History, Controversy, and Fantasy Football (Editorial)
By Rob O’Connor
You probably still have Super Bowl leftovers hidden in the fridge somewhere and here we are already with the 2016 NFL Combine in the books. It’s the time of year that starts to shed light on the empty limbo between football seasons. It’s also the time of year that Tom Brady Combine photos, that have me fairly convinced he and Michael Jackson are from the same planet, do their rounds on the internet.
Some evidence even suggests they’re the same person. Which would trump the conspiracy that Michael and Janet are one in the same because we all know the Patriots wouldn’t let Tom out of the locker room for “Nipplegate” during Super Bowl XXXVIII.
You see what I’m saying though, right?
But speaking of wardrobe malfunctions, let’s get back to the Combine. If you’re like me, you have friends that confuse the “fantasy” part of fantasy football with reality and think they’ve just done some actual scouting by watching the Combine. But the only thing these fantasy overlords have done is find a reason to bombard you with group texts 6 months before the fantasy football draft.
A lot has changed in fantasy football spanning from “Nipplegate” to this year’s halftime controversy. 2004 was a simpler time when we could, for instance, just appreciate Beyoncé for her ass. It was a time before we could all turn to Google in our pocket and sports trivia studs were still bar stool heroes. Facebook was just born so we probably actually picked up a phone and made a call to mock our opponents regarding points left on their fantasy football bench. But some things don’t change, like defense still wins Super Bowls, and history doesn’t lie. For example, in 2004, my girlfriend drafted players for her fantasy football team based on how much she liked their uniforms and won our league. This past 2015 campaign, the trophy in our league went to a guy that auto-drafted in a drunken stupor. I’m guessing neither of them watched the Combine.
I’m not suggesting we don’t appreciate the Combine and what those guys do. But hell, I think I even once ran a 4.4 forty in a sprint to a computer to change my lineup at the last minute since I couldn’t do so from my phone. This offseason let’s remember what fantasy football is really about, talking shit to your friends. Maybe, for old times sake, give your buddy, the fantasy football “scout”, a call and give some suggestions on how to be productive in real life.