I came back from the dog’s morning walk to find E sitting at the dining room table. He was hunched over his Chromebook, initially reserved for schoolwork but since used for numerous other activities. I recognized the website’s purple banner, grid lines and the list of blue names on the left hand side immediately.
He was looking at his fantasy football team.
I read a piece a few years ago by Matthew Berry, ESPN Fantasy Analyst, author and former Hollywood writer, about starting a fantasy league with his son and some other local families. I’d already been playing fantasy sports for years at that point but it was the first time I really thought about getting E involved. E was still very young so I knew it would be a while. But I began imagining a draft day tradition with kids huddling over rankings and their parents sharing in the excitement.
Fast forward to this year, when E had just returned home from his first summer at sleep-away camp. He had made a slew of new friends and wanted to keep in touch with them. He had also asked me previously about starting a fantasy league for the coming football season. My wife reached out to the other parents to gauge interest and, a few days later, the league was born. Continue reading “Turning Fantasy Sports Into Real Relationships”