Most Americans would come to the consensus that football is America’s national pastime, but many would be surprised to hear fantasy football isn’t far behind. Teachers, students, businessmen, almost anyone has the ability to draft their own team and “play” against other teams for a whole season or for only one week. Companies like CBS, Yahoo, and ESPN make apps specifically for fantasy sports which only help with accessibility at school. Football fans at HB, whether they play the sport or not, always seem to make it a priority to use any time they get to discuss their teams and potential trades.

Senior Nick Fothergill ’17 uses lunch and CavBlock as valuable time to discuss his multiple lineups and trades with friends who seek his advice.

“I talk about fantasy sports multiple times throughout the day. At lunch the phones come out and everyone starts discussing their players,” said Fothergill. He manages two season-long teams. However, he is not the only student serious about their fantasy team. Both his leagues are filled with current and former students at HB, and in both everyone is competitive.

Not only are fantasy sports popular among certain students, but teachers also enjoy managing their own teams. Spanish teacher Alex Basbas, longtime fantasy participant, sees fantasy sports as having a place in school.

“Last year I would discuss fantasy sports often in CavBlock with students,” said Basbas. “I could also see fantasy sports being useful in a stats class.” Basbas also said that today’s norms for fantasy sports are a lot different then when he was a kid. Before smartphones allowed people to keep track of their teams online, drafts were all done in person, and managers had to find the stats in the newspaper.

Could fantasy sports such as fantasy football become more involved in school as it becomes more popular? With so many analysts covering every player, even students with minimal knowledge can participate. If rules allow it, students could be in the same league as their teachers which could only improve their relationship. Math teachers could incorporate it into their curriculum. Fantasy football is growing at an alarming rate and it’s possible that it may be a point of discussion at almost every lunch table.