The Optimist

Brittany Aders

News Editor

David Tiwari

Sports Editor

Anyone can be an athlete, but only those who are truly dedicated play fantasy sports. Those who are involved in fantasy sports spend a great deal of time and effort into their team by analyzing players and carefully picking their starting roster and bench, as well as trading throughout the season. One of the most popular fantasy sports is football, in which teams are made up of nine starters and roughly six reserves. Team managers pick their teams through a draft which is held online or in person. The fantasy season begins at the same time as the NFL season, and each week fantasy teams are matched up with another team. Players get points based off how they perform in their NFL games, and the team with the most points wins the match. Fantasy teams then qualify for the playoffs, and a champion is eventually crowned.

South junior Max Walter plays fantasy football. He started playing a few years ago and has been in a league ever since. Walter said, “I play for the love of the game and the glory [of winning]”. For Walter, fantasy football is more than just a game, “Everything I do, I do for my team,” Walter said. Some fantasy leagues play for money, but Walter said he doesn’t and that “honor is all [he] need[s]”. He said his strategy is to go for running backs first and take gambles on his reserve players. As a big football fan, Max enjoys watching football on Sundays and keeping track of his players. Although he doesn’t play organized football, he enjoys playing pick up football games with his friends on a regular basis.

Senior Katie Speer became a dedicated fantasy football player too after being introduced to the game by her family members. The first time she played, she shared a team with her mom, but for the past four years, she has had her own team on an ESPN fantasy football league. In her fantasy football rookie year, Speer had great success and won the championship. Her league includes her stepdad, her cousin, uncle, and other family friends who all talk smack to each other throughout the season. “Near the end of the season, I accused my stepdad of cheating when he won a head to head game against me,” Speer said, “he coerced someone into trading with him.”

In addition to fantasy football, there are people who play less prominent fantasy sports like soccer. Senior Adam Torneo began playing fantasy soccer about a year ago. Torneo came across a link to the English Premiere League while looking up soccer news. Even though Torneo does not play soccer, he really enjoys watching the sport. “I am a huge soccer fan and enjoy watching the games my team plays in,” Torneo said. “I mainly do it for fun and don’t take it seriously.” Since soccer is not necessarily a popular sport in the states, Torneo is not in a league with his friends, but instead a public league, which has members all over the world.

Being in a fantasy sport takes a great deal of dedication and commitment to the sport and is not recommended for the faint of heart.