My partner thinks I’m obsessed with Fantasy Football, but in my defence I’ve got Luke Shaw, Leighton Baines and John Terry. It’s the oldest Fantasy Football joke in the book but illustrates how tricky it can be for Fantasy Football fans to interact with those who have either no or a mere passing interest in their obsession . Here I’ll outline some of the key types of people Fantasy Football fans encounter in their search for kindred spirits.
The Politely Interested
We’ve all had the awkward conversations, usually in the work place or around your Aunt’s house, where somehow Fantasy football has become the topic. These can be a colleague or family member being nice and trying to show an interest in your pastime. They know little about the extent of your obsession so innocently ask you a little about the game. Aware that you are dealing with a real life person in the real life world, you give only a little back, nodding politely and choosing to ignore the 15 minute analysis in your head about how Leicester’s shots on target figures trumped their poor possession statistics last season.
But part of you can’t resist though and before you know it you are animatedly discussing your latest transfer dilemma around the Manchester United midfield. Suddenly aware that they are glazing over you take a step back and allow yourself to drift into other issues, like X-Factor or the green sludgy contents of their gym flask , aware that they probably now think you are a little strange. You don’t really mind what they think though as you are still pondering the merits of Anthony Martial.
Mr Know A Little Bit
There are those colleagues, friends or family that offer a hint that they may be able to understand your obsession. They talk about football a little and at least know who Manchester United have just signed. This group of people may even have played Fantasy Football once or twice. This interaction leaves Fantasy Football obsessives with the chance to go into a little more detail, and even chat about the cash league they are setting up with the added, bold invite for them to join. Sadly though, despite the slight interest they never actually get round to joining and the Fantasy Football obsessive’s search for a kindred spirit continues.
Mr Know It All
Much like a fully evolved Pokemon this type of person may just be the Fantasy Football conversational sparring partner an obsessive may be looking for. This is the person who actually joins the cash league and knows all about the best players and formations. Well, at least they think they do.
As the conversations continue Fantasy Football fans become aware that their potential fellow obsessive in fact has nowhere near the same level of commitment. While you shy away from players who are rotation risks or are nursing niggles from international matches, this Mr Know It All instead focuses on players from their favourite team or ignoring players who annoyed them once, a few years ago. What is worse is that after eight weeks they are ahead in the cash league by a clear 90 points and are smugger than Alan Pardew after a few sherbets. But over the season normal service resumes as the Fantasy Football fan’s searches through underlying statistics and injury news proves fruitful and Mr Know It All is soon left for dust. Eventually what once was thought of as a potential Fantasy Football friendship is reduced to a brief passing mention for the pastime the obsessive loves that goes something like this, “Yeah I was smashing you at the start mate but I missed a captain change, moved house, lost the use of my hands…etc.”Â
The Kindred Spirit
If you have reached this stage in the article you are a Fantasy Football obsessive and one that realises that it is tough to find kindred spirits in the real world outside of the specialist sites like this. Have no fear though, they are out there, ready to meet you and laugh over how you both pretend to visit the bathroom at weddings only to check up on whether you got a clean sheet from your Bournemouth defender on your phone, or how you are the only two people in the pub watching the match who are desperate to find out who got the assist.
