Fantasy [noun]: the activity or faculty of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable
Football [noun]: a form of team game played in North America with an oval ball on a field marked out as a gridiron.
Our commissioner sends a note ahead of our scheduled fantasy football draft tonight.
No boyfriends, fiancés, husbands, brothers, fathers or any other pe____s can help with player selection (obvi if it’s a technical issue it’s fine). Keeps things fair and fun 💃🏼 Yay football!!!
I participate in an all-female fantasy football league. Our sex-segregated competition feels like a disruptor in a male-dominated arena. It also feels “cute,” or worse, “less than.” The problem: the integrity of our sex-segregated competition lies solely in the exclusion of men. Because men are…better? Or because women are inherently….less than?
(American) Football is a professional sport for men, not women. [It’s worth noting that I did a quick Google and found this, FWIW.] It’s an exhibition in our societal ideas of manliness: big dudes, grunting, running into each other, throwing each other into the turf.
Last season, I weathered derisive comments from Andrew like, “well that’s not a real fantasy league.” He’ll be angry with me for writing this, but it’s true. And he was kind of….right?
There were many matchups last season I won because my opponent forgot to set her lineup. Hardly anyone followed the sport closely enough to snatch up a backup that will get a ton of playing time after a season-ending injury for the starter. Or think about the team matchups when setting each position, like swapping your defense because they’re playing against the highest scoring team in the league.
I watch football. Many other women watch football, this does not make me special. Going into any season feels like fantasy, or the act of imagining the improbable. Will the Dallas Cowboys win the NFC championship? Will we even qualify for the playoffs? In this way, our girls-only squad acts as a salve. I can’t control if the Cowboys lose Week 1, but at least I’ll have a shot with my fantasy team.