So you've picked your fantasy football team. You're keeping track of your stats. You're texting your opponents every now and then, usually after your players have scored touchdowns, made tackles, caught passes, and kicked for field goals and extra points.
That's fun. But you want to have FUN while making the sociologists happy?
Most Sundays during football season, my home turns into its own NFL battleground. Typically, about 10 fanatics of the same fantasy league gather, laptops in tow, to watch a few games and to taunt each other every play. And not just every play on the television, but every play they track on their laptops, as well.
There's shouting and laughter in the kitchen, in the family room, and even on the back deck. People are constantly going in and out the front door.
Of course, the experience isn't complete without party food. There's always plenty of beer on hand, and lots of food to wash down. One week might be Buffalo wings and brats from the grill, along with chips, pasta salad, and desserts.
Another week might be a few different kinds of chili and lots of extra ingredients, like crackers, corn chips, shredded cheddar, sour cream, and jalapenos.
You get the idea. Each week, the aroma of gluttonous foods fills the air.
Sure, it turns a fun activity into something even more fun. But there's another reason to partake in Fantasy Sundays. According to Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, Americans' civic and social involvement has decreased dramatically over past few decades.
"Television, two-career families, suburban sprawl....these and other changes in American society have meant that fewer and fewer of us find that the League of Women Voters ....or the monthly bridge club, or even a Sunday picnic with friends fits the way we have come to live. Our growing social-capital deficit threatens educational performance, safe neighborhoods, equitable tax collection, democratic responsiveness, everyday honesty, and even our health and happiness."
In other words, if we don't spend more time getting together with friends to watch football or discuss the pros and cons of the local levy or join a group with a mission, we rip the very fabric of our society.
"I watch NFL games with my fantasy football friends as often as I can," said Jeff Grate, 23, a Columbus, Ohio hotel manager. "It's a great way to get some great food and keep up with the standings, but mostly, it's about kicking back with the boys."
Fantasy Sundays might not be the answer to the dilemma raised by Putnam, but it certainly provides a good rationale for bringing the gang together each week in the fall for some fun.
Better start marinating the Buffalo wings.
Jeff Botti - Jeff Botti is a seasoned vet of life and the news business. He has worked for several daily newspapers and in corporate communications.
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