Winter, spring, summer, and Football are the actual seasons for many Americans. 72% of Americans watch live NFL games every year, an overwhelming majority. 

Except for many, it’s not just watching a game – it’s drafting a team of players, watching them compete, and hoping for them to have the best performance possible. This is called fantasy football. Every week, a group of 10 friends battles each other to see which team can win the league. Teams can get points through passes caught, running yards, receiving yards, passing yards, and the ultimate reward: touchdowns. 

Around 30 million people compete in fantasy football this year, which makes for great fun for many. 

“I pride myself on being the best fantasy player I can be year in and year out,” said senior Charlie Broach. “It has taken up my whole fall for many years.”

This is the reality of fantasy football. It is addicting and very enjoyable. But many take it too seriously at times.

“I won’t lie if one of my players doesn’t have a great performance, I will send him an Instagram DM reprimanding him for his poor play,” said Broach.

Broach went on to talk about how he is in league with many other Mount Pisgah seniors who have competed against each other for numerous years in a row. 

“It’s always fun playing against the same guys yearly. It makes for great trash talk and high stakes,” said senior Cole Munroe.

People all around the country make it a tradition to gather with the same group of people annually to draft their teams and play against each other from August through November. There isn’t much fantasy around the competition. Tensions get high, and bragging rights, or in many cases, money, are on the line.  

Former Mount Pisgah teacher Nathan Goodroe became so fascinated with fantasy football that he created a software engine that could predict players’ outcomes fairly accurately. 

If this doesn’t show people’s dedication to the “sport,” I don’t know what does.