Fantasy sports a welcome distraction from studies

RYAN SPEDDING, NEXUS (CAMOSUN COLLEGE)

VICTORIA (CUP) — Procrastination is like masturbation. It feels good, but in the end you’re only screwing yourself. Students, however, continue to employ many methods of procrastination. They check Facebook.com seven times every half hour, read celebrity gossip, and stare at blank walls.

While all of these methods are effective, some students’ preferred manner of procrastination is fantasy sports.

Matt Williams, Camosun College student and sports enthusiast, is more than willing to give us a glimpse into the world of fantasy sports.

“It puts you in the role of the team manager,” said Williams. “It really gives you a sense of ownership of the players because when you’re watching them play, they’re playing for your team.”

Williams is a wily veteran of the fantasy sports leagues and knows what it takes to come out on top at the end of the year.

“You want to look for drop-offs in talent,” said Williams. “If there’s one position where there’s a huge drop-off in talent, you want to attack that position early in the draft.”

Such is the case with NHL defencemen in fantasy hockey. There are only a handful of defencemen that you can rely on to rack up points. If you’re unable to pick up one of those players, you’re likely going to come out of the draft with shoddy defence.

Williams believes NFL football provides the best fantasy experience out of all the major leagues. He’s been a mainstay of the fantasy sport for the last three years. “The contact brings out the sheer emotion of the game, which translates to you when watching the players, which [then] translates to your fantasy team,” he said.

Each fantasy sports league has a draft at the beginning of the season where participants select their players for the year.

“[Our football] draft lasts four hours. We eat complete junk. We probably lose five years off our lives, but it’s fun,” he said. “We take the end results from the previous year and use that to determine who gets first pick.”

Most players agree that live drafts are best, but Williams believes that online fantasy leagues do well to combine busy schedules with nail-chewing excitement.

“The online leagues are just convenient,” said Williams. “But I love live drafts — there’s a dynamic, and they’re unpredictable. There’s that one player and you’re four picks away. You’re pretty much sweating [hoping] you’re going to get him. It could either be joy or heartbreak if the guy before you picks him.”