Monday, February 3, 2014

The Chris Johnson Problem




From ESPN Original Article:




The Chris Johnson Problem

Fantasy football is destroying our perceptions of NFL athletes

By Chuck Klosterman on 

I would never, under any circumstance I can currently imagine, write a column that argues against the concept of fantasy football. It would feel no different from writing a column against the electric guitar. I first started playing fantasy football in 1990, before the Internet did the work and before yardage bonuses had been invented, and the only way to score was through touchdowns and field goals (I recall Jerry Rice putting up five touchdowns against the Falcons and wrecking the whole system). The number of years I've played fantasy football is now greater than the number of years I have not. I've been in one specific league since the latter half of Bill Clinton's presidency; it is, as far as I can tell, the longest manufactured relationship of my life. So this is something I care about, more than I probably should. I'm not coming at this from some position of disagreement with the "authenticity" of fantasy sports, nor do I think there's anything uncool about obsessing over math. I don't think worrying about individual statistics more than the outcome of any given game is philosophically troubling (in fact, it might be preferable). Fantasy football has increased my enjoyment of the NFL. I'll never stop playing. I love it.