If you have any class as a fantasy football player, you know not to tweet @ players concerning your fantasy team’s highs and lows. Breaking this amateur rule has caused negative light to shine on our nerdy little pastime over the past decade. Something happened last week, however, that may be a step in overcoming the taboo. In a surprisingly progressive move, Austin Ekeler running back for the Los Angeles Chargers, tweeted @ us.
The old “nobody cares about your fantasy team” lecture has been around longer than I’ve been playing fantasy football. Fantasy managers begging for yards, catches, and touchdowns via the internet is just so tacky. Worse, though, are armchair managers expressing their frustrations about their fantasy losses online. But the cardinal sin among these faux pas is virtual irritation at NFL players concerning injuries. (C’mon, Man!)
In the past, big-name players, such as Richard Sherman, Odell Beckham Jr, and LeGarrette Blount, have been vocal about taking offense to fantasy managers calling them out. Their complaints center around being objectified by conditional fans who only care about them for their fantasy production. After Chris Carson’s devastating injury in 2017, Sherman unleashed on tactless fantasy owners saying, “This is really devastating. I think a lot of people, a lot of fans out there have looked at players less like people because of fantasy football and things like that. You go and say ‘oh, man this guy got hurt.’ But you aren’t thinking ‘hey man, this guy got hurt, he’s really physically hurt and he is going to take some time to recover and it’s probably going to affect his mental state and now he has a long rigorous rehab.’”
He’s absolutely right. Still, it’s the over-generalization that’s a little off when NFL players get peeved with the fantasy football community. There are always going to be jackasses in any grouping of people; that’s just life. It’s the ten percent of troublemakers who have nothing better to do with their Sunday evenings that are the ones ripping players for bad luck in fantasy football. And while we all may get selfishly bummed out when one of our fantasy players gets injured, we are football lovers first and foremost; the vast majority of us feel sympathy for the injured player and his team. Do some people certainly need to grow up? Yes. But it’s not your average fantasy player being dense online.
Fantasy football has been nothing but good for the NFL. More fans more invested in more games means more money. So, do we, the fantasy football players who realize that in the end, our game is a game and a gamble at that, deserve a little appreciation for our efforts? Eh, probably not. These guys are after a Superbowl ring, world-renowned fame, not to mention their very livelihood. That is all the more reason for fantasy players to be stoked about last week’s social media announcement.
On August 25, Ekeler shouted out an awesome promotion for us panderers, basically saying that if we draft him in our fantasy team and win our weekly match-up, we should tweet at him our scores and he’ll choose some of us to win a signed jersey! Guys, Ekeler is a very busy man. Recognizing the fantasy football community positively, and even honoring it, is big for us!
‼️ATTENTION FANTASY OWNERS‼️ HUGE weekly giveaway this szn🤙🏽
Rules:
-Draft me to your fantasy team
-Start me in your lineup
-Win your weekly matchup
-Post a screenshot to IG or Twitter showing your victory & TAG ME
Winners will be chosen each week&sent a Signed⚡️3️⃣0️⃣⚡️Jersey🤘🏽 pic.twitter.com/lBo437BJkq— Austin Ekeler (@AustinEkeler) August 26, 2021
This is too cool. And not only because I drafted him in SBF11. It’s a small, but impactful way to interact with fans and give back to them. Not because he owes it to us, but because he “gets it” as Matthew Berry commented. Ekeler is open-minded, willing to grow with all aspects of the game, and playful himself. So, let’s not expect it, and please, God, let’s stop tweeting our shallow immaturities, but let’s show Ekler our appreciation and give the man some mad respect. Thank you, Austin Ekeler, I’m coming for that jersey Week One.
ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.
