Colby Rivers
Students competing every fall
Fantasy Football is a very popular game where you act as the manager of a virtual team composed of real-life NFL players. You build your team by drafting players from any team in the league. You can also add or drop players during the season. You compete against other people’s teams by scoring points based on your players’ stats. The goal is to outscore your opponent every week.
Fantasy football is extremely popular with young adults, including college students. Several students at the University of North Georgia shared their experiences.
A tradition that has become popular in fantasy leagues is punishing the last-place team. These punishments can be embarrassing and other times, just flat out strange.
One student explained how his league is incorporating this trend for the first time.
“It’s between attending a long, boring government meeting or dressing up as something ridiculous… Sometimes I wonder why I even play fantasy football, it takes up so much of my time when I could be doing more productive stuff, and now I have to worry about these punishments, too.” – Maxwell Smith, UNG senior risk management major
Tyler Wentzel, a junior majoring in exercise science, has been playing fantasy football for eight years, “I love it. It’s one of my favorite things to do during football season. I miss it in the offseason.”
Wentzel estimates he spends between two to four hours a week managing his team, but says it never interferes with other responsibilities. “I do spend a good amount of time on fantasy football, but it never gets in the way of my schoolwork or social life I make sure of that,” he said.
Money also plays a significant role in many fantasy leagues. Entry fees can range from a few dollars to $100, with the prize pool going to the winner.
Richard Evans, a senior majoring in computer science, participates in a high-stakes league. “I take fantasy football very seriously. My league is intense – it usually costs between $50 and $100 to join. With that much money involved, you have no choice but to pay attention,” Evans said.
While this past-time is largely seen as a fun, competitive game, it also has a downside. High financial stakes, time commitments, and stress over outcomes you can’t control can turn a fun game into a stressful situation.
Still, for many fans, the thrill of competition and the deeper connection with the NFL make fantasy football a season-long obsession.