On Thanksgiving Day, Sun-Times reporter Joe Agrest gave thanks for Titans' running back Chris Johnson, whom he now "owns," thanks to Fantasy Football.
I, too, own some players, including Kurt Warner. It's all thanks to my brother who, this year, begged me to join his online Fantasy Football league.
Not only did Peter beg, but he threw in a heavy does of guilt. "It's Grandpa's idea," he wrote in his email. "It's the one thing Grandpa says will make him happy this year with all of his family members spread around the world."
Now my grandfather does like his football, as do many other members of the family, though I strongly suspect Peter was exagerrating Grandpa's great need for a fantasy league--clearly my bro is the one who really wanted the league! I like football, too. But I have to admit that I've pretty much forgotten about football after two years in England. American football, anyway.
I have a few fanatical English friends who stay up all night to watch the Superbowl on a BBC sports channel, and I have heard rumours of a few American pro football games being played in London for a lark (or in an attempt to increase the fan base?) But the sad and simple truth, I have realized, is that I just don't care enough about it to follow it after a few years in another country.
After my brother's pleadings I joined his Yahoo Fantasy Football league. I had to make several long-distance calls to figure out exactly how it all works, with questions like, "Uh...I kinda forgot what a bye week is. What am I supposed to do now?" I even checked on my team and arranged the roster for the first few weeks.
But then I simply forgot. I know it's embarrassing and unthinkable to those of you who eat, drink and sleep football, but I hear American football mentioned about once every six months. I am not exagerrating (unlike my dear brother). I don't know anything about the players, the teams or even the scandals. Fantasy football dropped completely off my radar.
A few weeks ago I got an email from my uncle. My team was due to play his that Sunday and he pointed out that I had a few players who were off. So I pulled up my page, saw without any surprise at all that I was way way way down at the bottom of the list, far underneath my parents, brothers, cousins, uncles and grandfather. I made the necessary substitutions. I saved the page with the best intentions to turn over a new leaf.
That was several weeks ago and I don't even know who won that match. In fact, I haven't looked at the page since. But I can tell you that, unless England pulls together its various sports politicos, our chance of hosting the 2018 World Cup is doomed.
I don't think it's such a great loss to give up American football. I mean, I'm obviously American and I've never quite understood it. I went to high school football games back in the day because that was just what everyone did. Beyond that, there doesn't seem to be a point to it. Besides, the professionals are way overpaid.