By Kathryn Riley
Football is back, McClatchy. For three days a week, the NFL is in action, capturing the hearts of Americans with showdowns between their favorite teams. But the real games aren’t the only football sweeping the nation. A recent trend in the sports world is fantasy football, and many teachers here have taken a special interest in the fun. For 4 years now, some of the teachers at CKM have taken part in their own fantasy league. The fantasy enthusiasts include Mr. Starace, Mr. Maxwell, and Mr. Griffin. Now, along with grading papers and making lesson plans, these teachers have to engage in head to head battles for football supremacy.
Here’s how fantasy football works: those who are a part of a league draft players including a defense, a few wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, a kicker, and a quarterback. The selected players of one fantasy team go against selected players of another fantasy team. As the NFL games go on, the football players get awarded a certain number of fantasy points based on their performance. Each “team’s” point total at the end of the week determines the winner of the fantasy league matchup.
But drafting may be tricky for some people. Mr. Starace’s top draft picks? “Calvin Johnson and Demarco Murray,” says the history teacher. And his picks seem to being doing well. Mr. Starace is currently 2-0 in the league and feels his chances of winning are “70%.” Mr. Maxwell won last year, but this year, Mr. Starace is looking for his first win. He does have an advantage, revealing that he has been playing fantasy football for 15 years. Playing for that long has definitely taught him a thing or two. His advice for aspiring fantasy players: “Do not only draft players from your favorite team. Pay attention.”
It may be too early to tell who will win this year, but (fantasy) football fever is definitely catching on at C.K. McClatchy.