Personal fouls Think football is a dangerous sport? Try playing fantasy football ... with your friends.
By Beth Teitell, Globe Staff | October 26, 2010 With a name like fantasy football, it should at least be fun. But listen to Matthew DiAntonio, 34, of Plymouth, describe the scene at the Main Street Bar & Grill in Weymouth, when he and a few members of his MassManiacs fantasy league confronted a fellow player about his inadequate efforts, and then, after failing to reach an agreement, asked him to drop out. "His initial response was anger and denial,'' said DiAntonio, an online marketer. Then came the excuses - "I've been working a lot, I haven't had time'' - and finally the obscenities. "He threw his hands up, said '[Expletive] you guys,' and stormed out of the bar.'' DiAntonio and the others paid his tab, but even so, the ousted player unfriended them on Facebook, and none of the guys were invited to his wedding. "That night was the last time we talked to him,'' DiAntonio said. "I consider him to have been a very good friend, but it was the right thing to do.'' Piling on? Perhaps. But with so much on the line in fantasy football - ego, bragging rights, a serious investment of time, and, in some leagues, money - emotions can run high. Players love the game because it allows them to act just like National Football League team owners and coaches, giving them the power to draft and trade athletes, and to decide whom to play and whom to bench. But it can also pit friend against friend and suck the enjoyment out of football itself. "It's not an uncommon story to hear about friends who don't talk anymore because of disagreements about fantasy football,'' said Bryan Douglass, managing editor for the Fanball Sports Network. "They take it way too seriously.'' The ranks of the obsessed are growing. This year, more than 20 million people in the United States are playing fantasy football, says Paul Charchian, president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. That's up from about 13.5 million in 2007. Spouses of dedicated fantasy fans are a long-suffering lot, as players get swept up in the endless trades, free agents, and bye week pickups. But as for other league members - what's there to clash over in a pretend world? ... http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2010/10/26/think_football_is_a_dangerous_sport_try_playing_fantasy_football____with_your_friends/ _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list Medianews@etskywarn.net http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
