Why Was Fantasy Football Created?

                Friends and family, everyone is together, it is a Sunday afternoon, and football is on. There are snacks for everyone, but no one is eating. Everyone is too preoccupied to eat. They’re too busy rooting for their fantasy football players. Fantasy football is a way for friends and family to get together for some friendly competition. Fantasy football is a way for fans to unite as one and try to win something for themselves. Fantasy football is about making your dream team, and trying to beat your best friend’s dream team. Fantasy football is something almost everyone plays. Yet in truth, is fantasy football just a way for the NFL to get more people watching their games, or is it really meant to give people joy? I guess that’s for you to decipher.

            For many reasons, you can consider that fantasy football was brought about to give joy to people. The biggest reason being, that is does. Since fantasy football is a fun thing for people all around the United States, it makes you want to believe that fantasy football really is made for people to have a good time, with a sport that they love. Another reason it may be believed that fantasy football was created for people’s enjoyment is, that since so many people love the sport, the NFL wanted to get them more involved in it. A final reason fantasy football could have been made for people’s enjoyment is, many people like football, but many also don’t. Fantasy football could’ve been made just for a fun way for people to get more into, or interested, in the sport, even if they might not actually like it. If you would like to believe that fantasy football was made strictly for people’s personal enjoyment, then you are very optimistic and I admire you, but honestly was it?

            Many believe, more practically, that fantasy football was just another way for the NFL to get people to watch their games and to make more money. It is a very reasonable idea that this is true, because we all know that in today’s society, money is all that matters to the majority of people. The first reason it is believed, logically, that fantasy football is only a way to increase NFL’s benefits, is that there is a direct correlation between people who play fantasy football, and their attendance at NFL games. Many studies have shown, that people who play fantasy football are more likely to attend NFL games, than people who don’t play. This shows that, the NFL is indeed impacted positively by fantasy football. Many people who play fantasy football watch football games where they aren’t even fans of the teams playing, just so that they can watch their fantasy football players. The NFL had to have known this would happen, which is another reason in which it is suggested that fantasy football was created in order to enhance the NFL.

            People these days may be considered shallow, some of them at least, and that is, sadly, an accurate description. Many people these days only care about money, fame, and success. This way of thinking is associated with most billion dollar associations, such as the NFL. For this reason alone, I believe, personally, that fantasy football was only a way for the NFL to make more money, and generate more fans, and it worked. You may believe differently, but you have to face the truth, money matters.    

Goal-Line Technology

The ball is shot, 25 yards out, it hits the cross bar! It’s bar-down, but wait was it a goal? The referee decides it wasn't, but we can tell from the replays, this it was in fact a goal. You can’t blame the ref though, because that was a hard one to decipher. In 2012, goal-line technology was introduced to soccer leagues, and tournaments, all around the world to prevent things like this happening to teams and games. The idea of goal-line technology is, when there is a difficult decision for the referee to make, whether a goal was scored or not, there is an analyzed video available to them to tell whether or not it was a goal. Within one second, the ref can look at his watch and if it says goal, then it was a goal, if not, no goal. It was a worry from fans, and officials, that the game would be interrupted by the technology, but it was agreed that it wouldn't. What are the pros and cons of goal-line technology?  

Goal-line technology can be a very effective, modern tool in which can help referees in a tough, game situation. There are some down-sides to the technology though. The initial con that many people were, and still are, worried about is the cost to make this all happen. Many cameras would have to be set up in certain positions around each goal, to make this possible. When you think about it, the amount of money it would take to create this on every field in a league, may be just too much to handle. Subsequently, in order for the technology to work, the ball has to be at least 25% visible, and if it is not, then the ref would have to make his own decision, just like before. Although this may be a rare occasion, it is possible, and could make all of the money spent on the technology a waste. Ultimately, the last con to goal-line technology is, the time it would take to show the replays, and proof on television. Which could cause people to miss parts of the game, they probably would like to see. Overall, are the cons too much to make goal-line technology a practical investment?

Will the many pros outweigh the cons of goal-line technology? Initially, the first pro of goal-line technology is, the fact that there will almost always be an accurate call made. Due to crowded penalty boxes and fast shots, it’s not always possible for referees to make logical calls, and goal-line technology is the perfect way to fix this. Subsequently, since the decision is made by technology rather than the ref, bias towards certain teams can be prevented. I’m sure if you’re a sports fan, you have accused a ref of favoring a team, and if the call is made for the ref, he can’t favor a certain team, or player. Fan satisfaction is the final pro to goal-line technology. Goal-line technology can provide the truth to whether a goal was scored or not, it can give the satisfaction to fans that they have always wanted. With happier fans, more will attend games, and more money will be generated from the sport. Goal-line technology, is it a practical idea?

Goal-line technology is becoming what some might call a necessity. It helps refs, teams, leagues, and even fans. Although there are both pros and cons to the technology, I believe, as well as many others, that goal-line technology is worth the time and money that needs to be sacrificed to make it happen. Hopefully, many more, maybe even most, teams will get goal-line technology to make soccer a more accurately refereed game. Goal-line technology in soccer, is a positive thing.