Yes, she’s a football fan.

It is that time of the year: Football season has arrived, and with it comes Fantasy Football.   In the last several years there has been an explosion of interest and participation in the past-time.

I called my daughter to wish her a happy birthday. She was delighted to hear from me and excited to talk, but she interrupted the conversation twice to take her turn in her fantasy draft.  Finally, she asked if she could call me back, saying she only had a few more players to pick and needed to concentrate.

I was fascinated by her behavior.

When she called back, we were both so enthralled by the subject that her birthday took the back burner. I wanted to know what this meant to her and how it all got started.

How it all began

The story she told me is probably typical of many women and perhaps for some men. For my daughter, it all started several years ago when she got her first corporate job.  Every meeting began with, “So, how is your team doing?” Because she was not involved with Fantasy Football, she was not included in the small talk.  She wanted to be able to join “The Conversation,”  so she and another woman decided to form a team.

My favorite water cooler topic is fantasy football. I used to make fun of friends for doing it and now I’m obsessed.http://www.searchquotes.com/quotes/author/John_Krasinski/

The Benefits

To support one another in this endeavor, they decided to meet each week and talk about the games.  Soon, the group increased both in numbers and friendship. They would meet for lunch and have social gatherings. As the friendships grew, the conversation became more personal and spread to new interests.

That first year she won her league, and was hooked on Fantasy Football. She had a new hobby and new friends. That was three years ago, and she is still very much a part of “the Conversation.”

Lessons from Fantasy Football

1. Reserve judgement. Since I’m not a sports fan, I could not understand why anyone would waste so much time and energy on something that isn’t real. I was wrong. It is not a waste of time. For many, fantasy football is a leisure activity that brings interest and fun to their lives. It creates new friendships and support.

2. Unexpected things happen in the most unlikely places. Many professional women with or without children find it hard to find time for leisure activities. What started as primarily a way to be more involved during business meetings, became a new long term interest with new friends.

3. It teaches you how to pay attention and make intentional decisions in a fun way. Life is full of work. A typical work week consists of 40-55 hours. It is stressful and tiring, and uses up most of one’s time, energy and attention. What a fun way to lower stress, make connections and introduce play to one’s work life! As my daughter demonstrated, it takes attention to make intentional choices to pick one’s team.

To all of you fantasy football fans, happy picking!  Have a great opening day and may you have a fun and exciting season.