I am in the middle of my fourth season of my fantasy football career. I am the only woman in a league of men. And I am a Mom. And I am pretty good.
When you grow up watching football (all sports really) with your Dad and learning the ins and outs of the game you become pretty educated and you also become a huge fan. I love football…I really love college football (BOOMER SOONER!) and I have some knowledge on the game so why not jump into something fun?
In fact, other women and moms are doing it too. Over 8 million women are playing fantasy football right now and now make up 20 percent of all fantasy football players. It’s not just for the boys anymore. And despite what you might think, most of those women are not doing it purely because their husband dragged them into it.
Here are 5 reasons you should try out fantasy football for yourself:
- You love the game – any excuse to watch more football is good with me. And its a lot more fun watching teams you don’t necessarily root for if you need that running back to score you lots of points!
- Community – its always nice to have an outlet as a Mom and the community of people you get to spend time with (and talk trash to) is as fun as any. Plus you have a common interest.
- Bragging Rights – nothing feels better than being able to tout your good performances to your friends and family, namely your husband (and doubting brothers too).
- Competition – I am a competitor through and through and anything that has a competitive spirit to it count me in!
- The Draft Party – a night out? with food? and drinks? and no kids? Yep, I am in!
If you are interested and you are wanting to join a league it’s pretty easy to get started. You can find an existing league and ask to join or you can form your own. There are tons of leagues out there and I have friends who are in 4 or 5 leagues at once. My advice, start small and form a team of your Mom friends or jump in on a league that is pretty casual and you know some of the people playing. Most leagues are done online and are free to participate in (though your particular league might have a buy in). My favorite online sites to play are Yahoo Fantasy, ESPN Fantasy and CBS Sports Fantasy.
There are also weekly leagues on websites like Draft Kings and Fan Duel that require payment to play…unless you really know what you are doing I would stay away from these. When you play with friends you don’t have to be good to have fun!
I am having a very disappointing fantasy season right now and I am probably going to miss out on the playoffs. Boo! But I am still having a blast and competing and yelling loudly at the TV for my tight end to make a play already!
You ready to join in ladies? Start your research now and get ready to play!
Do any of you Dallas Moms out there already play? Any league Champions out there?
Good for you! Football is a fun outlet for moms. I have a “football for women” podcast for college football. It’s a chance to do something fun on my own.