Fantasy Football: Is it good for you?

We regularly get some excellent submissions to the Community Articles section of Fantasy Football Scout, from statistical analysis to Red Lightning’s mini-league round-ups and everything in between.

In the article below, site regular Charlie Price hails the positive aspects of not just Fantasy Premier League (FPL) but also you, the Fantasy Football Scout community.

I have often asked myself the question – why do I play Fantasy Football? Do I know a lot about football? Not really. Lots of people have greater knowledge than myself. Do I want to win prizes? Well, it’s enjoyable to win but it’s not the reason I play.

The answer probably lies in the following.

Wellbeing

Being able to interact and communicate with like-minded individuals via the shared interest in Fantasy Football is not only entertaining but comforting. Isolation during Covid emphasised for many the need, even if only through the written word, to have regular contact with other humans. I am lucky in that I do not live alone but for those who are not so fortunate, games such as Fantasy Premier League (FPL) provide us with the opportunity to talk to each other. Websites such as Fantasy Football Scout of course have created their own forums, which provide a platform for conversation.

Enjoyment

Whilst communication in itself is good, it must be of a healthy nature for it to be mentally and mutually beneficial. Most contributors to Fantasy Football forums are respectful of others and I would hope that we can all remember that whilst not everyone shares the same opinion, we can disagree without resorting to abuse. It saddens me when I visit some football club forums to find that a town is described in particularly derogatory terms simply because it contains a football team that the poster does not support.

Enjoyment through Fantasy Football is gained not only through healthy interaction but from the thrill of discovering that your 1%-owned forward has bagged a couple of goals and you have Triple Captained him! On the other side of the coin, last season I captained a certain Watford forward in a Double Gameweek – and he promptly got sent off in the first game. I did not lose any sleep over this misfortune, just accepted it as part and parcel of Fantasy Football. You have to see the funny side of things even in adversity, which is my motto for dealing with life as well.

Rewards

So what rewards do we get from playing this game? Well most of us don’t win anything so the quick answer would be no reward at all. However, rewards come in different ways. Earlier this year I created a mini-league and invited entries via the pages of Fantasy Football Scout.

The first two people to join were from Antarctica and Australia. That’s what I call a reward. The reward of playing a game with folks from other continents with who I would otherwise never have had any contact.

So, why do we play Fantasy Football? It’s good for us, there is enjoyment and entertainment to be had from playing, and it brings with it its own rewards which may not always be obvious. 

Good luck to everyone out there and keep enjoying Fantasy Football!