Women Against Fantasy Sports

[Nzoner]

Found this interview over at FFToday,thought parts of it were quite funny especially the women's shorts that read CLOSED-FOR THE FANTASY SEASON across the crotch.

Last week I came across a press release for a new website. It is the brainchild of Allison Lodish, a 35-year-old mother of two from Kentfield, California. At first, Lodish was all for her husband’s newfound hobby, fantasy football. But as her man joined additional fantasy leagues with each passing season, her support turned into frustration. She decided to turn the tables and according to the news release, “created the site as an outlet for people to ridicule, mourn, and lament the loss of their partners who spend an inordinate amount of time online consuming player data, drafting and managing their teams, scouring stats, scores, and injury reports and trash-talking with friends and players in their leagues.”


The site includes a forum, a page of fantasy sports terms to “Stump The Chump,” and apparel for sale, including t-shirts, hats, and my personal favorite, hip-hugging, spandex shorts with the phrase “Closed – For the Fantasy Season” emblazoned across the crotch.


I decided as a representative of the fantasy sports industry, I needed to track down Allison and find out more about Women Against Fantasy Sports (WAFS) and she graciously agreed to a phone interview with the hopes of setting her straight.



TGC: Why, why, why would you create a site like this? I know you’re frustrated, but isn’t there a better way?
WAFS: Fantasy sports ruins fan loyalty to their team…
TGC: Puh-lease, that is such a tired reason and it’s simply not true. While it enhances one’s appreciation for players on other teams, I don’t know anyone who has abandoned their loyalty to their favorite team.
WAFS: You’ve gotta be kidding. Please tell me you’re joking? Seriously, are you telling me if the game is on the line for your favorite NFL team, but one of your fantasy players has a chance to help you win your fantasy league by beating your favorite team that you are going to cheer against your fantasy player? You’re either delusional or full of sh--. You couch potatoes would back your fantasy team every time.

TGC: Not true.
WAFS: Don’t even go there. I have two words for your bs – “Championship Week” – and you can’t deny it. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Tell me I’m lying.
TGC: (Laughing) You’re lying.
WAFS: I told you that you were full of sh--.
TGC: I read you’re a football fan…
WAFS: Yes, I watched the 49ers with my brothers, but I’m also and Eagles fan.
TGC: Who are your favorite players?
WAFS: There’s Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young…he was cute! Who was that other hot guy who made that famous catch?
TGC: Brent Jones?
WAFS: Yeah him, too, but it was Dwight Clark who made “The Catch.”
TGC: Just testing you.
WAFS: (Laughing) Sure you were.
TGC: What about current Niners?
WAFS: Well…hmmm…there’s (long pause as she struggles to remember a current player’s name)…
TGC: How do you consider yourself a Niners fan, but you don’t even know the names of any current players?
WAFS: Well, now they suck, but you always have faith.
TGC: So you’re telling fantasy sports enthusiasts they have no team loyalty, but you can’t remember the name of any player who has been on your ‘favorite team’ in the past decade? There’s ‘team loyalty’ for you!
WAFS: Touché
TGC: Let’s be serious for a moment Allison, what is your hidden agenda here?
WAFS: There’s no hidden agenda. WAFS is an outlet for fantasy widows.
TGC: Come on. What are you after? Improved efficiency in the workplace? More of your husband’s time looking after the kids and doing chores around the house? Fewer mobile breaking news updates at the dinner table? We’ve fought all of these for years and we’re still going strong!
WAFS: You seem a little wound up. Have a draft tonight by chance?
TGC: No…but that’s a good idea. A quickie mock always relaxes me. You know, maybe if you tried fantasy football you’d learn more about your team.
WAFS: You are not going to talk me into playing this stupid hobby.
TGC: Why wouldn’t you at least try it? You claim to be a football fan.
WAFS: I don’t have to know the names of players to be a fan. Being a good teammate means the individual sublimates his or her individuality for the good of the group. It’s one of the things wrong with fantasy football. You guys are way too focused on individual performances.
TGC: You have got it all wrong. I cheer for my whole fantasy team.
WAFS: And you give them half-time speeches in the locker room?
TGC: No, I prefer the pre-game speech. Ever see Tashard Choice give one? He learned it from me.
WAFS: Who?
TGC: Never mind…So in your opinion, what is the stupidest thing about fantasy football?
WAFS: It is the endless hours that guys spend on their computer ‘preparing’ for their games and joining multiple leagues for ‘practice.’
TGC: Your husband told you he joined multiple leagues for ‘practice’?
WAFS: That’s his story…
TGC: And you fell for it?
WAFS: I guess so, but the point is if your woman walks into your living room or home office wearing nothing but lingerie and you tell her ‘five more minutes’ for the third time, you’ve got a problem.
TGC: Agreed, but don’t you think you should be examining your relationship with your husband rather than some game he’s playing to escape whatever is happening – or not happening – between you? What does your ‘husband’ think of the site? Are you two still married at this point?
WAFS: What is that supposed to mean?
TGC: Well, I presumed you and your site’s members killed him and ate his remains by now or left you, fearing you might try to sabotage his football season…
WAFS: Or I left him because like the rest of you, he’d rather watch 300-lb., men in tight pants than a sexy woman without pants at all. But to answer your original question, we’re still together. WAFS gives me and the other wives and girlfriends something to talk about while they allegedly ‘watch’ football. Seriously, how do you even claim that you watch a football game if you play fantasy football? You change the channel so much, that you don’t watch a game at all! You’re just watching highlights or reading about the game every two minutes on your laptop. How geeky is that? If you’re a real football fan, you watch one game.
TGC: I have to admit unless the original game is a complete blowout I can’t stand when people can’t stick with one game. You miss the subtleties of the game when you’re too busy trying to watch the highlights. It’s like substituting Cliff Notes for the actual novel. I don’t mind switching between two games, but the unwritten rule is you have a primary game and a secondary game and you only switch from the primary game when there’s a timeout or commercial break.
TGC: It’s still incredulous to me that you and your husband are still together despite your claims he likes looking at sweaty, 300-lb., men in tight pants more than you, but what seems even more improbable is that your organization claims it has a guy who a) played fantasy football and b) supports your site. He must have quit playing because he wasn’t any good.
WAFS: You mean like you started fantasy football because you weren’t any good at playing fantasy with your significant other?
TGC: Funny, but if you knew her, you know that’s not the case…
WAFS: Oh, but I do…she joined the site!
TGC: No she didn’t…
WAFS: You’re not the fantasy writer who just finally noticed she knocked down the dining room wall in her house three weeks ago?
TGC: Her house?
WAFS: It will be if you keep holing yourself up in that office next to the kitchen and not paying attention to her…
TGC: (Laughing) Changing gears, give us a top-five list of “When to say ‘when’” with fantasy sports?
WAFS: Only five? Good enough….
5. When you play in more leagues than there are weekdays.
4. When family holidays ‘interfere’ with fantasy football.
3. When you can’t remember the names of your in-laws, but know the measurements of every receiver on a team’s depth chart.
2. When you pay to have other non-football players give you advice…
TGC: You know, this is the reason my one and only can afford to tear down a wall…in OUR house!
WAFS: Couldn’t you get a part-time job at Burger King that pays more for your time?
TGC: Yeah that might be a step up at this point, but couldn’t you get more from your husband with honey instead of vinegar?
WAFS: Shall I continue, or do you want me to keep shooting you down?
TGC: Keep going…
WAFS: 1. When fantasy sports is better than sex…
TGC: Why is that an either or proposition? And why are you presuming your husband doesn’t have a reason for enjoying fantasy sports more? Maybe you need to do a bit of self-assessment.
WAFS: Do I need to tell everyone what else your one and only is saying on our forums?
TGC: (Laughing) Mercy. Ok, let’s stop the bickering for a sec. Have you thought about offering couples counseling as an adjunct service?
WAFS: (Laughing) What? Be serious…
TGC: I am serious. Your site could promote ways to help spouses enjoy the game together. You know, get someone like Dr. Drew Pinsky or Sue Johanson give seminars on ‘erotic fantasy football’ – it could be fun.
WAFS: ‘Erotic fantasy football’? That makes even less sense than dumb ass terms like ‘friendly fire.’ No wonder your girlfriend is on our site. Anyways what self-respecting woman who enjoys football even likes fantasy football?
TGC: Plenty.
WAFS: Name one.
TGC: There’s Katie Potts – she’s a regular visitor to FFToday and she plays in multiple leagues…
WAFS: Come on, you’re making this up.
TGC: We have women who visit the site.
WAFS: How many?
TGC: Half a percent…more? Probably more that we don’t know about.
WAFS: Uh-huh. Katie must have found a nice way to get attention – I bet she’s the only woman in those leagues.
TGC: In two of them, but she was in an “all-girl” league that also doubled as a knitting club. She also said it was about the excitement of the game and not apparel like those pink and baby blue jerseys some of you wear. By the way, how is wearing anything but your team’s colors actually showing loyalty to your squad? Doesn’t that inject a level individualism that isn’t about the team concept?
WAFS: It’s about having good taste.
TGC: It’s football, not fashion. Otherwise the Cleveland Browns would have changed their uniforms 60 years ago.
WAFS: True. Orange and brown as that autumn appeal, but all that white and the stripes…yeech!!
TGC: Speaking of apparel, what was the idea behind the WAFS clothing? Are you giving any portion of the proceeds away to charity?
WAFS: We needed something to show our solidarity in the face of fantasy sports. When I told my friends I was starting the site, they said if I sold t-shirts they would buy one.
TGC: Are you giving any portion of the proceeds away to charity?
WAFS: I’m the charity case. I don’t get to use the computer and my man is physically, mentally, and emotionally absent from August through February. I need funds for my therapy sessions…
TGC: At Macy’s?
WAFS: You got it.
TGC: In all seriousness, thank you for joining me today. I heard you got a lot of feedback from fantasy enthusiasts and writers. After reading some of the responses, I have to tell you some of these folks need to get a life. Even someone like me who annually plays in six to seven leagues, writes 52 columns a year, and publishes a 500-page book in between, realizes this is just tongue and cheek fun on your part. If they don’t see the humor, something truly is wrong.
WAFS: Absolutely. It’s all in good fun. Thanks for having me.

[StcChief]

why does this NOT surprise me..... Closed for the season.

Originally Posted by WAFS

FF is better than sex

that says more about you honey than anything.

[Micjones]

Hmm... WAFS... Sounds like wives (if you say it while you're eating cookies)...

[Demonpenz]

Did you see at palma's the sign out front said Sunday sign up for WOMANS ONLY FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE. That was some good st joe stuff right there

[Nzoner]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Did you see at palma's the sign out front said Sunday sign up for WOMANS ONLY FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE. That was some good st joe stuff right there

Yeah,he advertised it in our publication as well.

[kcxiv]

I hate fantasy sports. I think its stupid, but, alot of these guys only have fun doing this shit as some of their old ladies dont let them do shit. WE all know a few guys like that. Let them have their fun if they enjoy it. Its not like they are going out to the bars or anything ffs.

[Nzoner]

Originally Posted by kcxiv

Its not like they are going out to the bars or anything ffs.

Huh?One of my local leagues has a rule where we have to meet for Monday Night Football at a local watering hole because it's the only time we can make add/drops and trades.


Great rule.

[rad]

Originally Posted by kcxiv

I hate fantasy sports. I think its stupid, but, alot of these guys only have fun doing this shit as some of their old ladies dont let them do shit. WE all know a few guys like that. Let them have their fun if they enjoy it. Its not like they are going out to the bars or anything ffs.

What?

[rad]

Originally Posted by Nzoner

Huh?One of my local leagues has a rule where we have to meet for Monday Night Football at a local watering hole because it's the only time we can make add/drops and trades.


Great rule.

I don't think this guy ever played it, he obviously doesn't know what he's talking about.

[CoMoChief]

What the hell are women doing out of the god damn kitchen?

[JuicesFlowing]

I'm playing FFL for only the second time in my life this year on ESPN.com ... I like the way their draft system is set up. Anyway, I don't mind FFL or anyone who plays, but what I am curious about is how some guys can be in 5 or 6 different FFL leagues? Who has time to manage all of that???

[Stewie]

During my niece's freshman year at MU she came home at Thanksgiving and complained that all the guys did was obsess about FF. They weren't paying attention to her, so it was bad. Yeah, she's kind of a princess, even now.

[Nzoner]

Originally Posted by JuicesFlowing

I'm playing FFL for only the second time in my life this year on ESPN.com ... I like the way their draft system is set up. Anyway, I don't mind FFL or anyone who plays, but what I am curious about is how some guys can be in 5 or 6 different FFL leagues? Who has time to manage all of that???

Like anything if it's important to you,you make the time.I'm in 5 leagues(4 for money) as well as a couple of cash survivor pools and a few free ones.

[Herzig]

Damn...the WAFS site is down

[DTLB58]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

What the hell are women doing out of the god damn kitchen?

Is this Vince Lombardi??? lmao

I allow my wife to leave the kitchen, but only to join me in bed.