I may hang em up next year and this is why

[Dsausage 36]

So I won the league that eluded me for years. I lost by one point in the finals in another league on the last play of Monday Night after being down 34 at the start with Roddy and Dawson against SF's D. In a game where I was down big, up comfortably only to have it tied on a freak pick six and then to go up one with extra point only to lose on the hail mary pick that never should have happened for a million and one reasons.

 

I think I am hanging them up because its been more then ten years since I did something other then Football on Sundays during season. I am hanging it up because my nails are down to nubs ( again) I am hanging it up because I catch myself finding out if the "experts" have Cecil Shorts ranked over Riley Cooper this and who had more targets last week instead of doing my job.

 

I will miss you old friend...

 

DAN

[MDC 5,892]

Just don't take it so goddam seriously. It's a game based in large part on luck, relax.

[Dsausage 36]

You from Greece? I think I have a similar cross. I am not so serious I did not even put a hole in my wall this year...

[weepaws 2,460]

So I won the league that eluded me for years. I lost by one point in the finals in another league on the last play of Monday Night after being down 34 at the start with Roddy and Dawson against SF's D. In a game where I was down big, up comfortably only to have it tied on a freak pick six and then to go up one with extra point only to lose on the hail mary pick that never should have happened for a million and one reasons.

 

I think I am hanging them up because its been more then ten years since I did something other then Football on Sundays during season. I am hanging it up because my nails are down to nubs ( again) I am hanging it up because I catch myself finding out if the "experts" have Cecil Shorts ranked over Riley Cooper this and who had more targets last week instead of doing my job.

 

I will miss you old friend...

 

DAN

after this my 26 year of being apart of fantasy football . i can't wait for the 27 ff season to start . i just take the game has a game . don;t let it control you and you will have more enjoyment out of the game . good luck brother . see you next ff season

[IGotWorms 3,315]

Yeah sometimes it doesn't seem like much fun anymore. Maybe you take it too seriously, maybe you just want to be free to focus on other things. Whatever, take a few months and see where you're at then.

 

It's been my experience that almost every year I think I'm done at the end of the year. Whether I win or not hardly matters too, I just get kinda worn out on it. I've cut back the number of leagues I'm in drastically and may go all the way down to one league next year.

[LouisC9999 3]

I say the same thing after every season, win or lose.

 

You'll be back next season...

[thePRO 78]

I love it. But even when making the playoffs the routine always gets old and tired my week 12.

 

But it's always so fresh come August and it starts with a draft party, smack talking, and comparing teams!

 

I'm competitive so I tend to get upset at times, but the anger has died off a bit. Then again I had a great team.

 

Work is stressful, so I look forward to checking on my team at work every Tues! I admit it consumes my Sundays and takes up Monday and Thursday nights, but it's a break from reality! It's 20 hours out of a week of 168 hours.

 

I'm glad it's over, but ill be getting the itch in the summer!

[ralphster 274]

Hey tube steak! Chill out. FF is a part of you now. Nothing else will fill that void or scratch that itch. Remember that old commercial 'the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat'?

 

I advise you to take one random Sunday off each month of the season and do something else; take the kids to a matinee, go see the grandparents, invite people over for a bbq (after setting lineups of course) and break the monotonous Sunday routine. Ironically enough Dynasty might be a better option too: puts you in a long term perspective. The answer is rarely an end to FF...

[TennisMenace 156]

Wow, it sounds like you do need to step away. If this isn't more than a hobby then you probably do need to go find something more relaxing for you. Cheers.

[chroniciguana 13]

I tried hanging it up last year for similar reasons, but also because the league-among-friends I'd helped put together more than a decade earlier had descended into total douchebaggery. I was the first to walk. Three others would soon follow. Like you, I figured I would now be able to sit back and enjoy the games the way nature and Pete Rozelle originally intended.

Problem is, FF is like heroin. When the NFL pre-season games started this year, I found myself subsconsciously scouting sleepers and mentally debating whether Cam Newton would still be on the board in the fifth round of a draft that wasn't going to happen. So when the guy who talked me into writing about my FF withdrawal called to say I'd been "volunteered" to fill a last minute hole in his own league-among-friends, I just pretended to protest. I folded faster than a cheap cabana chair.

I interviewed about a half dozen folks for that story, the one that's still somewhere on my hard drive. All of them said they'd had it, that they were through, finished and done with this stupid fake football nonsense. When I sent out a follow-up email explaining why there wasn't going to be a story, all but one replied that it didn't matter. Like me, they'd tried. And like me, they'd failed.

Might find and finish that piece if I need some ashtray change or beer money between now and August. Gonna need some new interviews, I reckon. So if you're seriously thinking about kicking the habit (so why are you still here?), want to share your story and are willing to be quoted, shoot me a PM.

[xbishopx 6]

If you truly enjoy football then there really is no reason for you to do this. A lot of times, FF is more stressful than it should be to people because of MONEY like anything else in life. You have to figure out how much you can afford to lose. I'm not saying it still won't be very emotional and frustrating when we lose on "crazy" plays or "luck" calls, etc. but it won't be as serious when there isn't a ton of money on the line. Some of us justify that this isn't gambling but it very much is. Yes there is some skill involved and there is also a lot of luck. You'll never know when an injury will hit or when someone doesn't play up to expectations. We see it week in and week out how underdogs win, and high scoring games end up being low scoring games, etc.

 

Just as another poster mentioned, don't take it so seriously, set aside some cash that you CAN afford to lose and make the best decisions you can with the information you have in front of you. Win or Lose you'll know you tried your best and made what you felt were the right calls at the time.

 

I used to play in high stakes money leagues and it was stressful all season long, I'd really get pissed when injuries happened, screamed at the TV and got pissed off when Derrick Mason kept putting up 99 yard games and missing my bonus!

 

Now, I am in a couple of leagues, less money but much more enjoyable. You can only worry about what you can control, anything else is a waste of your time and adds undue stress in your life. Once you come to grips that you have zero control of what your players do on the field each week you'll be able to handle it much better. Take the highs with the lows, JCharles ain't going to score you 5 TD's every week so enjoy that moment and don't get as upset when he ONLY puts up 15 points some other week.

 

Now with all that said, if this is truly impacting your "real life" where you can't focus on work, family other responsibilities than by all means, do what you feel you have to do to make sure priorities are in order.

[stonewall 647]

I think it was three years ago, after playing ff since 99, I had one of those years where my scouting was spot-on and I had near-perfect drafts.....I went all in on A. Foster, Hillis, and Rodgers. I won the ship in 5 out of 6 uber-competitive leagues, and was runner-up in the other. I am a very competitive guy, and knew full-well that I could NEVER repeat that kind of success. I seriously considered quitting on top, and prolly should have......but come July I was right back at the trough eating slop with the hoards of other fantasy hogs.

 

My success has been up and down since then, but I don't sweat it nearly as much as I used to. There are too many factors beyond your control to get too emotionally invested.

[murf74 461]

I got ridiculed for a similar thread early this year. By about week 12 I have become burnt out and ff becomes more of a shore. But August brings me back in. I probably like drafts and prep more than season.

 

The randomness and luck always ticks me off even though I make playoffs nearly every season. It's a love hate

[TheUsualSuspect 207]

'Til death do us part...

 

See you in August OP

[remote controller 133]

You really should walk away.

[Filthy Fernadez 2,696]

If you walk out, I'm changing the locks. I'm serious damn it!

 

 

 

As others have said, when you can realize a great deal of it is flukey luck, then you'll have fun with it. FF shouldn't determine how your life is going although a lot of us let it become too big of a deal.

[R8RMick 242]

Not sure it's burn out, opposed to the roller coaster lol... I came slamming down and hit rock bottom about two years ago. In a Week 15 playoff game I was up big to my opponent, who had Stafford and Megatron going for him yet in a late game. Detroit was playing the Raiders in Oakland, I also had Michael Bush going and just so happens the Silver and Black were still even miraculously alive for a playoff spot. Oh and I was AT that game.

 

You want to try roller coaster ride, try monitoring your playoff FF contest while watching your team in front of you. Anyone who';s been to a game in the East Bay knows what a zoo that place is. So Megatron's going batshit crazy for 200 plus yards and a couple touches, one a last minute heave from Stafford who also went batshit crazy, and I lost the game, the Raiders got bounced on Johnson's late 50 yard grab, my lady friend was scarred for life from the experience of a Raider game etc. etc. etc... Talk about highs and lows. We are like moths to the flame of FF. Guys like us can't change.

 

I probably would have quit right then, but I'd had ten years invested in my team. I play in a seven keeper auction league, with an expanded keeper option for rookies. Sometimes we go into a draft needing only to fill out 50% of a 20 player roster. I liken the experience to an upper level college management course, where you build and work on an evolving enterprise. This as opposed to building a team every year only to blow it up and start over at it's conclusion. I think that is why we started that league ten years ago, to keep us tied to our teams.

 

Anyhow, go get drunk and take another look tomorrow.

[Matt Mueller 146]

My answer is always more leagues and some dynasty.

 

I was in 3 redrafts, 2 dynasties and our IBL league and I honesty didn't sweat a game till the playoffs.

 

Too many leagues and scenarios to get attached to weekly outcomes. I set my best lineup, enjoyed watching the games and then looked at results.

[TheFantasyFootballSow 5]

I like to compete but don't have the anger / aggression problems that I know can come with the territory - even for people who are otherwise delightful individuals.

 

Here's what I've learned for sanity:

 

1. Don't count your points before they're hatched - or your opponent's either. Ralphster cleaned my clock on a comeback in the championship game, for example. A Monday game can be a cruel mistress, but if it had happened on Sunday at noon you just would have known you lost earlier.

 

2. Understand that you will lose close games that you fully deserve to win in a good, peaceful, and just world because Riley Cooper catches three TDs for the shitheap of a team that you're up against. Fantasy Football is not benevolent, but you can still have a happy time in life. For instance, by baking cookies.

 

3. You can lead your league in points scored and miss the playoffs. Conversely, you can have a bucket of crap team and make the playoffs. Statistical variation from the norm is a fact of the universe.

 

4. A player often scores his points in bunches, which can come in the fourth quarter - so there is no sense in worrying about their play during the course of the game when NOTHING YOU CAN DO CAN IMPACT THE SITUATION WHATSOEVER. Don't ever root for an opposing player's injury. It is ok to root for him to get lost when going to the stadium or for his sudden and unexpected retirement in order to have more time making cookies with his family.

 

5. Time Travel, If It Existed, Would Be Better Used In Pursuits Other Than Fixing FFB Sit / Start Mistakes.

 

 

Like other people on this post have said, it is important to do things other than football on several Sundays during the year. I like to camp, which means that I often have to set a roster on Friday afternoon. I have a trusted friend that I give my password to (with instructions) if there is an extremely dire scenario. And I don't care if a player ends up not playing because of a fluke.

[BunnysBastatrds 1,920]

I hear the knitting club needs new members.

[Boilermaker04 11]

Over!? Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor??!

[RepoPatrol 14]

Pick one site on which to get all your information and stick to it. The projections here are pretty good.

 

Look at the Sunday and Monday Night schedules. Draft players who have a bunch of these games. Makes you feel better about doing something different during the day Sunday.

 

Try to pull all the family and friends into a league. That way they will want to spend Sundays hanging out with you.

 

Don't even think about free agents until the night before pickups. Or decide who you want to go after during the Sunday/Monday night games.

 

Don't look at fantasy football at work. Just refuse to do it. You can gain more than enough insight spending 15 minutes a couple times a week. Study long..study wrong.

 

Hook up with an NFL cheerleader. Fantasy football won't seem very important, plus you will be at same games in person. Invite me over to meet her friends.

 

 

 

[Dsausage 36]

I am loving the responses...

[Busted by the Feds 9]

It's easy to feel this way now at the end of another fantasy season . Come closer to next year's draft, the itch will start up again .

[Dsausage 36]

You are all probably right. I am sure I will WANT to do it again, its something I enjoy immensely but I wonder how much my work, relationships, golf game and weight ( I eat ALOT Sundays and don't exercise) would improve without Fantasy Football...

[TheFantasyFootballSow 5]

I felt the same way once and stopped watching television for 8 years.

 

 

Sounds like you are poised to rededicate yourself to those other aspects of life for the next six months, and then come back to ffb with better perspective and less stress. Own it.

[murf74 461]

I am loving the responses...

They ripped me a knew one when I said I was sick of it early this season.

[DocNiner 44]

Hope springs eternal and next year that'll happen at fantasy draft time. I too have played 26 years and have said all the same reasons why I was going to quit. What I did was play in a few autopick leagues of 10 teams on ESPN for free and ended up doing pretty good and had fun. FF is a lot of hard work. Too much for me sometimes so I try to identify the stressors and look for leagues with low probability of having them. Sometimes a year off is alright. Then it'll refresh your hunger and enthusiasm for the following year. Good luck my friend.

.