Fantasy Football on the Radio

Please spare me.

I was running an errand this morning and tuned into the local ESPN Radio station, where two guys were talking about strategy in drafting your fantasy football league team. Fantasy football is like certain other things in life -- many might do it, but you shouldn't discuss it in proper company.

No one cares about rehashes of golf games and how fantasy players perform, except for the participants in the golf game or the league. Before you chastise me for listening to the program, I listened for about 2 minutes before switching it off. That's right, just long enough to determine how bad it is and how desperate local radio stations are for filler. Where's the bigger commitment -- such as to covering local HS football teams and how they'll fare in the upcoming season? A program like that certainly would be an improvement. Besides, if you're a fantasy GM and you participate because you want the thrill of being a general manager or player personnel guy, isn't your ego big enough that you'd dismiss these shows because, well, you know better or you wouldn't be participating in the first place?


Still, it is a big business, especially if you look at the space national sports publications give fantasy stuff. And I'll confess I've been in a baseball league for about 20 years and participated in a World Cup fantasy challenge on ESPN.com this summer. But outside of talking to a narrow group of fellow fantasy travelers, I don't discuss the stuff with anyone outside of the realm.

As I've said before, the more channels there are on radio and TV, the less there is to listen to and watch. With expansion comes the need for filler and, yes, a predictable dilution in talent.

Sorry, ESPN Radio, but this stuff is about as bad as your TV movie of "The Junction Boys" with Australian actors who just couldn't quite get the Texas accents.