|
By - Jeff Mertes
It’s kind of like naming a boy Sue. Whoever came up with the idea of sticking “fantasy” in front of football ought to be hunted down and unmercifully tickled with a faux feather. What was he (or was it a derisive wife) thinking, anyway?
There is nothing like encountering a 340-lb., barrel-chested, beer bellied ex-prep strong safety (they do tend to morph over time) somewhat meekly admitting he participates in a couple of “fantasy” football leagues every year. Or a lawyer who wedges the “fantasy” activity in between billable hours every fall. Fantasy, schmantasy. Does anyone try to degrade the science of handicapping ponies and parlaying that ability into a few bucks at the paramutual window by calling it fantasy horse racing? Of course not. Does anyone put a knock on charting economic trends and turning that knowledge into timely stock market transactions by implying that fantasy plays any type of role in the endeavor? Not in a Wall Street minute.
Why did that faceless person try to put a twinkie spin on the complex process of drafting NFL football players and managing a competitive roster throughout the course of a season in an effort to maximize results? Tell me, how does fantasy enter into the equation when fortunes rise and fall with each smuck on NFL gridirons?
So, what would be more appropriate for this game that captivates ten to twenty million participants, in some form or another, each season? If football must stay as a part of the name, then drop “t-a-s-y,” four lousy letters that turn Jockey shorts to lace panties, and just plop “fan” in front of it. Fan football. Sort of says it all. That way, you wouldn’t raise any eyebrows when you note under “Activities & Hobbies” on a resume, Fan Football Team Owner. It certainly sounds more credible and less twisted than Fantasy Football Team Owner.
Rise up, present a united front and refuse to knuckle-under to subconsciously degrading the skills and dedication required to master the game. It may not be rocket science, but there are surely rocket scientists drafting NFL players and submitting lineups each week. Let’s hear it, one and all…FAN FOOTBALL…because nothing is more descriptive of the phenomenon now firmly linked to “real” football. And notice that the NFL, along with television, radio and internet organizations, certainly recognize that there is absolutely zero fantasy involved in the interest and dollars FAN FOOTBALL now generates each year.
Daydreams are fantasy domains. On the turf of NFL stadiums is where FAN FOOTBALL numbers are generated to be crunched into scoring templates. Out of it all comes a real, honest to goodness game that is worthy of a lot more respect than its namby-pamby name now elicits. Fan football, yeah, that’s the ticket.
|
|
