JANELLE STRAWSBURG
Staff Writer
For many college students across the nation, a Sunday afternoon in fall means one thing: football. The same can be said for Brad Benham, a third-year law student at Pepperdine, whose Sunday ritual includes sitting on the couch eating chips and queso while wearing his Tony Romo jersey and cheering for his beloved Dallas Cowboys, broadcast in high definition on the widescreen.
Quarterback takes the snap … hands it off to his running back … he hits a hole on the left side … to the 30, the 20, the 10 …Touchdown!
Benham is off the couch celebrating the 66-yard touchdown run by… Jamal Lewis? But wait, why on earth would a self-proclaimed Cowboys fan be intently watching a Browns/Bengals game, or for that matter, care about the total yardage by a Browns player?
Two words: Fantasy Football.
The rules behind Fantasy are simple. A “league” is set up consisting of, on average, 12 to 16 teams, and a commissioner is elected. The commissioner is in charge of establishing a league constitution, bylaws and all final decisions. Draft day is one of the most important days for Fantasy fans because it could determine their whole season.
“It gives you a reason to care about every game,” Benham said. “You care about certain players and certain teams and see how they are doing. As a Cowboys fan I live and die with the Cowboys.”
The idea of Fantasy sports was introduced with the start of the Greater Oakland Pigskin Prognosticators League in the early 60s and the Rotissiere Baseball League in 1980, however it wasn’t until the mid 90s with the Internet boom that Fantasy sports really gained momentum.
The Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimates that 16 million U.S. adults played fantasy sports in 2006 and 22 percent of adult males ages 18 to 49 that have Internet access in the U.S. play some variation of fantasy sports.
The fantasy world is estimated to have a $3 to $4 billion impact on the sports industry, and Yahoo, ESPN, and CBS Sportsline are some of the top Websites that offer fantasy sports for either a free or paid subscription.
“My team this year is terrible,” senior Tiff Wells said. “The computer randomly selected the order of the draft and I was 13th so I wasn’t expecting a whole lot talent wise. But I’m remaining optimistic.”
The draft lasts an average of 16 rounds during which owners fill out their rosters. Once a team is complete, owners prepare for games, where they choose who to start in their head to head match with another team in the league.
This is where strategy comes in for competitive Fantasy owners. It is about knowing current NFL happenings, such as which player has a bye week, who is injured, which teams are playing which that dictates who will make the cut on the starting roster of a fantasy team.
“Some people take it to the extreme where they will go out and get ESPN the Magazine or Sports Illustrated because everybody does Fantasy Football previews,” said Wells.
Freshman Ally Barrera has helped her dad in his draft picks in previous seasons.
“I think it is a good opportunity for guys who can’t really play football ‘cause they aren’t athletic enough or they are just too old, like my dad, to actually feel like they are a part of the game” she said. “It gets them involved, and gets him excited every weekend for football.”
For Benham, however, bragging rights also add to the appeal of joining a fantasy league. “There is always pride at stake, especially when you have all of your old buddies that you are really close with playing,” he said. “Each week, if you beat somebody, for that next week you get to rename their team, so if you win you get to make fun of his team by the name you choose.”
Whether strategy, competition or just good natured trash talk rule the fantasy leagues, for most it is an opportunity to engage with friends while watching their favorite teams play.
“I think mostly it’s a way for guys, and girls who play as well, to just connect and you know have that common thread of football to talk trash about,” said Benham. “I think everyone has always been doing this with sports, but fantasy football has just taken it to a new realm.”
Although Fantasy Football is already geared up for the season, those who want to throw their hat in the fantasy ring can start studying up on Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant, because the NBA season and Fantasy basketball are just around the corner.
09-20-2007
