EXTRA! EXTRA! WEEK 2 EXTRA!

 Hello league-mates! And welcome to a special addition of the Carl Fantasy Report. Or the Fantasy Report with Carl. To be honest, I can't remember what I call it anymore. 

It's week 2, and the Thursday night game lived up to everything that has been a shit-show start to my season. And no, this is not another doom and gloom, Kurt Cobain style blog. Rather, I would like to try and put into perspective what Fantasy Football means to all of us. 

Recently, I was given a book, titled, "Godzilla on My Mind", written by William Tsutsui. Whose William Tsutsui? Apparently, he's a historian with an obsession with Godzilla. I digress. It was a passage in the first chapter of his book that made me think about Fantasy Football and what it does mean to all of us. Or maybe just me, I'm not sure. 

But before Fantasy Football talk, let's get back to how Godzilla, out of all of my personal obsessions, was able to spark this idea. Tsutsui writes: "...for in our embrace of [Godzilla] are entangled strands of nostalgia, the phantoms of nuclear war, the mysteries of childhood, the hard-nosed business of moviemaking, the unresolved tensions of world history, Freudian desires, fantasies of violence, and fundamental questions of humanity, spirituality, and the eternal struggle of good versus evil. Understanding the appeal of Godzilla, when all is said and done, means understanding ourselves." (Tsutsui, 2004, p. 9). 

There's a lot there to unpack, and if you feel the need to do so, I encourage you to do it. What I wanted to highlight from that passage, and the true muse for this writing, is that something that seems so trivial, so unnecessary, is in its essence, us. Now, by no means do I believe that Fantasy Football has any underlings with the possibilities of Nuclear War, but I do believe that at its core we are Fantasy Football as much as Fantasy Football is us. 

If any of you are like me and I know that most of you are, Sundays between September and February are my sabbath. I forget the Altar that bears the Cross, and the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ, and replace it with a 48-inch HD TV. My prophets and saints race up and down a field that measures 100-yards. The profanities that flow forth from my tongue and over my lips forming Psalms that move me in ways that Walt Whitman or St. Peter never could. It's not the just the Bears that have me waxing poetic, but every team in the NFL. My frustrations, usually the build-up of a week of work, are mirrored in the line-up that I set Sunday morning. Without Fantasy Football I am not quite sure where I could focus them. I do pray quite often for a last-minute break away touchdown, or a long completion, in hopes that my beliefs are proven true and there is a more powerful force working for me and not against me in the Fantasy universe. 

We may not all believe in an all-powerful being who controls our destiny or determines where our souls shall reside for the remainder of forever, but I can assure myself that we all believe in the players that we have selected as our soldiers. In utmost confidence we believe in them as much as we believe in ourselves. Rarely do I set my line-up without staunch support of my knowledge and understanding of probabilities. To be a Fantasy Football manager one must fully commit to the information that they have gathered and be ready to live or die by decisions made using that information. If anything, Fantasy Football is a reflection of the belief we have in ourselves to make the right decision. To become a champion, we must inflict within us the belief that we are going to come out victorious. I can assuredly say that it is truer than anything that I have written so far. 

Lastly, Fantasy Football is the escape that all of us need. It is not without saying that no matter how lucky or fortunate we are in our lives, we are allowed to have a hobby that takes us away from the trials and tribulations of everyday endeavors. Fantasy Football is that hobby for not only our league, but for millions of others in Fantasy leagues across the globe. Despite the temporary grief suffered by each and every one of us during the season, it still brings joy and happiness to have hope and confirmation in that hope after the games have been played and all the stats calculated. Hope springs eternal, and for me that hope on Sundays is Fantasy Football. 

I depart you now league-mates until Tuesday for I have two more homework assignments to complete before I go to church, I mean until the Bears game. I have written quite the sermon, and I cannot wait to recite it before my dad and Gunther. I love doing this, and I hope that you all enjoy reading it. I wish you all peace, love, and Fantasy Football prosperity. 

 Sincerely, 

Carl