Torn
This past weekend, while watching the Steelers demolish, dominate, degrade, devour and decongest the Brownies of the mistake-on-the-lake, I had a dilemma. In my money league, one of my Wide Receivers is the Brown’s starter (and former Pitt player) Antonio Bryant. He’s my 2nd best WR, so not starting him wasn’t really an option. And worse yet, going into the game, I had a very slight lead and he had 3 guys going on Monday night.
Prior to the start of the game I predicted that the Steelers would be up by 20 in the 4th quarter and that my guy, Bryant (Pitt alum) would score a meaningless TD. Sure enough, it worked out exactly that way. I was subsequently chastised by my fellow football watchers for rooting for the hated Browns (and I probably did over-do my celebration quite a bit). This raises the unavoidable issue that all fans of football who also are fantasy nuts must face: how can you root for a guy playing against YOUR team. I am here to provide you with the answer.
Firstly, it is obviously ideal to avoid such dilemmas whenever possible. I will never start an opposing defense against my Steelers. It would be absolute heresy to root for Big Ben to throw an INT so I can get 2 more points. It’s usually a bad idea to start the QB going against YOUR team, so you try to pick up a replacement. Sometimes there isn’t a viable replacement, in which case, you hope you’re team’s up by 21 in the final quarter and your QB throws the meaningless TD at the end. You should never have to start the RB against YOUR team because if you know anything about fantasy football, you should have 2 other starters that you can plug into the line up.
This leaves WRs. They’re a tricky bunch. There are very few pure STUDS and because of that they are un-benchable. Bryant (Pitt guy) is far from a stud, but my philosophy at WR is not to carry many. One of my guys was hurt and I didn’t feel there was someone on the waiver wire of equal value for that week which constituted dropping my hurt guy. So I was stuck rooting for a late TD.
I admit that I got lucky. But the key to remember, and the second main point about rationalizing your fantasy team vs YOUR team, is that you’re rooting for an individual player. I was not rooting for the BROWNS TD. I was rooting for Bryant’s TD (Belitnikoff winner while at Pitt, by the way). There is a difference, and while it may not appear outwardly so, in my heart, I knew what I was excited about.
Obviously, had that TD cut the lead to less than 8, I would have been just as disconcerted and mad as the next Steelers fan. And because I’m rooting for such weird and random circumstances, I can understand why people would think I’m crazy or “dirty” for cheering a Brownies TD (when in fact as I just said, I was cheering a Bryant TD). I don’t blame people for giving me a hard time. But just remember I have 2 teams I’m rooting for every week and the one that is most important to me wears Black and Gold. I would never betray that.
Prior to the start of the game I predicted that the Steelers would be up by 20 in the 4th quarter and that my guy, Bryant (Pitt alum) would score a meaningless TD. Sure enough, it worked out exactly that way. I was subsequently chastised by my fellow football watchers for rooting for the hated Browns (and I probably did over-do my celebration quite a bit). This raises the unavoidable issue that all fans of football who also are fantasy nuts must face: how can you root for a guy playing against YOUR team. I am here to provide you with the answer.
Firstly, it is obviously ideal to avoid such dilemmas whenever possible. I will never start an opposing defense against my Steelers. It would be absolute heresy to root for Big Ben to throw an INT so I can get 2 more points. It’s usually a bad idea to start the QB going against YOUR team, so you try to pick up a replacement. Sometimes there isn’t a viable replacement, in which case, you hope you’re team’s up by 21 in the final quarter and your QB throws the meaningless TD at the end. You should never have to start the RB against YOUR team because if you know anything about fantasy football, you should have 2 other starters that you can plug into the line up.
This leaves WRs. They’re a tricky bunch. There are very few pure STUDS and because of that they are un-benchable. Bryant (Pitt guy) is far from a stud, but my philosophy at WR is not to carry many. One of my guys was hurt and I didn’t feel there was someone on the waiver wire of equal value for that week which constituted dropping my hurt guy. So I was stuck rooting for a late TD.
I admit that I got lucky. But the key to remember, and the second main point about rationalizing your fantasy team vs YOUR team, is that you’re rooting for an individual player. I was not rooting for the BROWNS TD. I was rooting for Bryant’s TD (Belitnikoff winner while at Pitt, by the way). There is a difference, and while it may not appear outwardly so, in my heart, I knew what I was excited about.
Obviously, had that TD cut the lead to less than 8, I would have been just as disconcerted and mad as the next Steelers fan. And because I’m rooting for such weird and random circumstances, I can understand why people would think I’m crazy or “dirty” for cheering a Brownies TD (when in fact as I just said, I was cheering a Bryant TD). I don’t blame people for giving me a hard time. But just remember I have 2 teams I’m rooting for every week and the one that is most important to me wears Black and Gold. I would never betray that.
posted by RauluaP at 1:02 PM
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