Fantasy Football: The Real Deal

Some call it a waste of time. Others call it a hobby. For myself, however, it's more like a lifestyle.

This lifestyle takes heart. It takes patience. It takes guts. It's what makes you a man, or maybe just a sports-loving woman. It forces one to come face to face with integrity, honor, and every sin mentioned in the Holy Bible.

It's Fantasy Football.

These two words could be the title of an entire chapter of my autobiography. But not everyone is aware of its unending greatness.

While it may have the word "˜fantasy' in it, the players are real. At the beginning of each season, you and everyone else in your league drafts a team of real-life superstars. You then face a different team in your league each week. When your players accumulate real life stats, your team gets points. Whichever fantasy team has the most points at the end of the weekend gets a victory.

Before you write me off as a geek, a nerd, a weirdo, know this: I'm not alone. Just before the 2009 season began, ESPN estimated that over 27 million people participated in Fantasy Football. 27 million people spend their Sundays in front of a television/computer, cheering when their quarterback throws for his fourth touchdown of the game and agonizing over their top wide receiver catching only one pass.

I run a twelve-team league, filled with cousins, friends, and even my dad on ESPN.com. The competition is heated and the rivalries intense. But when you finish the regular season, tied with the best record in the league (9-4) and headed towards the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, the pride you feel is indescribable. Not only do you feel like a real-life general manager, you are the rightful owner of league-wide bragging rights for a whole year. The virtual trophy is yours for the keeping and no one can knock you off your high horse.

This lifestyle has drawbacks. I find myself spending hours in front of my computer, ignoring homework and the real world in favor of this kinder one, studying player projections, stats, news, injury updates, and more. And there are the times I wonder why in the name of God (or whoever you worship) I drafted Ladanian Tomlinson over Peyton Manning, or how I didn't believe that Miles Austin was a legit breakout candidate.

The cellar is an unforgiving place, but no matter how poorly an owner does, he or she always comes back for more. There's always the hope of next year"”one more season, one more chance at victory. And looking forward to a new draft is borderline awesome. New players give your team a new face, a new identity, and most importantly, new hope.

As the fantasy playoffs, which are during the last four weeks of the real life regular season, come to a close, I find myself aching for another season. Aching for a few more weeks, a few more games. But as the door to the 2009 season shuts, a new door appears. It says "2010" on it, and it can't come soon enough.