(Ran 11/12 - Don't let the title excite you, it's nothing raunchy)
I am one of roughly 22 million Americans who take part in fantasy sports each season. I'll shout it from the rooftop - I love fantasy football!
Being in a fantasy football league has made me love, hate and respect my friends at a new level. I have learned that trash talking is an art form much like writing Haiku. It is as addictive as coffee and perfect for A.D.D. adults like myself. Now I can be in three leagues and burn some of that bottled energy.
I anticipate draft day, sifting through fantasy-specific magazines, reading every article by the Talented Mr. Roto, and getting everyone else’s expert opinion before preparing my own draft order.
I’m not alone. Last year, roughly $800 million worth of products and services were generated by the fantasy industry in 2008. And I’m also not alone in saying it’s worth every minute and every penny.
The great thing about fantasy football is that even if you are a fan of the Detroit Lions, Sundays can be fun if you’re in a fantasy league. Even if you have nothing to cheer for with your own team, you have individual players (and a defense) to cheer for in most games. It’s got to be the most genius aspect the NFL ever came up with – and they didn’t even think of it.
It cannot be overstated – it is necessary for professional football to be involved with the fantasy industry. In the NFL, unlike college, there are no real rivalries older than a few decades. But any person can draft a team and have a reason to watch every single game on TV. With rapid fantasy football leagues, the NFL will never - I repeat never - have a viewership problem.
Ten years ago you never saw all players who were "probable," "questionable" and "out" scrolling across the screen all Sunday morning on ESPN. That isn’t for the everyday fan to know who on their hometown team is out – it’s so fantasy owners know who to play in their weekly lineup.
What began in 1962 between a group of five men in Oakland has turned into a money-making machine beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
Thanks in large part to fantasy, the NFL had overtaken MLB as the most popular sport in the U.S. Sure, people play fantasy baseball, but it’s so much more time-consuming, having to change your lineup every single day, and with less strategy than a 16-game football season.
Many people don’t understand the draw… I think the best way to describe it is that it allows me to have a real, tangible reason for checking scores and stats each week, aside from pure entertainment.
Maybe it can turn into an obsession, and can make us all a lot less productive at work… but it sure is fun.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Sports are what the doctor ordered
(Ran 11/5)
Sports are games - athletic competition that force us to test our limits. Sports aren’t life-or-death; they aren’t even that meaningful, really. But sometimes, things happen that cause sports to take on greater meaning. Sometimes, sports can be just what the metaphorical doctor ordered
Sports bring a smile to our faces, they bring together strangers, and they unite communities. In times of hardship, people often come together to cheer for an athlete or team. In sports, we can forget about our lives for a few hours, forget about the pain of our Soldiers being gone for a year, the debt we are in, or any of a number of other negative things that may be going on in our lives.
For two hours every Saturday or Sunday, we are taken to a different world, where red and black are the only acceptable colors, and all that matters is that the Bulldogs beat the Gators.
There are times when sports become more than just competition; they unite, they help us begin to heal, and, most importantly, they make us smile.
I just finished reading an article on ESPN.com about University of Miami walk-on wide receiver Chris Hayes, whose father committed suicide last October. Hayes had never even dressed for a game, but the Saturday following his father’s untimely death, the special teams coach told Hayes he was suiting up. And during the last play of the game, the 5’9" Hayes lined up as tight end against an All-American linebacker.
Hayes had no impact on that game; in fact, he has little impact on his team ever – in the win-loss column, anyway. But on that particular day, he showed his team made up of future NFLers what real heart is, and what sports really mean. Hayes didn’t have to show up to the game only days after burying his father. Quite frankly, most people probably didn’t expect him to. But for Hayes, I’d have to think that going to the game was a way to start the healing process. Through a game, Hayes showed the heart of a champion, and that sometimes sports can help us overcome immense pain.
Every year on ESPN, they have the Make-a-Wish series, where sick children fulfill their sports fantasies by spending the day with their favorite athlete or team. By the end of each of the three-minute segments, I am undoubtedly in tears and remembering why it is that I love sports so much. It’s because they can heal, even if it’s just for a moment.
There are small towns in America that have little to cheer for besides those games under the Friday night lights, when the entire community rallies around a group of 15-18 year old boys.
Even at the worst point in our lives, sports can pick us up; they give us something to look forward to, and something to cheer for. Whether it’s cheering up a kid who is battling illness, helping a man get over the loss of his father, or bringing together a down-and-out community, sports do mean something.
Sports are games - athletic competition that force us to test our limits. Sports aren’t life-or-death; they aren’t even that meaningful, really. But sometimes, things happen that cause sports to take on greater meaning. Sometimes, sports can be just what the metaphorical doctor ordered
Sports bring a smile to our faces, they bring together strangers, and they unite communities. In times of hardship, people often come together to cheer for an athlete or team. In sports, we can forget about our lives for a few hours, forget about the pain of our Soldiers being gone for a year, the debt we are in, or any of a number of other negative things that may be going on in our lives.
For two hours every Saturday or Sunday, we are taken to a different world, where red and black are the only acceptable colors, and all that matters is that the Bulldogs beat the Gators.
There are times when sports become more than just competition; they unite, they help us begin to heal, and, most importantly, they make us smile.
I just finished reading an article on ESPN.com about University of Miami walk-on wide receiver Chris Hayes, whose father committed suicide last October. Hayes had never even dressed for a game, but the Saturday following his father’s untimely death, the special teams coach told Hayes he was suiting up. And during the last play of the game, the 5’9" Hayes lined up as tight end against an All-American linebacker.
Hayes had no impact on that game; in fact, he has little impact on his team ever – in the win-loss column, anyway. But on that particular day, he showed his team made up of future NFLers what real heart is, and what sports really mean. Hayes didn’t have to show up to the game only days after burying his father. Quite frankly, most people probably didn’t expect him to. But for Hayes, I’d have to think that going to the game was a way to start the healing process. Through a game, Hayes showed the heart of a champion, and that sometimes sports can help us overcome immense pain.
Every year on ESPN, they have the Make-a-Wish series, where sick children fulfill their sports fantasies by spending the day with their favorite athlete or team. By the end of each of the three-minute segments, I am undoubtedly in tears and remembering why it is that I love sports so much. It’s because they can heal, even if it’s just for a moment.
There are small towns in America that have little to cheer for besides those games under the Friday night lights, when the entire community rallies around a group of 15-18 year old boys.
Even at the worst point in our lives, sports can pick us up; they give us something to look forward to, and something to cheer for. Whether it’s cheering up a kid who is battling illness, helping a man get over the loss of his father, or bringing together a down-and-out community, sports do mean something.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Regrets? There's insurance for that
(Ran 10/29)
It is a major topic of conversation after each college football season – who will stay in school, and who will leave school early to go into the NFL draft?
Last season, the three Heisman finalists were all underclassmen. All three quarterbacks, Oklahoma Sooner Sam Bradford, who won the trophy; Florida Gator Tim Tebow, the 2007 winner; and Texas Longhorn Colt McCoy; decided to return to college for at least another year.
But just to be safe, each took out an insurance policy, ranging from $1-5 million, in case of career-ending injury.
Sam Bradford's father, Kent, is an insurance specialist. Over the summer, the elder Bradford was quoted by ESPN having said, "The odds of a kid getting a career-ending injury are slim. But if it did happen, and you had the chance to insure, chances are you would feel pretty dumb. You're insuring earnings power."
In the case of his own son, that insurance policy may have been a smart decision. The Heisman Trophy winner injured his shoulder in the first game of the season. He sat out for four weeks, which ruined his chances for back-to-back Heisman trophies but certainly didn’t ruin his season. Then, in his second game back, Bradford re-injured his shoulder, and last week he opted to have season-ending surgery… and, ironically, to enter the NFL draft.
Players take a gamble when they decide to return to college for another season. Usually, they’re trying to increase their draft position; sometimes, they’re just making the decision to live like a kid for one more year, or they’re returning for the chance to win a National Championship.
In Bradford’s case, the gamble didn’t work in his favor. Had he left after his sophomore season, he was a consensus Top-5 pick; some even had him going first overall. He was coming off a season in which he was 328-of-483, throwing 4,720 pass yards and 50 touchdowns with only eight interceptions.
A year later, he could still go in the top-10, but that isn’t as likely of an outcome. Now there are questions about durability, due to the double-injury to his throwing shoulder, that weren’t there last season. No matter how good a player is, teams often second-guess, giving millions of dollars to a top-5 or top-10 pick who may have injury issues – just ask Michael Crabtree.
The insurance policies these players, who intend to play football for a living, take out are considered a "business expense." According to Sports Illustrated, using a private agent, a player can expect to pay $9,000-$10,000 per $1 million of coverage, depending on where the player buys his policy and how much protection he needs. With these insurance policies, like any kind of insurance, you are paying for protection in the off-chance that you may need it. Most players won’t use it, just like most people don’t use their flood insurance, but having it for that 1 percent of the time when it is needed sure does pay off in the end.
Sure, a large part of Sam Bradford’s injury this season was a much weaker offensive line, but a lot of it was just plain-old bad luck. That’s what an insurance policy is for.
It is a major topic of conversation after each college football season – who will stay in school, and who will leave school early to go into the NFL draft?
Last season, the three Heisman finalists were all underclassmen. All three quarterbacks, Oklahoma Sooner Sam Bradford, who won the trophy; Florida Gator Tim Tebow, the 2007 winner; and Texas Longhorn Colt McCoy; decided to return to college for at least another year.
But just to be safe, each took out an insurance policy, ranging from $1-5 million, in case of career-ending injury.
Sam Bradford's father, Kent, is an insurance specialist. Over the summer, the elder Bradford was quoted by ESPN having said, "The odds of a kid getting a career-ending injury are slim. But if it did happen, and you had the chance to insure, chances are you would feel pretty dumb. You're insuring earnings power."
In the case of his own son, that insurance policy may have been a smart decision. The Heisman Trophy winner injured his shoulder in the first game of the season. He sat out for four weeks, which ruined his chances for back-to-back Heisman trophies but certainly didn’t ruin his season. Then, in his second game back, Bradford re-injured his shoulder, and last week he opted to have season-ending surgery… and, ironically, to enter the NFL draft.
Players take a gamble when they decide to return to college for another season. Usually, they’re trying to increase their draft position; sometimes, they’re just making the decision to live like a kid for one more year, or they’re returning for the chance to win a National Championship.
In Bradford’s case, the gamble didn’t work in his favor. Had he left after his sophomore season, he was a consensus Top-5 pick; some even had him going first overall. He was coming off a season in which he was 328-of-483, throwing 4,720 pass yards and 50 touchdowns with only eight interceptions.
A year later, he could still go in the top-10, but that isn’t as likely of an outcome. Now there are questions about durability, due to the double-injury to his throwing shoulder, that weren’t there last season. No matter how good a player is, teams often second-guess, giving millions of dollars to a top-5 or top-10 pick who may have injury issues – just ask Michael Crabtree.
The insurance policies these players, who intend to play football for a living, take out are considered a "business expense." According to Sports Illustrated, using a private agent, a player can expect to pay $9,000-$10,000 per $1 million of coverage, depending on where the player buys his policy and how much protection he needs. With these insurance policies, like any kind of insurance, you are paying for protection in the off-chance that you may need it. Most players won’t use it, just like most people don’t use their flood insurance, but having it for that 1 percent of the time when it is needed sure does pay off in the end.
Sure, a large part of Sam Bradford’s injury this season was a much weaker offensive line, but a lot of it was just plain-old bad luck. That’s what an insurance policy is for.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Type-casting teams
It's been FAR too long, but I think I have a great excuse this time... my little girl who was born June 24. All is well with her and I, and I'm back to writing a sports column each week, so I'll keep y'all updated as I do so.
Enjoy!
Type-casting teams (ran 10/22)
In life, there are the blessed, the cursed, the lazy and the hard-working.
It is the same in sports.
There are those teams blessed with talent – the teams that can do no wrong; then, on the opposite side, there is the team that can do no right – the blooper never drops in, the hole in the defense never opens.
Some can overcome lack of talent or a lower payroll with a four letter word: T-E-A-M. When a group of athletes plays together as one cohesive unit, there is no limit to the heights they can achieve.
There are those teams that exceed our expectations (this year’s Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings), and those teams that have all of the talent in the world, but can’t do anything with it (I'm talking to you, Tennessee Titans).
After Sunday’s NFL games, I’d like to discuss three kinds of teams: The lucky, the loveable losers, and the underachievers.
Type one: the lucky
Luck-y – adjective. Having or marked by good luck; fortunate.
If you watched the Vikings game yesterday, "luck" is probably one of the first words that came to mind.
It seemed like Minnesota had the game wrapped up, but then Baltimore made a 17-point comeback. With two seconds left in the game, Ravens’ kicker Steven Hauschka lined up for a 44-yard field goal… and it sailed left to give the Vikes the win.
If you play for a lucky team, you always recover the clutch fumble, or the other team’s kicked always misses the game-winning field goal.
So far this year Minnesota, despite having a hasn’t-even-hit-his-prime Adrian Peterson and at-the-top-of-his-career Jared Allen, has relied heavily on luck. Even the fact that a 40-year-old Brett Favre is playing as well as he is seems lucky for the Vikings.
Type two: the lovable losers
Los-er – noun. A person, team, thing, etc., that loses.
Every person loves their team, but sometimes they just don’t have "it."
They’re like the Bad News Bears, or the 2009 St. Louis Rams – no matter what they do, they just can’t win.
They don’t really have the talent, and they don’t have the necessary experience, or they have "too much" experience (i.e. old guys), and those three things put together add up to an oh-and-whatever season.
But sometimes, for the team that you thought was the lovable losers, it finally comes together: the defense starts blocking, players start making hits, and holes start opening for the runners. Then, suddenly, they aren’t the lovable losers, but the overachievers. That’s when it’s fun.
Unfortunately, St. Louis fans, I don’t see that happening for your guys this season. Sorry.
Type three: the underachievers
Un-der-a-cheive-er – noun. A person or thing that performers below expectations.
The worst of all of the teams - the underachieving team has all of the talent in the world, but can’t seem to get it together.
This team has the all-star lineup, the high payroll; maybe they had a great season last year. But when it comes to playing as a team … well, let’s just say that, sometimes, there is an ‘I’ in team - but it’s not a very good team.
This is the team that, after a loss, can’t believe they were beaten by a team that seemed inferior.
The best example of this is the Tennessee Titans.
Last year they were 12-0 at one point. They have most everyone back (minus Albert Haynesworth), LenDale White came back looking like a real tailback and not a regular at the all-you-can-eat buffet, and Chris Johnson is playing great football, but they just can’t seem to put it together this season.
Sunday, they put up a big ol' goose egg on the scoreboard, gave up 59 points to New England. It was pathetic to watch, and there is nothing I hate more than a team who gives up.
Everyone thought Tennessee would be good – very good even – but instead, they are essentially out of any playoff contention, and need to go back to the drawing board for next season, mainly finding out who the real Vince Young is (let’s hope it’s the 2007 version, and not 2008), and maybe even re-evaluating the future of Jeff Fisher.
But no matter what type your team is, lucky, loveable losers, underachieving, unstoppable, or just plain bad, keep rooting them on, because the only thing worse than a bad team is a fair-weather fan.
Enjoy!
Type-casting teams (ran 10/22)
In life, there are the blessed, the cursed, the lazy and the hard-working.
It is the same in sports.
There are those teams blessed with talent – the teams that can do no wrong; then, on the opposite side, there is the team that can do no right – the blooper never drops in, the hole in the defense never opens.
Some can overcome lack of talent or a lower payroll with a four letter word: T-E-A-M. When a group of athletes plays together as one cohesive unit, there is no limit to the heights they can achieve.
There are those teams that exceed our expectations (this year’s Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings), and those teams that have all of the talent in the world, but can’t do anything with it (I'm talking to you, Tennessee Titans).
After Sunday’s NFL games, I’d like to discuss three kinds of teams: The lucky, the loveable losers, and the underachievers.
Type one: the lucky
Luck-y – adjective. Having or marked by good luck; fortunate.
If you watched the Vikings game yesterday, "luck" is probably one of the first words that came to mind.
It seemed like Minnesota had the game wrapped up, but then Baltimore made a 17-point comeback. With two seconds left in the game, Ravens’ kicker Steven Hauschka lined up for a 44-yard field goal… and it sailed left to give the Vikes the win.
If you play for a lucky team, you always recover the clutch fumble, or the other team’s kicked always misses the game-winning field goal.
So far this year Minnesota, despite having a hasn’t-even-hit-his-prime Adrian Peterson and at-the-top-of-his-career Jared Allen, has relied heavily on luck. Even the fact that a 40-year-old Brett Favre is playing as well as he is seems lucky for the Vikings.
Type two: the lovable losers
Los-er – noun. A person, team, thing, etc., that loses.
Every person loves their team, but sometimes they just don’t have "it."
They’re like the Bad News Bears, or the 2009 St. Louis Rams – no matter what they do, they just can’t win.
They don’t really have the talent, and they don’t have the necessary experience, or they have "too much" experience (i.e. old guys), and those three things put together add up to an oh-and-whatever season.
But sometimes, for the team that you thought was the lovable losers, it finally comes together: the defense starts blocking, players start making hits, and holes start opening for the runners. Then, suddenly, they aren’t the lovable losers, but the overachievers. That’s when it’s fun.
Unfortunately, St. Louis fans, I don’t see that happening for your guys this season. Sorry.
Type three: the underachievers
Un-der-a-cheive-er – noun. A person or thing that performers below expectations.
The worst of all of the teams - the underachieving team has all of the talent in the world, but can’t seem to get it together.
This team has the all-star lineup, the high payroll; maybe they had a great season last year. But when it comes to playing as a team … well, let’s just say that, sometimes, there is an ‘I’ in team - but it’s not a very good team.
This is the team that, after a loss, can’t believe they were beaten by a team that seemed inferior.
The best example of this is the Tennessee Titans.
Last year they were 12-0 at one point. They have most everyone back (minus Albert Haynesworth), LenDale White came back looking like a real tailback and not a regular at the all-you-can-eat buffet, and Chris Johnson is playing great football, but they just can’t seem to put it together this season.
Sunday, they put up a big ol' goose egg on the scoreboard, gave up 59 points to New England. It was pathetic to watch, and there is nothing I hate more than a team who gives up.
Everyone thought Tennessee would be good – very good even – but instead, they are essentially out of any playoff contention, and need to go back to the drawing board for next season, mainly finding out who the real Vince Young is (let’s hope it’s the 2007 version, and not 2008), and maybe even re-evaluating the future of Jeff Fisher.
But no matter what type your team is, lucky, loveable losers, underachieving, unstoppable, or just plain bad, keep rooting them on, because the only thing worse than a bad team is a fair-weather fan.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Give Vick a chance
I’m from Boston, so I don’t really feel much like talking about the NHL or NBA playoffs right now. Instead, let’s talk about my favorite sport – football.
Even though it’s the offseason, there’s still a lot going on in the NFL. Let’s have a recap: Michael Vick was recently released from prison, and Brett Favre is talking about coming out of retirement, again, this time to stick it to the Packers by possibly playing for the Vikings. Al Davis skipped over Michael Crabtree in favor of Darrius Heyward-Bey out of the University of Maryland, which of course is known as a football powerhouse that consistently breeds top-10 draft picks, in yet another in a long-line of horrible decisions. And we saw tragedy strike when the Cowboys’ training facility collapsed, leaving a scout paralyzed.
Jason Taylor is going back to the Dolphins; Tom Brady is coming back to the Patriots; Matt Cassel is going to try to turn things around in Kansas City; and all of New York/New Jersey is hoping that Mark Sanchez can carry the Jets. T.O. was released by Dallas and subsequently signed with Buffalo, which makes a ton of sense because now he’ll be catching passes from the great Trent Edwards, which shouldn’t cause any problems; and the Redskins guaranteed about a billion dollars to Albert Haynesworth.
Of all of those stories, I have to say the one that interests me the most is that of Michael Vick… just hear me out. Vick was sent to prison for 23 months for financing a dog fighting ring. Now, while I by no means condone what he did, I realize that he was certainly, and perhaps somewhat unfairly, made an example of. Nevertheless, Vick has done his time and now is being released to serve his final two months on house arrest.
I sincerely hope that some NFL team will take a chance on the former superstar, one that can take the heat that PETA and other animal rights activists will throw at them, because apparently serving two years at Leavenworth, losing all of your money, the respect the world had for you isn’t enough – he must suffer forever! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that what he did wasn’t horrible, but I think he served his time, and he deserves a second chance. After all, it’s not like he was involved in a double-murder, plead his way out, paid off the victims’ families, and is now the hero of the Baltimore Ravens. Just trying to put it in perspective.
All of that has happened, and it’s only the beginning of June. Man, I love football.
Even though it’s the offseason, there’s still a lot going on in the NFL. Let’s have a recap: Michael Vick was recently released from prison, and Brett Favre is talking about coming out of retirement, again, this time to stick it to the Packers by possibly playing for the Vikings. Al Davis skipped over Michael Crabtree in favor of Darrius Heyward-Bey out of the University of Maryland, which of course is known as a football powerhouse that consistently breeds top-10 draft picks, in yet another in a long-line of horrible decisions. And we saw tragedy strike when the Cowboys’ training facility collapsed, leaving a scout paralyzed.
Jason Taylor is going back to the Dolphins; Tom Brady is coming back to the Patriots; Matt Cassel is going to try to turn things around in Kansas City; and all of New York/New Jersey is hoping that Mark Sanchez can carry the Jets. T.O. was released by Dallas and subsequently signed with Buffalo, which makes a ton of sense because now he’ll be catching passes from the great Trent Edwards, which shouldn’t cause any problems; and the Redskins guaranteed about a billion dollars to Albert Haynesworth.
Of all of those stories, I have to say the one that interests me the most is that of Michael Vick… just hear me out. Vick was sent to prison for 23 months for financing a dog fighting ring. Now, while I by no means condone what he did, I realize that he was certainly, and perhaps somewhat unfairly, made an example of. Nevertheless, Vick has done his time and now is being released to serve his final two months on house arrest.
I sincerely hope that some NFL team will take a chance on the former superstar, one that can take the heat that PETA and other animal rights activists will throw at them, because apparently serving two years at Leavenworth, losing all of your money, the respect the world had for you isn’t enough – he must suffer forever! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that what he did wasn’t horrible, but I think he served his time, and he deserves a second chance. After all, it’s not like he was involved in a double-murder, plead his way out, paid off the victims’ families, and is now the hero of the Baltimore Ravens. Just trying to put it in perspective.
All of that has happened, and it’s only the beginning of June. Man, I love football.
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