| Okay, let's get one thing straight right off the bat, | | | | continues to grow even faster with the explosion |
| we are talking about American football here, you | | | | of websites and software to help with the game |
| know the sport with the funny shaped ball! | | | | as well as the proliferation of fantasy football |
| Anyway, let's not waste time on semantics I | | | | magazines available today. |
| have stuff to do. | | | | Most fantasy football leagues will be made up of |
| The way fantasy football works is like this, every | | | | around ten or twelve individual teams which will |
| participant or owner as we are called in the | | | | have their own mock drafts before the season |
| Fantasy Sports World, drafts or buys through an | | | | starts. Because you are drafting real players and |
| auction a team of players. For the purposes of | | | | their performance really matters it pays to stay |
| this introduction we are going to assume the | | | | in touch with what is going on with them during |
| fantasy football league is NFL, but it could also be | | | | the off season and pre-season. For example if |
| based on college players. The way the actual | | | | you draft a Ricky Williams and he decides to go |
| completion plays out depends upon the individual | | | | off and smoke dope, too bad, you are screwed |
| fantasy football league you happen to belong to. | | | | out of a running back! In some fantasy football |
| In some fantasy football leagues the winner is | | | | leagues each owner must draft a new team |
| determined by total points at the end of a | | | | every year, while in others you may be allowed |
| season, while others actually play against each | | | | to keep a handful of players which will not be |
| other weekly with the team having the best | | | | entered in the draft. Some leagues have even |
| record at the end of the fantasy season being | | | | gone as far as to create so-called dynasty |
| declared winner of that fantasy football league. | | | | leagues where an owner may maintain his team |
| The internet has been responsible for taking | | | | from the previous season and only draft incoming |
| fantasy football from a hobby played out in | | | | rookies. This is very similar to how a real football |
| sports bars and individual homes to a multi-billion | | | | league works. |
| dollar industry now according to the Fantasy | | | | Players that are not drafted are designated as |
| Sports Trade Association. According to the FSTA, | | | | "free agents" and may be chosen during the |
| nearly twenty million players participate in fantasy | | | | season by trading players that an owner may |
| sports and the industry has a growth rate of | | | | currently have and making them free agents. The |
| around ten percent. Fantasy Football is the most | | | | rules that govern this practice vary from league |
| popular of all the fantasy sports available and | | | | to league. |