...a game that allows fans to take an active role in professional football by creating their own team and competing with teams built by others. Fans create their own roster of players by drafting talent from actual NFL teams and compete based on those players' real-life performances in NFL games.Most major sports media players offer free leagues for people all over the world to join, play, talk trash, track stats and enter an almost Second Life type of community for 4-5 months in the fall. The greatest thing for these media companies comes in the form of longer page views and inflated impressions due to the fantasy captains hanging around waiting for something to happen.
So what's the cure for the Monday Morning Quarterback?
As much as Americans love their football it can become a major distraction throughout the week and needs to be treated like any other distraction. The first thing is to notice when it is taking away from your work. This seems obvious, but when Monday seems to go by quicker than usual (not that this is a bad thing), your to-do list builds faster than Adrian Peterson in the Red Zone.
The next step is to allow yourself time to indulge. Giving yourself an hour in the morning to check stats is no different than giving yourself an hour to read your RSS Feeds. Having this time set aside gives you something to look forward to and gives you ample time to get through your to-do list.
The last tip is to start looking at Fantasy stats in your downtime and on the go. Taking the bus, subway or in the airport? Take a look at the top sports apps in the iTunes app store. They are sure to keep you in the loop and get your fix in while you are killing time on your way to a meeting, new destination or the office.
But I Missed This Year's Draft...
Don't feel left out if you missed Fantasy Season this year, there is still plenty to be thankful for this football season. Renewed hope and belief for every market, every school and every player that is on a contract year!
I look forward to seeing the coffee cups with mascots, Football Fridays and the water cooler talk that comes with football season. I have even seen some local sports bar hook up wifi for the Monday Night working crowd. Here's to a great season and may the Dolphins look better than they did last week.
Photo by: Arnett Gill
