Fantasy Football - A Fine Time of the Year?

A Fine Time of the Year - Dec '99 written by Todd Finestone (Fantasy Football Mastermind) ARTICLE REPRODUCED FOR FREE AT WWW.DRAFTGUIDE.COM

Snow and cold air deaden the sounds of fall. Scientifically this may be explained as something occurring with molecules, but football fans know that once a new calendar year begins, each passing week inches us closer to an inevitable end. The sequence of pigskin action over the coming month is familiar and bittersweet. Yes, the best football games are directly ahead, but the depressing truth is that the roar of the crowds will soon be silenced. The holiday season and football fit together like the Fourth of July and fireworks. Over the next month we will be treated to a multitude of college bowls and professional playoff games. The thrills couldn’t be more concentrated beginning with the exciting conclusion of the regular season, followed by wildcard games, championship contests, and finally The Super Bowl. For me each week possesses a hollow empty sentiment similar to the feeling I get when I hear a good pal will be moving far away. Football when the snow flies reminds me of that friend’s going away party… it’s a blast while happening, but deep down you understand the reason for the wild get together. The Super Bowl, in particular, is always a difficult time. On the day when pro football is supposed to be celebrating the crowning of its new champion I can only focus to the many months of void ahead. Something about that supposedly special Sunday loses all football meaning to me. There is too much hype involved, too many amateur fans interested, and the day is cluttered with excessive sideshows, commercials, and celebrations. It’s become cliché to call The Super Bowl anticlimactic, but for me the real football season peaks the second weekend of the playoffs and remains "exciting" during the conference championships. True fans recognize that sinking feeling inside that hides the alcoholic smiles of Super Bowl Sunday. In my earlier article entitled "Fantasy Magazines and the Child Within" I reminisced about how the opening of training camp brought back my childhood. The conclusion of the pigskin campaign conversely reminds me of the finality for all good things. It’s reinforces the cruel fact that every event whether it be enjoying my daughter’s childhood, or the time I spend on earth has a start and a finish. The end of the long football campaign revives the same eerie feeling I had after a fun summer camp ended or when I moved from the comfort of a familiar home as a child. Closure on something you love is difficult even if it’s only football because the memories often parallel other more meaningful times. There is no denying this year’s playoffs offer interesting possibilities that will thrill any football addict. I can’t wait to see how far the big three in Indianapolis, Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, and Marvin Harrison take the Colts. It will be interesting to watch the Rams with their arena football league quarterback, Kurt Warner, as they attempt "win it all". I love the fantastic matchups coming out of the AFC with teams like Jacksonville, Miami, and Buffalo potentially squaring off. My problem lies in what actually makes these games exciting. The goal of the NFL playoff system is to eliminate teams to crown a champion; thus each week brings us closer to the season’s conclusion. I love the holiday season and the football that’s played during it, but it is difficult to ignore how a few weeks after the playoffs commence these sweet sounds of fall will be no more. Each football season uncovers unique experiences that make this hobby special for me. This year I’ve had the pleasure of writing the FINE STUFF column for Fantasy Football Mastermind as well as for other fine sites. I want to thank every website that has offered me the opportunity to post my words in their corner of the world as well as Mike Nazarek and Matt Carroll, two fantastic editors who stuck with me. I began this project because I believed there would be a niche for a literary type of column that offered a different perspective to fantasy sports. I felt that most articles written on the Internet, (of which many are good) offered a "Who Do I Play?" or a "How to Improve Your Results" theme. I wanted to be different and hopefully succeeded in adding enjoyment for readers who share my passion in this great hobby. I don’t know if I’ll be back writing FINE STUFF articles next season. Perhaps I’ve said everything I’ve wanted and this column will seem less fun and feel like more work next year. Last April I promised myself that I’d write monthly installments until December. Things never seem the same the second time around and perhaps FINE STUFF is best left as a one-season endeavor where I had a great time and left without feeling that writing each piece was a grind. April’s a long way away so we’ll see. Like many hard lessons in life one of the toughest is accepting that the best of times are generally accompanied by a huge hangover. We learned this as children the day following Christmas or on the evening after a fun birthday party. Once again it’s that time of year when the screaming fans, marching bands, and championship football games dominate the airwaves. Beware of enjoying yourself too much, however, because beyond the loud excitement looms a long stretch of dead air and sadly that silence symbolizes the bond between true fantasy football fanatics. Todd Finestone is a staff writer for Fantasy Football Mastermind. His monthly column "FINE STUFF" can be found at several different fantasy football related sites on the Internet. 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