Ben felt he was a good running back away from winning his fantasy football league’s championship. Sitting at two wins and zero losses, he felt his team, Stairway to Evans, was in the best position yet with an outstanding QB, a solid receiving corps, and two good runners. A third reliable running back would mean a lot.
The night before the waiver wire opened for free agents, he set his alarm for 4:55 a.m., hoping to pick up Raheem Mostert first thing in the morning. Surely, other owners wouldn’t be up that early.
Well, Ben was wrong. John, his childhood friend, played in Ben’s league for nearly a dozen years and sensed he would have to improve on his draft night to be a factor in the league.
A Wet Diaper Leads To A Title
Awakened by his infant daughter, John awoke and changed her diaper at 3 a.m. Unable to go back to sleep, he checked his fantasy football app and added Mostert to the roster for his Do You Believe in Love? Team. (See more fantasy football team name options.)
John remembered a fantasy podcaster suggested that the Miami back could have a big year. With that little nugget of information, John made his move.
Ben checked his fantasy football app and noted that John had picked up Mostert at 3:32 a.m. Disappointed, Ben thought you had to get up early to beat John to the free agents. He went back to bed.
Mostert enjoyed an excellent fantasy scoring year, averaging over 16 points per game. And lo and behold, John went on to win the fantasy football league title. Ben’s team lost in the first round of the playoffs—to John’s team.
John joked that his team might not have made the playoffs if not for his daughter’s wet diaper.
Ben told his bad-beat story to work colleagues and friends and discovered something interesting. Several fantasy football players noted that new fathers frequently won their leagues’ titles over the years.
Ben shared his stories with John, who had heard similar stories from his contacts.
New Fathers and Fantasy Football Success
Ben’s and John’s unscientific research on fathers in fantasy football leagues concluded the following:
• Players who had never won their leagues before found their first ‘ship came the year they added a new tax deduction to the family. Ben and John coined it “The Fantasy Football Baby Bump.”
• Being up at odd hours early in the morning placed new fathers in a position to check the waiver wire frequently, usually before other fantasy owners. This enabled many of them to make valuable additions to their teams off the waiver wire before other owners started their days.
• New fathers had seemingly more time to analyze their teams, tweaking their line-ups, and putting their teams in the best position to win. Being more anchored to home has its advantages.
• Ben’s and John’s research on whether or not new fathers had more of an incentive to win their leagues because of all of the new costs associated with a new baby was inconclusive. But diapers, bottle warmers, and formula expenses add up, to say nothing of strollers and car seats.
My Own Experience With New Fathers In Our League
In my league, three of four new fathers have hoisted the big trophy the year their spouses had babies. That’s a high percentage! So, if one of your fellow fantasy football owners is passing out cigars for a new baby, be on alert.
It’s best to have your team ready to play because the stork seems to deliver fantasy football trophies along with babies.
(Let us know if you’re seeing many new fathers win the championship in your league.)
By Mike O’Halloran
Founder and Editor, Sports Feel Good Stories
Overtime
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