I wish that everything in life operated
like fantasy football. This is not a joke. I really want this to
happen. I want to draft people from my office and get points based on
what they do during the day.
I'd get 1 point every time they use the
copier, 2 points every time they print something, 5 points every time
they talk about how stupid that last customer was, and 10 points
every time they tell me that one story, you know that one, the one
they tell every time they feel the need to tell you a story.
Seriously, wouldn't this make every day
better? I mean I wouldn't get anything done, but it would be so
enthralling. I would spend my entire day paying attention to a world
of things that I've never even attempted to pay attention to. I'd
care about what people did, albeit in an entirely ridiculous and
horribly unsupportive way.
This is the single greatest thing about
playing fantasy football. It not only gives you an excuse to care
about things that don't matter (like professional football), but it
also gives you an excuse to care about thing that don't matter within
that world of previous things that didn't matter (like Week 13
between St. Louis and Buffalo, go Ryan Fitzpatrick!).
I promise you, there will be a random
Sunday afternoon where I will be paying close, almost obsessive
attention to a Carolina Panthers game when they're 4-10 and not even
people in Charlotte care about them anymore. And I will be doing all
of this so that I can win bragging rights over a guy I only see once
a year at our fantasy football draft. And I'll get my name on a
plaque. Woo! Plaque!
I know it's childish. I really do, but
its fun and I get to care about things that I don't usually care
about. I like having a reason to care. I like feeling engaged. I
think that's the reason I love sports in general. They give me a
reason to care.
In sports, everything is so naked. The
goal of the game is to win and the consequences of any given outcome
are known at the beginning. It's easy to be invested because it's
easy to know the point of the game. Sports are honest like that.
Everything is raw and even sometimes emotional because everything is
at the surface. Everything is open.
And that's why I care. Because I know
what it means.
I know it's difficult to be that open
with people. It's difficult and it can be terrifying to trust someone
so much that you don't hedge your hopes and dreams; that they know
what a win looks like and what a loss looks like in your world. But I
think that's what real community is.
Real community is when we are so open
with each other that we can't help but be invested in each others
success and failures. It's when we know the goals of the others and
we want to see them get there. We want to root for them and encourage
them and maybe even yell at them when it seems like they're about to
give up, and since they are in our living rooms and not halfway
across the country like some meaningless football player, they can
actually hear us and it might actually do some good.
Maybe we need more fans and the first
step to getting more fans is telling them what game we're playing in
the first place.
But that takes a lot of trust. And it's
really difficult.
Part of me wishes I could end this post
by telling you what a win looks like to me. Part of me wants to tell
you my hopes and dreams and wishes and aspirations. Part of me wants
you to root for me.
Another part of me is terrified to be
that open, and for tonight at least, that part will win out, but I
hope that's not always the case.
Peace,
Ben
P.S. I'd love to hear your comments. If
I'm off base, tell me. If you think I'm on to something, try and add
to it. There are a lot of you reading this (I see the numbers) and I
want you to be a part of this community. All of us writing here are
just throwing ideas against the wall and seeing what sticks, but when
something really resonates we want to know. I want to know. I hope to
hear from you!
When he isn't trying to make fantasy
football sound like something vaguely inspiring, Ben spends his time
trying to decide whether he should start Antonio Brown or DeAngelo
Williams. This isn't a joke. Someone needs to tell him what to do
before Sunday. A lot of pride is riding on this. You can follow him
on Twitter @BenHoward87 or email him at benjamin.howard87 [at]
gmail.com.
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