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I’m so much less excited about NFL starting tonight than I thought I would be given the circumstances.
Not 100% sure why.
Not 100% sure why.
For context, I’m a huge sports fan.
I played every sport growing up and have been into fantasy sports since I was probably 12 years old. Back when I used to play a form of fantasy baseball based out of a Sporting News magazine.
I played every sport growing up and have been into fantasy sports since I was probably 12 years old. Back when I used to play a form of fantasy baseball based out of a Sporting News magazine.
My dream job growing up was to be the GM of a major sports team. Still is tbh.
I scratched that itch with fantasy sports.
Played every form of fantasy sports in high school and would bet whatever anyone else was willing to risk against me (which wasn’t much at the time).
I scratched that itch with fantasy sports.
Played every form of fantasy sports in high school and would bet whatever anyone else was willing to risk against me (which wasn’t much at the time).
In college I teamed up with a buddy to play high stakes fantasy baseball and football against a bunch of fellow online poker players. Playing for amounts of money that seem ridiculous even now.
As a finance major, in 2008 I actually considered playing fantasy sports full time and blogging about it given the landscape of finance jobs at the time.
Went so far as to pitch the idea to a couple fantasy websites to bring me on as a blogger to document the experience.
Went so far as to pitch the idea to a couple fantasy websites to bring me on as a blogger to document the experience.
Obviously I didn’t go through with that, but have played high stakes season long fantasy in some form or fashion since college and then daily fantasy sports came about in earnest in ~2012.
It was a match made it heaven for me.
It was a match made it heaven for me.
*Pause for dad duties*
I’ll pick this back up shortly.
I’ll pick this back up shortly.
Yeah I know I just abruptly stopped this thread. I’ll pick it back up later tonight.
Still chewing on it. Multiple factors are driving this change in me.
None of them are related to athletes expressing their views on social issues I promise you.
Still chewing on it. Multiple factors are driving this change in me.
None of them are related to athletes expressing their views on social issues I promise you.
So here’s the thing. Daily fantasy sports (DFS) is amazing. It’s sports analytics, strategy, game theory and gambling all wrapped up in one.
During football season, once you put in all the work during the week, you get to watch it all play out in real time on Sunday.
During football season, once you put in all the work during the week, you get to watch it all play out in real time on Sunday.
It’s hard to describe if you’ve never played seriously before. But the combination of intellectual stimulation plus the dopamine rush is hard to beat.
It’s trading the market on steroids but instead of watching lines on a screen you’re watching football to judge the results.
It’s trading the market on steroids but instead of watching lines on a screen you’re watching football to judge the results.
The NFL Red Zone Channel where you can watch all the games simultaneously and follow every play as your “Currently Winning” dollar amount swings wildly all day is such an amazing combination.
In a high variance and event driven game like football every play matters.
In a high variance and event driven game like football every play matters.
So for years DFS has been a core hobby of mine.
And a very profitable one.
But it was never about the money. I just used the money as the justification for all the time I dedicated to the craft.
And I dedicated a LOT of time to it.
And a very profitable one.
But it was never about the money. I just used the money as the justification for all the time I dedicated to the craft.
And I dedicated a LOT of time to it.
It was all about the intellectual stimulation and the feeling of knowing that I was one of the best at it.
The money was simply proof of that.
The money was simply proof of that.
So a few things have happened over time.
First, the games have gotten harder. As with any market, it has become more efficient over time as better information has become available and players have gotten better at using it.
This, however, isn’t the reason I’m less into it.
First, the games have gotten harder. As with any market, it has become more efficient over time as better information has become available and players have gotten better at using it.
This, however, isn’t the reason I’m less into it.
More importantly, I’ve had to re-prioritize my time.
Dad life (x2) + more responsibility at work = less time for DFS
This makes perfect sense. Life circumstances change, you re-prioritize, etc.
Dad life (x2) + more responsibility at work = less time for DFS
This makes perfect sense. Life circumstances change, you re-prioritize, etc.
But I can just slowly pull back the amount that I play. Less money on the line. Less total lineups entered. Play across less sites, etc.
The problem I’ve found is that I can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
I know what is required to be good and all of the angles to explore.
The problem I’ve found is that I can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
I know what is required to be good and all of the angles to explore.
I struggle to do stuff halfway.
It’s hard to just stop with surface level analysis when I know there are so many deeper levels to explore.
It’s hard to adjust your process to do less when you know the value of doing more.
It’s hard to just stop with surface level analysis when I know there are so many deeper levels to explore.
It’s hard to adjust your process to do less when you know the value of doing more.
The thing is that the large majority of people that play daily fantasy sports do so casually.
Minimal time and money invested. Low odds of making money over time. But it’s fun.
But once you’ve experienced it as so much more than that you can’t go back.
Or at least I can’t.
Minimal time and money invested. Low odds of making money over time. But it’s fun.
But once you’ve experienced it as so much more than that you can’t go back.
Or at least I can’t.
It’s just too tempting to want more.
And too hard to settle for less.
It’s a strange feeling. Because the desire for that intellectual stimulation and associated dopamine hit is still strong.
And too hard to settle for less.
It’s a strange feeling. Because the desire for that intellectual stimulation and associated dopamine hit is still strong.
