[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he clock is ticking fast, faster than normal as I try to make the most important decision in recent memory:  The first round pick of my Fantasy Football draft.

I rack my brain for helpful knowledge. I force the thoughts, that a bad pick could affect my whole season negatively, out of my mind as I reflect on articles I have read and analyst shows I’ve seen on ESPN. I check the clock one more time, the second hand still moving at an astonishing rate, until I decide what my best option is. Putting responsibility, pressure, and a $10 bet on a man I will never meet. I call out “Ray Rice” and I stare with satisfaction as his name is scribbled onto the whiteboard for everyone to see.

I’m still celebrating my conquest and my savvy football fantasy draft skills in my head when I’m informed that I have to pick again because I was last in the first round. I scramble for the laptop to see who the best available players are and start the stressful process all over again.

This goes on for two more hours until the board is full. And to those who don’t play FF or have no interest in it, they might say its ridiculous and a waste of time and money. But it’s not just a bunch of teenagers playing. Sports fans all across America, some 27 million, have started not only a brand new industry of businesses that feed off the obsession, but a whole cultural revolution that shows no signs of slowing down.

All 27 million will experience the same mental distress and self doubt as me, all for the satisfaction of an artificial trophy. A trophy that is sought after because anyone can win it.                    You don’t have to run a 4.4 forty yard dash, or bench press 300 pounds, or be the size of a small truck to win your league.

I think this is why people are so attracted to the game, because they feel so more involved in a sport that they already love.

I hate that I love Fantasy Football. I find myself cheering for the players on my team more than a specific team. I always feel like a nerd when I’m thinking about my lineup or anything really to do with Fantasy Football, but I don’t think the football season would be the same if I didn’t have that connection to the game.

I’m definitely more of an all around football fan when I have players to cheer for on different teams and different positions. I can’t imagine football season without it.