER ROUTE FOR ANYONE ELSE REGARDLESS if im at the game, EVER. only cowboy and besf fans would do that.

and that guy drafted thomas jones, what a moron. just like my buddy who took slaton in round 6. oops.

its really just fun to talk about, and a great reason to tell the girlfriend why i MUST HAVE NFL SUNDAY TICKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

People who take fantasy football too seriously are stupid.

yet I’ll gladly take fantasy losses if it means the Texans are winning.

FF is a fun side thing, for me, to keep interested in the rest of the league. It also allows me to trash talk (if my teams were any good), but I’m all about reality….and I want me some Ws!

First of all,
I never have and never will draft a cowboy. Just physically cant do it. Other than that, I have no problem drafting the best available player. When they play the texans, I tell myself that its ok for my fantasy team to lose. In fact, I have four leagues so I cant even keep straight who is playing against my team anyway. But you never put fantasy teams above the boys on kirby.

from someone who does not play fantasy football

why are you laughing?

I can understand how it might be enjoyable for some, but it holds no entertainment value whatsoever to me. I despise how people are more concerned with the players in their league than with their own team, just as you stated above in the example you described. The thing I am most worried about, is in this culture of personal status we’re getting into, more and more players every year are becoming aware of how many people are picking THEM in fantasy leagues. I know every player wants to play and rack up stats and be the best at their position. A lot of these guys have huge egos and I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future some of these guys are lobbying to get into the game just to get their fantasy numbers up instead of thinking about what’s best for the team. I’m sure it’s not much a problem now, but who knows in the future. I mean, from what I read, if refs are asking teams to take time-outs for commercials, who knows what can fester and develop within the league?

If the Texans have a chance at winning (which, looking at the schedule seems rather bleak) then I offer the Gods my fantasy teams as a sacrifice. However I never, and I do mean never, cheer for anyone on my fantasy team going against the Texans. Sometimes, it ends up more along the lines of silver lining thinking. But most times I just snarl and wait for the offense to pick up. Besides I tend to pick up mostly Texans if I can help it.

Go Pterodactyl!

will never find a place on my roster. It would make my head explode.

Yes, even though, according to Troy Aikman, Miles Austin is one of the top two, IF NOT THE TOP receiver in the league right now, I would not entertain a one of them on my team.

I take the Texans because they are great fantasy players. I don’t root for the other teams, just the fantasy players I own.

and I still don’t get the appeal. I don’t find it fun in the least even when I win a week. So this will be my last year doing it. Don’t care.

Fantasy football is sweeping the nation, but no one knows how to act when playing. I play fantasy football, but I never talk about it when I’m watching a game. Most of my friends don’t even know I have a team. You know why? No one gives a crap about your fantasy football team but you. Seriously, no one. You could have the best team in the world, but who cares other than you?

I would say the guy that you highlight in your story is the prime example of what not to do in public. If you can’t figure out how inappropriate that is then there’s really not a lot you have going for you, unless maybe your fantasy football team is doing well. Congrats, that’s an enviable life you got there.

Other violations would be NOT telling me that you have DeSean Jackson on your team (I’m an Eagles fan) if you see me cheering for the birds at the bar. Great and all, but I don’t want to hear about it when McCoy scores a touchdown. Seroiusly, I’ve had it happen in Portland and I can’t stand when I’m next to someone like that. I don’t want to celebrate with you on D-Jax only plays, and if you have Homo as your QB or someone from the opposing team (or the opposing defense worse yet) then you’re inevitably going to piss me off speaking your mind. Either your with me or your not, so again the fallback is to shut your piehole.

The only, ONLY time you should be talking about your team is if there is a neutral game on and the guy next to you has the same person on thier team. If that happens to be the case, cheer away. Clink glasses, enjoy the moment. You’ve found someone who give a crap the same way you do.

Also, don’t draft people from teams that you should instinctively hate. Yes, it gives you an advantage to look at things objectively, but there are plenty of options without picking from the cowgirls, squealers and vigiants. Inevitably you are going to hope that those players do well, and what’s good for them is good for the team. Are you that that quick to turn your loyalty away from the team that you grew up with? I mean let’s face it, there’s no science to FF, just hope and luck. Obviously some players are better for your team than others, but there are plenty of choices. When you’re drafting and you have to choose between Dez Bryant and someone on a team that you don’t despise right next to each other in projections, why on earth would you chose Bryant?

Fantasy football is like porn. Do it in your own home and you don’t need to tell me about it. Don’t cheer about it when your watching your team (aiken to yelling someone else’s name while having sex with your girlfriend/wife/what have you. Big no-no.) If you pick someone from the wrong team to watch, your friends will start wondering about you. If you want to come out of the closet that you are secretly gay (read: a cowboys fan), by all means. Just don’t expect the phenomenal team, fans and cheerleaders you were with to be waiting if you decide that you you really don’t like Homo afterall.

And yeah, douchebags who cheer for their fantasy team over their real team deserve a good, old-fashioned, wood-shed curb stomping. So, if you have a curb near your wood shed, you best be cheering only for the Texans.

I simply have a large portion of the houston roster on my fantasy teams… As a result i am also 4-2 in alot of my leagues….