Niagara’s New Girl

Not just any fantasy

More stories from Lauren Kritter

Niagaras New Girl

I’ve probably watched more football in the past two weeks than I did all last season.

I’m most likely being a bit dramatic but the extent to which it has consumed my life lately is a little overwhelming in this house full of football-crazed boys.

On the spectrum of girls and football, zero being hate it, 10 being obsessed, I fall somewhere around a seven. I love the Packers and will watch every game I’m able to. Lounging around in my oversized Packer crewneck on Sundays with the sound of announcers and cheering fans flooding throughout the house is one of my favorite things about fall.

Although it wouldn’t be unlikely to find me asleep on the couch during games occasionally because it’s just the perfect background noise I need to put me into a comforting slumber. Unlike some, watching every play precisely and analyzing each player’s move isn’t what I define as a football Sunday.

To me, it’s more about the atmosphere that football brings than anything.

Good food, good company and snuggle weather. That’s how I looked at it as a kid, and each start of the season always brings those nostalgic memories back.

That being said, one game a week is enough for me. I don’t need to watch teams I don’t care about on the TV screen for three hours straight. If I can hardly make it through a Packer game without falling asleep, how can you expect me to stay awake and enjoy teams I have no love for?

Last week, I found myself “watching” a game I cared nothing about  in the living room with my roommates just because of the social setting. I had hours of homework I should have been doing instead of mindlessly watching football, but being alone in my room working on boring school work was not interesting me in the slightest.

It’s looking like I’m going to be doing a lot of that, though, if I still want to actively participate as a social member in this household.

Along with the talk about all the NFL teams and their players that have surrounded me lately, I’ve also learned more about fantasy football than I ever cared to know.

From checking team’s stats at dinner to the countless hours they spend talking about real game plays that brought their fantasy team points, it has become a trending topic in our household for the boys.

You will never see more passion coming from a group of boys than when they discuss their fantasy teams.

Because I would never have anything to contribute to the conversation, I decided to gain some knowledge on this ever so popular topic for future reference.

I’ll admit, I think I’m starting to see why so many boys are obsessed with it. Wanting to live vicariously through the lives of professional football players makes their lives seem more interesting, right? The better their fantasy team does, the more they can brag to their friends about how much they know about football, and what boy doesn’t love a little competition?

If you’re keeping up with my column then you know my roommates live for competition.

May the best and most knowledgeable football fanatic win.