Fantasy or nightmare?


"God bless Fantasy Football. There are many things a man can do with his time — this is better than those things." — "The League"

Matthew Berry, chief Fantasy Football analyst for ESPN, wrote a book called "Fantasy Life." I haven't yet read it, but I understand that he tells a lot of stories of the way Fantasy sports is life for many people. I think I'm beginning to understand that.

I first tried Fantasy Football in 2009. A friend invited me to be in his league, and I thought — what the heck. The worst thing that could have happened was that I picked up Michael Vick and Tim Tebow because I thought they were cool players, and they guided me all the way to my league finals. Between that and an upstart running back named Matt Forte, I seemed to be fantasy gold.

When I look back now, I realize I had no clue what I was doing. But it was fun — and addictive.

In the past, I've added a few teams. And it's been fun. I am even commissioner of a league entering its third season, and have been managing the league at work. But this fall, the pull of fantasy football and the high of drafting has led me to a dark place.

I've read not one, but five Fantasy Football guides. Devouring the more than 100 pages of player profiles and rankings in each. And then I discovered how easy it is to get teams on ESPN. It's shockingly easy, and if you lack impulse control, it's super fun.

In the past, I've done as many as three leagues. It was a lot of hard work, but I did it. I'm currently in 16 leagues for the fall. Or as my wife says, way too many. She said I'll be unbearable on Sundays in the fall. I pointed out games are on Thursdays and Mondays, too, which might have been the wrong thing to say.

In addition, I've found a new App — Fantasy Life, based on Berry's book, that sucks up even more of my time. In short, the season hasn't even begun and I'm already devoting upwards of 10 hours a week to Fantasy. Maybe I need help…

Let's just pray I survive the season.

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