THE TIGERS
PREPARE TO TAKE
ON THE TER PS
PAGE
Towson’s campus and community news source | Online daily at thetOwerllght.com
Thursday, 9-29-11
OBsessEP
Illustration by Justin Fischer/ The Towerlight
LAUREN SLAVIN
Editor-in-Chief
Football fens bom and bred in Mobtown bleed Ravens purple.
Those who live further south cheer for the Redskins and boo the
Philadelphia Eagles fans in green and Dallas Cowboys fans in blue
and silver. Those from states without teams can still form fierce
loyalties. And for the first time in what might feel like years, many
Towson students feel proud to bleed black and gold.
But for students who play Fantasy Football, there is no such thing
as rooting for one team.
"Fantasy Football has completely changed the way Americans
watch football," Towson University class of 2011 alumnus Jason
Forrest, who is participating in three leagues, said.
Since the NFL’s official season kickoff on Sept. 8, those students
who take their love of football beyond wearing jerseys and tailgating
have been trading, benching, praising and cursing the players who
form their Fantasy team or teams. Once students form or join a
Fantasy Football league, a draft is held where league members take
turns in selecting amongst the league's top players.
Even all-female leagues have formed, like Maryland-based Girls
Gone Football, which teaches first-time Fantasy players the basics
"Something Fantasy does for every fan is it teaches you about
all the different players in the NFL. Even people who don’t watch
enough football to know who any of the players are know the
majority of the league’s players by the end of the year," sophomore
Harrison Van Waes said. "It’s cool to see people who don’t really
know a whole lot come out knowing who all the good teams are and
which players are on the rise or decline”
But maintaining a winning Fantasy Football team isn’t as easy
as creating one. Depending on their knowledge of the players and
drive to win, some students said they spend anywhere from an hour
a week to 20 minutes a day perfecting their team.
"In order to keep up with my teams, I read blogs on my play¬
ers and keep up on injury reports," senior sports manager Conor
Anderson, who plays in two leagues, said. "I spend way too much
time doing Fantasy Football. It has changed the way I watch football,
which sucks in a way since I can be rooting for my team and players
on opposite teams against my favorite team."
Living in a college setting provides a unique opportunity for
students interested in Fantasy Football. Some students only started
playing once they moved into their dorms.
For the residents of the 10th floor of Tower D, living in close
quarters presented the perfect opportimity to play Fantasy Football.
Sophomore Cameron Ebersole’s father and uncle started a league,
and 10 of the men on his floor have joined.
"We’ve bonded over the league, I suppose," Ebersole said.
Even the 10th floor Resident Assistant, senior physical therapy
major Derek Stanley, plays Fantasy Football. But his league is for
current and former RAs.
"I personally do not devote too much time to Fantasy Football
because I feel that doing well in school is more important," Stanley
said. "However, I am very competitive and do not like losing. In over
15 total leagues, I have never gotten below fourth place in a 12-man
league."
Van Waes lives on the 10th floor of Tower D and helps his floor-
mates manage their teams. But he gave up playing after losing one of
his league’s championship game by one point.
‘What bothered me most about it was it took away from the
enjoyment of watching the NFL. I became more concerned with how
certain players did than the actual football games,” Van Waes said.
"I mean, a little competition never hurt, and Fantasy is really good
for football and it’s fans. I just want to enjoy my favorite sport on
Sundays and not get stressed out by a ‘Fantasy.’ Plus, living in this
area, fans get stressed out enough by the Redskins and the Ravens
every week."
