What? Why?
If you’re not familiar with fantasy sports (if you skip ahead to the next section) the basic concept is you get together with a group of friends, coworkers, family members, etc., pick a sport (football seems to be the most popular/easiest), and form a league. You all draft a team and then play out the season setting lineups, making trades, picking up free agents, etc. Most leagues have some sort of prize (my sister play’s in a league where you win a gimmicky championship ring) for the winner, some have a funny punishment for the loser. I’ve played for as long as I remember and it has been a great opportunity to get closer with friends and family members as well as meet lots of new people.
The Draft: Virtual Party Time
Every year your team will do a draft. It’s a great opportunity for people to get together to hang out, talk sports, talk life, and enjoy a good pizza, or wings, or both. With the current COVID world we live in, my league has started doing zoom virtual drafts so we can all still hang out and maintain social distance. Although this is when the fun starts it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Throughout the season you will have an instant topic of conversation with your league mates that can lead to you bettering your team.
What’s Next?
There are a lot of websites out there that can help you win your league if that is your primary focus. I’m not going to be focusing on that here (though some of the things I discuss definitely can help with that). Instead, I will be exploring different ways that you can interact with your league mates and use basic ABA techniques to increase those interactions, regardless of winning or losing should help with the overall experience. Be on the lookout for my next blog where I will explore the social dynamics of the trade negotiation.