The beginning of September marked the coming of a brand new football season, and a new football season signifies the re-emergence of fantasy football. According to Sports Illustrated writer Chris Ballard, there is an annual, nationwide participation of 20 million people in the world of fantasy sports. This year, I became one of these 20 million people who have become obsessed with this hobby. Yes, “obsessed” is the right word here — because fantasy football has the ability to turn fans against their own teams.

Fantasy football has become so popular that people from almost any demographic area are playing it. Excluding the older generation of people, fantasy sports is an overwhelmingly popular hobby. There is even a league consisting of seven to nine-year-olds called the Aptos Amateur Fantasy Football League. Children of this age hardly know the rules of football, much less the names and abilities of the NFL’s  players. Yet, the fathers of these children organized a draft night for them.  Will these kids pay as much attention to their teams as a typical adult participant would? Probably not, but it is truly amazing how this hobby has affected even younger children.

For the more serious fans, there is a league that is comparable to Poker’s World Series. This league, the World Championship of Fantasy Football, or WCOFF, is the nation’s original high-stakes league. Each participant is required to pay an entrance fee of $2,000, but the payout is enormous; the champion’s purse is $300,000. The draft for the WCOFF takes place annually in Las Vegas, where 70-plus leagues draft for six consecutive hours. As boring and monotonous as this may seem, this is true heaven for the fantasy football fanatic. According to David Dorey, author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level, “All serious fantasy footballers must experience the WCOFF to consider their life complete.”

For those who do not quite have the extra $2,000 to play high-stakes fantasy football, it can easily and cheaply be played from the comforts of home. One can participate in private leagues with a group of friends or family members, or in public leagues with people across the nation. I chose the latter, as I decided to play just before the season began. Luckily, there were public drafts that had not yet occurred. Believe it or not, fantasy football was not always computerized. Several people have been participating in fantasy football since the days of hand-written drafts, including schoolteacher Jerry Stebelton and police officer Dave Madison.

This year marks the 18th year that Stebelton and Madison have competed in fantasy football. They both remember the days when the drafting took all day, as it was all handwritten. They both agree that the drafting process lost its luster after the first hour. As a result, Madison quit after three years, but decided to continue competing once the drafting became computerized. This computerization has been the main factor in popularizing fantasy football; now, even people who keep very busy can participate.

Last year, Madison and his brother entered a league and split the $100 entry fee. They ended up winning their league championship along with the $600 and bobblehead trophy that went with it. This year, Madison and his brother are competing again, but he has low expectations, saying, “This year our league has 14 teams, and our team had the 13th pick in the draft, so we kind of have a crappy team.”

As for Stebelton, this will be his 18th consecutive year of playing fantasy football. He has always participated with a group of friends in a league with two conferences consisting of 11 teams each. It costs him $220 to enter, but the top prize ranges from $3,500-$4,000.

As I have found out from personal experience, fantasy football can also have its negative effects, especially on your fanhood. Madison and Stebleton share my sentiments. For example, if I am facing a fantasy team that has a Steelers player(s), I almost have to root for them to do poorly even though I dearly want the Steelers to win. Madison is a Bengals fan, and he admits to wanting them to run the ball on every play because he was facing a fantasy team that had Carson Palmer. Stebelton also roots for his fantasy team over his favorite NFL team due to the money that is involved.

So, even though it may turn you against your beloved team, fantasy football is a great hobby to participate in, even for the busiest individuals. Thought you didn’t care about every NFL game? You will.

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