Actually, anybody can play.

AuthorKhurana, Bindu
PositionAthletic Arena - Fantasy football

THE IMAGES of football have remained constant for years. Tailgating fans moving into sold-out stadiums in hopes of watching their favorite team light up the scoreboard in victory. However, pigskin adherents have shifted some of their loyalty into a new gridiron hybrid: fantasy football, which has taken the sports world by storm, with even commentators discussing how many fantasy points a player has just gotten his lucky owner.

Fantasy football is made up of a league of individuals who draft players to create their own teams. For some, this is a structured affair comprised of statistical analysis, thorough research of depth charts, and injury reports, as well as a detailed review of the rookie class. Others treat the draft as an opportunity to catch up with friends, as you sit around trying to get the best available players to be part of your team.

The deciding factor on strategy oftentimes depends on the cost to join. A league is created with a commissioner in charge of adding teams (individuals), setting up the rules, and scheduling a draft date and time. When the league is created, individuals now are owners of their team, assigning a team name and logo while attempting to get prime players on their roster. Now, football season truly has begun.

The next several weeks can be a tumultuous ride of emotions managing player injuries, bye weeks, and the omnipresent trash talk by fellow owners. Fantasy owners feel compelled to explain personnel decisions of benching or starting players similar to a head coach at a press conference. Each week an owner must decide who to start, with an eye on setting up the best matchups while also looking to fill gaps caused by injury or underperforming players.

Most leagues are pay-to-play circuits; each owner puts up an entry fee in the hopes of winning a bundle in the end. So, obviously, people play fantasy football to win extra money, but that is not the entire story.

Fantasy football allows a larger segment of society to feel engaged and part of one of this country's oldest and most celebrated sports. As large as football is, National Football League players comprise a small subset of the population who have the athleticism, smarts, skills, and ability to reach professional status.

A number of these individuals began playing football as young children and strengthened their skills with continual practice, coaching, and exposure through high school, college, and into the professional arena. As they excelled...

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