You are on the Clock

This time of year has to rank in my top 3. You can't top the first four days of the NCAA tournament, and Super Bowl Sunday is up there (especially when it moves to the Sunday before President's Day and Monday becomes a day off).

Then comes fantasy football draft weekend. I enjoy the draft as an event almost more than the season itself. I participate in 5 or 6 leagues a year and the leagues I enjoy the most vary based on the draft. I had one that used to always be my favorite league even though I had only 1 title since I joined in 1997. That was a guaranteed full participation live draft, that usually followed with a poker game or at least a good party. Good friends could find the time to gather in one place and spend at least a few hours together. In some cases it might be the only time during the year we'd all be together. Now its hard enough to get people to care enough to check in online, let alone attend in person.

I have a league that was my very first, joined in the Fall of 1996 when the Monday USA Today was the standard for scoring. This league has a mandatory attendance policy for the draft and is my largest league fee of the group. I recently considered that I might have to step down from this league because I moved away from the group. As I reflected on the decision I realized that the mandatory attendance draft is what I enjoyed the most, this league is in its 20th or 21st season and I am in my 15th. Just in the last year we have endured better than 25% turnover and it appears to have been for the betterment of the league.

Finally, the one league I participate in that I am also the commissioner is entering its 10th season. We started with live drafts with mandatory attendance and we had turnover on a yearly basis. The drafts became internet drafts and the league seemed like it could disband at any time. To my surprise the league has actually become stronger and our draft, an event. In this case it is the only time we all get together each year and this year we have an ex-owner coming back to the draft, not as an owner but just to re-connect.

If moving a couple hours away from the group has taught me anything it is that the time we spend together as friends or fantasy owners is important. Email, Facebook, and IM are great tools to stay connected but for a couple hours each August personal interaction goes a long, long way.  If you play fantasy football make a point to enjoy the moment. Happy Football Season!