By Nick Beaulieu, Editor-In-Chief
It’s the end of September, and you’re glued to the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Arizona Cardinals game on Sunday. It’s the fourth quarter, the score is 14-10 and both teams have yet to win this season. Total snore fest of a game, right? Wrong! You’re down 10 points in your fantasy football match, and you’ve got Larry Fitzgerald and one quarter left to beat your opponent and top your division.
It’s fantasy football, an addiction for every young football junkie. Fantasy makes every NFL game exciting, and there’s no better feeling than looking like the king of football in front of your friends. On the other end, getting run week after week will take a big hit to your manhood and fandom. But overall, it’s the experience of being in a good league that will make you look forward to fantasy football every fall.
There are few things that go into the perfect recipe of a well put together fantasy league.
Close friends. The beauty of fantasy football is that it gets better with age. The more seasons you have, the more memories you form and the more respect you have for the league itself. It’s foolish to think you can form a long lasting league by randomly joining one on ESPN. So carefully pick and choose the members of your league and recruit carefully. Look for members who will not only be dedicated, but who will have fun too and on whom you can trust.
Incentives. All competitive endeavors run out of gas if there aren’t good enough incentives to keep people motivated. In my league, it costs a cool $40 per player every year and that mark is beneficial in two ways. Not only is a payout of over $400 a great incentive to play, but investing $40 of your own cash is enough to keep your interest from fading no matter how your season is going.
In order to have a rewarding fantasy experience, you must gun for the prize but not be driven exclusively by money. When I start every year, I act like that money is my “fee” to play the game. If the right people surround you in your league, then glory and pride should outweigh any fiscal payout.
Weekly announcements. Every fantasy player is always itching for something until Wednesday or Thursday when the new projections come out. Having weekly trophies on Tuesday is something nice to bridge that gap between the Monday night game and the usual Thursday night game. Having a weekly wall of shame is one addition that has made me roll on the floor laughing in my league.
Traditions. A trophy is always nice to have, but anything that you can bring back year after year will be another factor that will make your league strong. If all the members of your league are in close proximity, have an in-person draft and make sure to rotate where it is year to year. If members of your league are scattered, try Skype or another digital medium.
Communication. Having a Facebook group or using a text message app like GroupMe is critical to maintaining solid communication within your league. You need a good medium to propose trades, discuss matchups and talk smack. Make it clean and organized.
Fantasy football is one of the better things to come out of the sports world in the modern age. Take full advantage by following these steps to having a perfect league and creating long lasting memories
