Concussions Plague Fantasy Football

By: Ani Nrusimha

As a person who is not a large fan of football, possibly one of the habits of football watchers that most often surprises me is when people discuss injuries in fantasy football.   Rarely do I hear about how a player got injured in a passing conversation due to a dedicated fans sorrow; rather, I hear about how the injury has decreased the player’s value in the fantasy football market, as if the person were an stock or a bond.  While I won’t discuss the metrics of fantasy football, dehumanizing people without fail like this is an issue that should cease.

The stories of injuries abound, but on a more serious note, two years ago after Adrian Peterson’s child died at the age of 2, conatroversy emerged over the rapid devaluing he experienced over fears he would miss a game.  Miniature game shows that track the relative values of these players have sprung up, making them seem even more like investments.

Players are routinely attacked on social media for statistically poor games.  This problem will not go away anytime soon; fantasy football is growing rapidly, with the industry hitting 27 billion dollars of income this year.

While this may be needless speculation, it is integral that we consider these issues as fantasy football continues to grow.  While it may be fun to curse the player whose injury cost you $10, it’s important to remember that they are in a lot more pain than you are.