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Key points
- Kids can learn executive function and problem-solving skills playing fantasy football.
- Academic skills such as math and reading are also routinely used in fantasy football.
- Fantasy football can be an engaging way to leverage technology use into a family activity.
It’s football season. A few weeks ago in August, my cousin Larry, a rabid University of Michigan Wolverine fan, informed me that the Michigan Wolverines’ season started in 23 days. Not everyone is as excited about football as Cousin Larry! Some dislike the violent nature of the game. Others think that it is time better spent exercising, rather than watching. Health care professionals are concerned about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive brain condition that can be caused by repeated blows to the head, which is commonly experienced in football.
As a result, many parents have serious reservations about their kids playing football. I would argue that a good compromise is to allow kids to play fantasy football. Tackle football might be best saved for older kids who are ready to suffer a few bumps and bruises.
Changes in Youth Football
Fortunately, there have been some changes within youth football so that younger kids play flag football rather than tackle football. Adults are also working to improve the safety standards for older children who play tackle football. Given the new data we have on the impact of concussions, I agree with the approach that younger kids should not be allowed to play tackle football. However, in addition to playing flag football, I advocate for kids and teens to be encouraged to play fantasy football.
Fantasy football is a place where children and teens can become fans of the sport, interact with their family and friends, and enjoy the competition of football. But more importantly, kids and teens who play fantasy football practice their skills in mathematics and understanding probabilities, as well as executive functioning skills such as planning, sustained attention, and flexibility.
The Basics of Fantasy Football for Kids
If you are a novice to fantasy football, here are a few things to know. You don’t actually play the game of football but rather construct your own fictional team through a draft of professional football players who accumulate points based on their performance on the field. I suggest setting up a league at one of the major sites, such as NFL, CBS, ESPN, or Yahoo. Points are awarded based on the criteria set by your league. The most common points categories include touchdowns, yards gained via passing and running, number of receptions, extra field goal points, and a few defensive and special teams categories.
Kids and teens who play fantasy football do need to familiarize themselves with professional players or at least understand the basic rules. The key to being good at fantasy football is that you need to do the math—a lot of it. And it also helps to plan out how to balance your team, pay attention to your team’s statistics, and be flexible when your players are underperforming. Using academic skills, such as reading and math, and applying problem-solving and executive functioning skills, such as planning and persistence (along with a little luck), are often the keys to success for kids and teens who play fantasy football.
Brains and Brawn Are Both Needed for Football
It’s important to note that problem-solving and academic-like skills are also useful for football players. Many people believe that the “on-field” version of football is a game of strength, aggression, and speed. To perform at the highest levels of professional football, most players require a combination of these attributes. However, the best players also need brainpower.
While it is commonly known that quarterbacks need to process vast amounts of information quickly while calling plays and making decisions, many other players need to do so, as well. For example, centers on the offensive line need to call out blocking assignments, while linebackers frequently need to call defensive positioning based on what the offense is presenting them. The defensive backfield needs to work together and communicate about different types of coverages, and wide receivers need to be able to identify zone versus man-to-man defenses in making decisions for their route running. Kids and teens who become football fans, either by modeling the behavior of their parents or by playing fantasy football, often recognize the cognitive complexity of a game that is physically demanding by its very nature. Fantasy football can make them become football fans without any fear of concussions or other physical injuries.
If kids or teens want to play fantasy football, they’ll need to sign up with a league or website that is intended for adults, where the numerous articles and strategies may be a bit complex for elementary and middle school students. Unfortunately, we no longer have any popular leagues targeted at kids playing fantasy football. This appears to be primarily due to concerns about wagering on the results, which is not in any way necessary to form a league. The stated reason that many organizations (ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, NFL) dropped their kid’s fantasy football programs was that they encouraged gambling and manipulated kids into fandom. There were legitimate concerns that the NFL, in its infinite wisdom and efforts at marketing, had targeted children with fantasy football programs to build a new generation of fans.
However, the backlash against fantasy football for children as a form of gambling seems to me to be misdirected. Perhaps this is because I enjoy fantasy football and have experienced many years of participating in fantasy football leagues with my (now grown-up) children. Beyond that, fantasy football and other fantasy sports are a way for kids to share an interest with their parents.
There is still time to get your child or teenager involved in a fantasy football league. Consider starting a league with your kids and family members, or ask your kids to invite their friends and parents to join a fantasy football league with you. If you cannot get started before the beginning of the season, there are many other ways to use a child’s interest in sports to practice math skills or as a tool for improving executive functions. While you may still have misgivings about the risks of your child playing tackle football, there are many other ways to leverage this interest into something that can build rather than injure their brain.
