Since 2011, Fantasy Football has been an integral part of the staff dynamic at Waterford High School, a catalyst for bonding among departments. According to ESPN, at least fourteen million fans are playing ESPN Fantasy Football this year, as it is becoming a mainstream cultural phenomenon among NFL fans. Currently in their fifteenth season, twelve staff members participate in a fantasy football league active each fall.
A typical fantasy football league involves participants acting as managers drafting teams with current NFL players, competing among each other weekly. Each player’s statistics are translated into points, determining wins and losses for each matchup. Managers can edit their lineups prior to a matchup using players off their bench made in the beginning of the season. The goal for each team is to earn enough points and matchup wins to make it to the playoff bracket and fight to become the league champion.
Mr. Cheney, the league’s commissioner, also know as “The Commish,” has been managing the league’s weekly updates since its inception. He keeps all managers up to date with weekly emails laying out logistics, matchups, and maybe some occasional smacktalk. Rookie to this year’s fantasy league, Mr. Botteon, praises Cheney’s commitment to the league, adding that “He keeps everyone engaged from pre-draft days to the playoffs and championship” and remains “hands down the best commissioner.”
Most importantly, Cheney adds that the biggest requirement of the commissioner is “to be handsome and brilliant, so the job has always fallen to me because no one else met even half the criteria.” In addition to his faulty fantasy team, he might have ego issues to work on as well… but who doesn’t love Mr. Cheney?
Each manager develops their own approach to drafting their teams. Typically, strategies consist of timing when to draft what positions based on availability and skill levels. Mr. Lytle always looks to draft running backs and wide receivers in the first couple rounds, waiting to draft a quarterback until the eighth, “as the difference between a top-tier and middle-tier QB is nominal by season’s end.” As an annual participant and three-time champion, Mr. Lytle ended the regular season in second place, and looks to get his fourth win this year.
Meanwhile, Mr. Roberts tends to take a more ‘controversial’ approach, drafting a quarterback in the early rounds of the draft. He says he has “always found the most success when drafting two running backs early and one of the top 3 QB’s,” given that these positions can be central to the season’s results.
Although different strategies can be pivotal to a team’s success, unexpected injuries throughout the season also play a role. Lamar Jackson, for example, has suffered numerous smaller injuries throughout the season, threatening his play time on the field with a hamstring and toe injury. Injuries like these can sink a team’s points for the week, especially Botteon, who had to fill Jackson’s position with Matthew Stafford for a period of time. A similar pattern is seen again with Roberts’s team, who has suffered injuries most of the season, preventing Roberts from making the playoffs.
No matter who makes playoffs each season, the managers stay committed to their teams until the end. As a teacher, father, husband, and former football coach, Mr. Roberts never knows what position he will find himself in during draft time. “One year I was drafting my team while my wife was in labor delivering our child. Yes, I was hiding my phone from the nurse while selecting players,” Roberts admits, illustrating his dedication to the league and sport as a whole.
Outside the school league, many teachers are involved in leagues with their family and friends as well. Lytle is juggling two other leagues, one with extended family, and another with friends. Botteon also added, “I am in another league with my friends I grew up with. I’ve been in that league for nearly 15 years and it does involve much more smack talk.”
Mr. Roberts has been involved in Fantasy Football since he was a kid. Catching up on recent scores with his father, his love for the sport and league only grew: “In 7th grade we had elective type class at the end of the day and my class was ‘Math and Fantasy Football.’ We would use the newspaper to collect stats on each players performance and add up scores from the week.”
Multiple managers involved in the league have also agreed that the league allows them to strengthen their relationships with other teachers. Lytle says “when crossing paths with a league-member colleague in the hall or workroom, fantasy football triumphs and gripes are far more engaging chatter than any upcoming test or VoG transferable skill.” Other staff in the league continue to play each year because of the relationships and bonds they form with each other. Cheney also noted the “great sense of community” built with the league. Fantasy Football has proven itself to be a method of bonding among NFL fans today and provides a light-hearted conversation in the hallways.
With stronger connections come stronger rivalries as well. Silvestri views Lytle as one of his biggest rivals, sharing positions in the English Department and leading total championship numbers. However, Mr. Bassett and Botteon are also threats to Silvestri and Lytle, especially in playoffs. With five total championships in the past 14 seasons, Silvestri is leaning on Drake Maye, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Devon Achane for another victory.
Including the Incredible Hulk trophy and bragging rights that circulate among the annual champions, participating in a Fantasy Football league is a no-brainer for many. This staff league may be surface-level to students, but it has become an exciting tradition for teachers to take part in during the school year.
