Recently I have been hearing more and more about how Fantasy Football is detrimental to the NFL. This wave of sentiment seems to have started with a few sports columnists, who, as “football purists”, clearly see all new-fangled ideas as “destructive to the spirit of the game”. They believe that fantasy football can encourage people to root for teams other than their home team, thereby (by means unknown), destroying the game. Next they will be asking us to abolish the forward pass, saying it “undermines the integrity of the game.” In all seriousness, though, most people who play fantasy football love it. It is a great way to feel in control of your own team, and promotes a sense of competition. For many people, it brings them closer to the NFL, rather than pushing them away. Here are a few ways by which fantasy football helps the NFL:
1. Fantasy Football encourages people to care teams other than “their” team. The average Joe Steelers fan couldn’t care less about how the San Diego Chargers are doing, or who their players are. If said average Joe has LaDainian Tomlinson on his fantasy team, he suddenly cares who the Chargers have on their o-line, who their QB is, how good their offense should be next season, etc.
2. It makes people watch NFL games they wouldn’t otherwise care about. Now let’s say that Joe Steelers fan (I don’t mean to pick on anybody named Joe or the Steelers, but I had to use someone) has Peyton Manning on his team. Now, normally Joe Steelers fan doesn’t watch Colts games because he thinks Manning is a sissy pretty boy (his words, not mine), and the Colts are a sissy team. But, with Manning on his fantasy team, he decides to watch the game because, well, he really wants to brag to Ryan Steelers fan, his best friend, who is also in his fantasy league.
3. Fantasy Football creates more informed football fans. The spirit of “healthy” competition has caused me to spend many an hour scouring sports sites looking for that last tidbit of information that would help me uncover a fantasy sleeper. In the course of this scouring, I have read countless articles on the NFL, and come to have far more knowledge about players and teams than I had previously. I am certain that other people have experienced this same phenomenon.
4. Fantasy Football can help create new football fans. A person who has never heard of football may not understand football games when he watches them, but almost anyone can play fantasy football. Many drafts I have participated in have included people with no idea about football. By the end of the season, these same people have a much better understanding of football; some even become fans.
5. Young whipper-snappers are lured by flashing colors and interactivity, dagnabbit! Some members of the younger generation don’t watch football with nearly the enthusiasm of Baby Boomers, who remember when football was one of the few avenues of entertainment around. These days, football has to compete with a whole host of other entertainment options, a good amount of which are online. Thus fantasy football is a logical extension of the NFL; it takes football online, and makes it interactive, appealing to a younger audience.
6. Fantasy football has international appeal. People in other countries may not understand the concept of football, but they do understand numbers, which are the foundations of fantasy football. Fantasy football is a great way to draw in and educate foreigners about football. International fantasy football players may become lifelong NFL fans.
So there you have it, the top 6 reasons why fantasy football is good for the NFL. Fantasy football is immensely popular, and as more and more people get on the internet, it will only attract more players. Fantasy football will continue to exist for a very long time, whether people like it or not.