How’s your team doing this season? No, not your actual team; I’m talking about your made-up team that only exists on your phone screen. For some, fantasy football is a minor side hobby that doesn’t demand much attention, just a bit of set-it-and-forget-it fun. For others, it’s everything – hours spent agonising over weekly line-ups, listening to fantasy football podcasts for advice, or tuning into post-match press conferences to glean injury news. For those people, being a football fan takes on a new dimension entirely, an unwavering obsession with a team that doesn’t exist. The data bears this fascination out – last year alone, 1.5 million teams were created on UEFA's Playstation-sponsored fantasy app, and globally the popularity of fantasy sports shows no signs of slowing down.
I’m speaking from experience. As the proud manager of a long-suffering NFL fantasy team – my beloved South London Shrimps – I share the all-consuming desire to see those points rack up, and feel that my late nights studying the granularities of gridiron have not been in vain. I’ve not yet taken the plunge into fantasy association football – the weight of a parallel managerial career would probably render me incapable of functioning in day-to-day life – but alongside the obsession, I’ve experienced another side to fantasy sports that is less appreciated and less discussed. My group is made up of friends I’ve known for over ten years, but playing fantasy sports together has deepened those friendships in ways I would not have anticipated when we first founded our stupidly named league.
Fantasy sports may seem like just another app on your phone incessantly demanding attention, but in reality they can provide a space of genuine connection. I’ve asked around, and invariably friends, colleagues and fellow fantasy leaguers offer up the same response – this is way more than a game. It gives people an easy, low-stakes way to stay in touch. Many people are in fantasy leagues with friends they may have otherwise drifted away from as they moved into adulthood, but their shared fantasy fascination has meant they’ve stayed in touch years down the line. The weekly routine of fantasy football, and daily churn of news and rumours, helps sustain that connection. There is always more football to talk about.
How’s your team doing this season? No, not your actual team; I’m talking about your made-up team that only exists on your phone screen. For some, fantasy football is a minor side hobby that doesn’t demand much attention, just a bit of set-it-and-forget-it fun. For others, it’s everything – hours spent agonising over weekly line-ups, listening to fantasy football podcasts for advice, or tuning into post-match press conferences to glean injury news. For those people, being a football fan takes on a new dimension entirely, an unwavering obsession with a team that doesn’t exist. The data bears this fascination out – last year alone, 1.5 million teams were created on UEFA's Playstation-sponsored fantasy app, and globally the popularity of fantasy sports shows no signs of slowing down.
I’m speaking from experience. As the proud manager of a long-suffering NFL fantasy team – my beloved South London Shrimps – I share the all-consuming desire to see those points rack up, and feel that my late nights studying the granularities of gridiron have not been in vain. I’ve not yet taken the plunge into fantasy association football – the weight of a parallel managerial career would probably render me incapable of functioning in day-to-day life – but alongside the obsession, I’ve experienced another side to fantasy sports that is less appreciated and less discussed. My group is made up of friends I’ve known for over ten years, but playing fantasy sports together has deepened those friendships in ways I would not have anticipated when we first founded our stupidly named league.
Fantasy sports may seem like just another app on your phone incessantly demanding attention, but in reality they can provide a space of genuine connection. I’ve asked around, and invariably friends, colleagues and fellow fantasy leaguers offer up the same response – this is way more than a game. It gives people an easy, low-stakes way to stay in touch. Many people are in fantasy leagues with friends they may have otherwise drifted away from as they moved into adulthood, but their shared fantasy fascination has meant they’ve stayed in touch years down the line. The weekly routine of fantasy football, and daily churn of news and rumours, helps sustain that connection. There is always more football to talk about.
Fantasy football doesn’t just help to maintain friendships, it fosters new ones too. Many virtual managers find themselves in leagues made up of a mix of old friends and new additions, expanding social circles via the fantasy fixation. New league-mates immediately have something in common, bridging the gap from strangers to friends that can be harder to cross once you reach adulthood. Inevitably, that shared interest snowballs into a deeper connection, the interest in fantasy branching out to other passions and interests discussed on the ubiquitous group chats.
“Fantasy football can provide a space of genuine connection”
It’s not all just online friendships, either. There is often an opportunity to connect in person. Many fantasy football leagues are built around shared rituals – prizes for the winner, forfeits for the lowest scorer. One common custom is a free dinner for the league winner, giving members a regular slot to meet up and spend time together face to face, something that can be surprisingly difficult to carve out room for in adulthood when responsibilities pile up.
The older we get, the more of a challenge it can be to maintain friendships, even if they’re with people we really care about. As people grow up, their lives change – they move, get married, have children – but many fantasy leagues endure in ways that other friendships do not. These days, there might not be much free time for hours spent in the pub or long, meaningful conversations, but there’s always time for a quick chat about fantasy football. On that note, I’m going back to planning my NFL fantasy strategy for next season. That free dinner is going to taste pretty damn sweet.
How’s your team doing this season? No, not your actual team; I’m talking about your made-up team that only exists on your phone screen. For some, fantasy football is a minor side hobby that doesn’t demand much attention, just a bit of set-it-and-forget-it fun. For others, it’s everything – hours spent agonising over weekly line-ups, listening to fantasy football podcasts for advice, or tuning into post-match press conferences to glean injury news. For those people, being a football fan takes on a new dimension entirely, an unwavering obsession with a team that doesn’t exist. The data bears this fascination out – last year alone, 1.5 million teams were created on UEFA's Playstation-sponsored fantasy app, and globally the popularity of fantasy sports shows no signs of slowing down.
I’m speaking from experience. As the proud manager of a long-suffering NFL fantasy team – my beloved South London Shrimps – I share the all-consuming desire to see those points rack up, and feel that my late nights studying the granularities of gridiron have not been in vain. I’ve not yet taken the plunge into fantasy association football – the weight of a parallel managerial career would probably render me incapable of functioning in day-to-day life – but alongside the obsession, I’ve experienced another side to fantasy sports that is less appreciated and less discussed. My group is made up of friends I’ve known for over ten years, but playing fantasy sports together has deepened those friendships in ways I would not have anticipated when we first founded our stupidly named league.
Fantasy sports may seem like just another app on your phone incessantly demanding attention, but in reality they can provide a space of genuine connection. I’ve asked around, and invariably friends, colleagues and fellow fantasy leaguers offer up the same response – this is way more than a game. It gives people an easy, low-stakes way to stay in touch. Many people are in fantasy leagues with friends they may have otherwise drifted away from as they moved into adulthood, but their shared fantasy fascination has meant they’ve stayed in touch years down the line. The weekly routine of fantasy football, and daily churn of news and rumours, helps sustain that connection. There is always more football to talk about.
How’s your team doing this season? No, not your actual team; I’m talking about your made-up team that only exists on your phone screen. For some, fantasy football is a minor side hobby that doesn’t demand much attention, just a bit of set-it-and-forget-it fun. For others, it’s everything – hours spent agonising over weekly line-ups, listening to fantasy football podcasts for advice, or tuning into post-match press conferences to glean injury news. For those people, being a football fan takes on a new dimension entirely, an unwavering obsession with a team that doesn’t exist. The data bears this fascination out – last year alone, 1.5 million teams were created on UEFA's Playstation-sponsored fantasy app, and globally the popularity of fantasy sports shows no signs of slowing down.
I’m speaking from experience. As the proud manager of a long-suffering NFL fantasy team – my beloved South London Shrimps – I share the all-consuming desire to see those points rack up, and feel that my late nights studying the granularities of gridiron have not been in vain. I’ve not yet taken the plunge into fantasy association football – the weight of a parallel managerial career would probably render me incapable of functioning in day-to-day life – but alongside the obsession, I’ve experienced another side to fantasy sports that is less appreciated and less discussed. My group is made up of friends I’ve known for over ten years, but playing fantasy sports together has deepened those friendships in ways I would not have anticipated when we first founded our stupidly named league.
Fantasy sports may seem like just another app on your phone incessantly demanding attention, but in reality they can provide a space of genuine connection. I’ve asked around, and invariably friends, colleagues and fellow fantasy leaguers offer up the same response – this is way more than a game. It gives people an easy, low-stakes way to stay in touch. Many people are in fantasy leagues with friends they may have otherwise drifted away from as they moved into adulthood, but their shared fantasy fascination has meant they’ve stayed in touch years down the line. The weekly routine of fantasy football, and daily churn of news and rumours, helps sustain that connection. There is always more football to talk about.
How’s your team doing this season? No, not your actual team; I’m talking about your made-up team that only exists on your phone screen. For some, fantasy football is a minor side hobby that doesn’t demand much attention, just a bit of set-it-and-forget-it fun. For others, it’s everything – hours spent agonising over weekly line-ups, listening to fantasy football podcasts for advice, or tuning into post-match press conferences to glean injury news. For those people, being a football fan takes on a new dimension entirely, an unwavering obsession with a team that doesn’t exist. The data bears this fascination out – last year alone, 1.5 million teams were created on UEFA's Playstation-sponsored fantasy app, and globally the popularity of fantasy sports shows no signs of slowing down.
I’m speaking from experience. As the proud manager of a long-suffering NFL fantasy team – my beloved South London Shrimps – I share the all-consuming desire to see those points rack up, and feel that my late nights studying the granularities of gridiron have not been in vain. I’ve not yet taken the plunge into fantasy association football – the weight of a parallel managerial career would probably render me incapable of functioning in day-to-day life – but alongside the obsession, I’ve experienced another side to fantasy sports that is less appreciated and less discussed. My group is made up of friends I’ve known for over ten years, but playing fantasy sports together has deepened those friendships in ways I would not have anticipated when we first founded our stupidly named league.
Fantasy sports may seem like just another app on your phone incessantly demanding attention, but in reality they can provide a space of genuine connection. I’ve asked around, and invariably friends, colleagues and fellow fantasy leaguers offer up the same response – this is way more than a game. It gives people an easy, low-stakes way to stay in touch. Many people are in fantasy leagues with friends they may have otherwise drifted away from as they moved into adulthood, but their shared fantasy fascination has meant they’ve stayed in touch years down the line. The weekly routine of fantasy football, and daily churn of news and rumours, helps sustain that connection. There is always more football to talk about.
Fantasy football doesn’t just help to maintain friendships, it fosters new ones too. Many virtual managers find themselves in leagues made up of a mix of old friends and new additions, expanding social circles via the fantasy fixation. New league-mates immediately have something in common, bridging the gap from strangers to friends that can be harder to cross once you reach adulthood. Inevitably, that shared interest snowballs into a deeper connection, the interest in fantasy branching out to other passions and interests discussed on the ubiquitous group chats.
“Fantasy football can provide a space of genuine connection”
It’s not all just online friendships, either. There is often an opportunity to connect in person. Many fantasy football leagues are built around shared rituals – prizes for the winner, forfeits for the lowest scorer. One common custom is a free dinner for the league winner, giving members a regular slot to meet up and spend time together face to face, something that can be surprisingly difficult to carve out room for in adulthood when responsibilities pile up.
The older we get, the more of a challenge it can be to maintain friendships, even if they’re with people we really care about. As people grow up, their lives change – they move, get married, have children – but many fantasy leagues endure in ways that other friendships do not. These days, there might not be much free time for hours spent in the pub or long, meaningful conversations, but there’s always time for a quick chat about fantasy football. On that note, I’m going back to planning my NFL fantasy strategy for next season. That free dinner is going to taste pretty damn sweet.
How’s your team doing this season? No, not your actual team; I’m talking about your made-up team that only exists on your phone screen. For some, fantasy football is a minor side hobby that doesn’t demand much attention, just a bit of set-it-and-forget-it fun. For others, it’s everything – hours spent agonising over weekly line-ups, listening to fantasy football podcasts for advice, or tuning into post-match press conferences to glean injury news. For those people, being a football fan takes on a new dimension entirely, an unwavering obsession with a team that doesn’t exist. The data bears this fascination out – last year alone, 1.5 million teams were created on UEFA's Playstation-sponsored fantasy app, and globally the popularity of fantasy sports shows no signs of slowing down.
I’m speaking from experience. As the proud manager of a long-suffering NFL fantasy team – my beloved South London Shrimps – I share the all-consuming desire to see those points rack up, and feel that my late nights studying the granularities of gridiron have not been in vain. I’ve not yet taken the plunge into fantasy association football – the weight of a parallel managerial career would probably render me incapable of functioning in day-to-day life – but alongside the obsession, I’ve experienced another side to fantasy sports that is less appreciated and less discussed. My group is made up of friends I’ve known for over ten years, but playing fantasy sports together has deepened those friendships in ways I would not have anticipated when we first founded our stupidly named league.
Fantasy sports may seem like just another app on your phone incessantly demanding attention, but in reality they can provide a space of genuine connection. I’ve asked around, and invariably friends, colleagues and fellow fantasy leaguers offer up the same response – this is way more than a game. It gives people an easy, low-stakes way to stay in touch. Many people are in fantasy leagues with friends they may have otherwise drifted away from as they moved into adulthood, but their shared fantasy fascination has meant they’ve stayed in touch years down the line. The weekly routine of fantasy football, and daily churn of news and rumours, helps sustain that connection. There is always more football to talk about.
