Football is a game where football fans draft teams consisting of current NFL players and based on those players performances, the fans will get points accordingly. If a player does bad, the fan will receive less points and if the player performs better, the fan will receive more points.
The goal of fantasy football is to outscore your opponent on a weekly basis. Although this game seems harmless and unalarming, fans have added extra factors that have created conflict.
One of these factors is the addition of punishments. A fantasy football player will receive a punishment if they place last in their league.
Punishments range from quick and harmless to full on hazing. For example,
“Our punishment this year is the Milk Mile,” senior Grant Hosteller said.
This is referencing a challenge where the loser must drink a gallon of milk while running a mile.
Punishments make the stakes higher and make everything a little more serious.
“It made me take it more seriously because I did not want to do the punishment,” Hosteller said.
Not all leagues use punishments, some like to keep it more casual and less competitive. For some fantasy football is just for fun.
“We have no punishment,” junior Richard Fort said.
Others admit not having a punishment changes the way they play.
“We have no punishment…I think I won’t be as worried if I lose,” freshman Jackson Cross said.
Even though the losers get embarrassed, some think they would opt-out but you’d be surprised.
“No, I think that I will play next year no matter what,” Fort said.
The competitiveness doesn’t stop with punishments. Many leagues like to raise the stakes by putting money on the line. This can make people get more invested in the game.
“I think people get angry at each other, but it does make it more competitive,” Fort said.
Others worry about the drama that can be caused by putting money on the line.
“I wish we put money in, it makes it more fun but it could cause fights,” freshman Royal Lloyd-Hostetter said.
Some punishments can get even more creative.
“Our punishment is the dog cage,” freshman Micah Paschal said.
This is where the loser has to spend time inside a dog kennel, while this is extreme it adds to the intensity and makes the stakes higher in the league.
