Fantasy Football

Fantasy football drafts have started. Men all over the United States are gathering in bars and man caves to pick the team that will lead them to fantasy football domination. I am in a fantasy league and love to play. I am not here to slam guys for playing fantasy games. I actually think that things like fantasy football can be a great tool for mission and relationship in our communities.

There are a few things that I would like to caution us with as we get ready for football season. You see because we live in a broken world we need to be aware that we are quick to turn good things into the thing and thats a bad thing. Simply put, we turn gifts from God into idols and end up worshiping them over God. I have created a simple guide that hopefully you can use to check yourself as you enjoy playing fantasy football.

1. Time

It is really easy to put more time into your fantasy team than anything else. According to the Fantasy Trade Association (crazy that this exists) estimates that the average fantasy team owner spends 3 hours a week managing team(s), translating to 1.2 billion hours for 23 million players over a 17 week season.

Time is a very valuable thing especially in the busy world we live in. Our priorities need to follow the order of: God, home, work, community. The reality for some of us is that our priorities will look more like this: fantasy team, drinking buddies, work. This is not healthy and will not lead to the joy The Lord has for his men. Prioritize your time.

2. Money

In our society how we spend our money is usually a great indicator of what we prioritize. According to an article published by forbes.com Americans are spending on average $467 per person or about $15 billion in total playing.

I can think of some really great uses for $467. It may be a wiser decision to take your wife out on a great date instead of purchasing the ESPN draft guide kit. We all know that the guy who studies his team the most will loose anyways.

3. Thought

What consumes your thoughts? For me it is a little embarrassing to admit that it can be something as silly as fantasy football. We see Jesus instructing us on where our minds should be fixed.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37 ESV)

Jesus wants all of us and our minds are a huge part of that. No one is perfect at this and it will be something you have to learn throughout your whole life. Our minds must be fixed on Jesus.

What would you add to my list? Share your list in the comment section.