The Chris Johnson Problem (1 Viewer)

[Rick James]

This is an interesting article by Chuck Klosterman via Grantland.

Link to Article

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Does this article resonate with anyone here? I think he has some great points about how fantasy football has changed the way we think about players and the game in general. It sure hits home with me.

flashback 15 years ago: my dad and I would go to my granddad's house and watch whatever game was on FOX/CBS. Then he got a satellite dish and we were flipping all over the place. Mostly just checking on if their bets covered. But still, the focus was watching football games, and it was really relaxing. Yeah they'd get pissed if their bet got screwed on a backdoor cover, but really we just sat around all Sunday watching games.

back to the present: my granddad is in Florida now, so we all go to my dad's house and turn on the RedZone. It's all RedZone channel, all the time...except when the Falcons are on, and we'll set that as our priority, but we're still flipping. And while we're watching it, it's not passive or relaxing. People get super excited or angry when their players do/don't score. And it's like that for the 1:00 games all the way through the end of the 4:00 games. It's a huge drain.

 

[cstu]

I first started playing fantasy football in 1990, before the Internet did the work and before yardage bonuses had been invented, and the only way to score was through touchdowns and field goals

OT, but this is nonsense. It wasn't that hard to divide rushing and receiving totals by 10.

 

[Khy]

Personally, I didn't like the article. Mainly because he doesn't even try to look at the other end of the spectrum. Which is how many people only enjoy football because of FFB's existence. I can tell you for certain that before I started playing fantasy football all I cared about every week was the Giants and I'd keep track of the other teams in the NFC East. Past that though? Why would I care about other teams in other games, it had nothing to do with my team. Sure, I still watched most of the games and knew a lot of the players. However, because of fantasy? Sunday's have become an offlimit day for me... all I want to do is sit on the couch and watch football from 1pm till midnight. Fantasy football taught me to enjoy the finer parts of the game. Maybe I'm in the minority here but I look at fantasy as a blessing that helps people make emotional attachments to this great game on a level past their local team or favorite player.

I'm a Giants fan and I can honestly say I think my favorite NFL player is probably Arian Foster. Why? Well, I drafted him in the mid rounds of the 2010 draft. Everyone knows how that story ends. Then last season I had the 5th pick in our 12 man league and he fell to me at pick 5 because people in my league were overly worried about his hamstring issues, once again we know how that story ends. Now I have him again this season as I took him with the #1 pick in my draft. Over these past 2+ years I've read a lot about Arian Foster, started following him on twitter, I watch all his runs and genuinely think he's a cool guy. For me fantasy does the complete opposite of everything this guy says, obviously though... your market may vary.

 

[cstu]

It's true that we turn guys into numbers but it was wasn't for FF I would follow the NFL far less closely. There are some many guys I've become fans of through FF which I otherwise wouldn't have even thought about (Alfred Morris comes to miind). People go overboard when someone disappoints but FF magnifies both the love and the hate of players so it's not all negative. The biggest problem IMO is with people in big money leagues who take the 'fantasy' part too seriously. It's just a game, folks.

 

[Pots]

FF has made casual football fans more knowledgeable of players/teams outside their home team. It's also helped create more fans as well. Sure some hardcore fans may find themselves focusing more on scoring plays than they were before, but overall it's created a more knowledgeable fanbase.

 

[MAC_32]

I still only watch one game at a time. I watch all the primetime games, the Browns, and if I'm able to watch the other Sunday day game I'll just pick one.

I couldn't ever get behind this redzone madness, too much to watch - can't follow the games. If I have quiet nights during the week and there's a game I missed on replay I'll dial it up though. Twitter during commercial breaks keeps me updated on what's going on elsewhere during the day Sunday, I like it this way.

 

[Modog814]

I have still yet to come away from reading a grantland article glad that I spent the time to do so. I'm still not sure exactly what the author's issue is...

I fail to see how remembering a player based on how they perform for (or against) your fantasy team, is any different than based on how they perform for or against your "regular" nfl team...

If I'm a Jet fan, I probably hate Tom Brady. If I'm not a Jet fan, and I don't have him as my QB, I still probably hate him (because I've got to play him). If I'm a Pats fan, I love him. If I'm not a pats fan, but have him as my QB, I probably love him.

 

[RUSF18]

By his logic, 10 of 12 people on average (excluding the owner and that week's opponent) should have no interest in following Chris Johnson on a week to week basis. And yet I'm sure 90% of NFL fans have a pretty good idea of what is going on with him. Maybe it has more to do with a player who very recently was the best at his position, completely falling apart as he has entered what should be the prime of his career?

 

[FreeBaGeL]

This being the case, what are reasonable things to say about Johnson's career, assuming he never has another significant season? An optimist might suggest he wildly overachieved — he came out of nowhere and was (briefly) the best runner in the league. A pessimist might say his early success was a statistical aberration and that he eventually became the player he always was (i.e., a fast guy who is only fast). A pragmatist would argue that he had a good career that was both surprising and disappointing, almost like someone who got hurt in his prime (even though the only true injury seemed to be to his motivation). I think all of these statements are justified. However, none of them are particularly common. The most universal analysis of Johnson's career is the one being expressed by fantasy owners, which essentially boils down to this: "#### Chris Johnson." This is because fantasy owners do not look at Chris Johnson's career as a reflection of Chris Johnson's life. They see Chris Johnson's career as a reflection of themselves. They personalize his experience and hold it against him.

I think this is a really poor point, and it's essentially the central point to his entire article.This is no different than a large group of Titans fans or betters hating Chris Johnson if he fumbled away the super bowl. It's no different than how people feel about a guy like Bill Buckner because of one play, in spite of the rest of his career. It's no different than people loathing Tony Romo because they feel he's a "choker" based on a few plays/games rather than viewing his career as a huge accomplishment for an undrafted player out of Eastern Illinois.All in all, I didn't really enjoy the article at all. He didn't have much of a point. He kind of bandied about endlessly before finally getting to the brief sentence or two that relates to the title, which was an extremely weak payoff because even it didn't make any sense.

 

[Hank Mardukas]

By his logic, 10 of 12 people on average (excluding the owner and that week's opponent) should have no interest in following Chris Johnson on a week to week basis. And yet I'm sure 90% of NFL fans have a pretty good idea of what is going on with him. Maybe it has more to do with a player who very recently was the best at his position, completely falling apart as he has entered what should be the prime of his career?

This. CJ wasn't just some guy who had a really good year and then was disappointing; He had THE BEST YEAR OF ALL TIME and then completely fell of a cliff. Maybe his 2009 performance was a statistical aberration, but the disparity between 2009 and what followed was an even bigger, more shocking aberration. I think people are more fascinated than furious about it. Personally, I couldn't believe people were still taking him in the first round this year. It seemed like a crazy gamble to me.

 

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

I think it's a good theory to a point. Some good examples IMO are the chain moving TE who averages 10 yards a catch and few TDs, but is instumental in moving his team between the 20s and gaining critical first downs. Another area I think FF skews perceptions is the undervaluing of turnovers. I remember Daunte Culpepper finishing top-5 every year but losing so many games with fumbles, bad decisions and picks. If we wanted to have fntasy stats mirror real NFL impacts, -1, -2 and even -3 would be laughable as penalties for picks and fumbles lost.

On the flipside, Chris Johnson isn't a good example. The dude has been awful in both fantasy and real terms' and "I'm a huge Johnson fan".

 

[Wrigley]

Football is more popular today because of fantasy sports.

 

[Drop]

"We can't change the present or the future," says Dylan in that same interview. "We can only change the past, and we do it all the time."

I don't exactly understand what he is saying here, can anyone explain?

 

[GroveDiesel]

Klosterman is an insufferable, condescending blowhard which means he fits in fantastically with every other writer on Grantland.

The central assumption he makes is that fantasy players don't actually care about any of the players and that's a bunch of garbage. Sure, there are some idiots that will yell at, harass, and blame players when they lose their fantasy matchups, but how is that different from fans of any team or gamblers?

I know tons of fantasy players that become genuine fans of players because of their exposure to them through fantasy football. From reading about guys like Larry Fitzgerald and Steven Jackson I've become a big fan of them as people as well.

 

[Hank Mardukas]

"We can't change the present or the future," says Dylan in that same interview. "We can only change the past, and we do it all the time."I don't exactly understand what he is saying here, can anyone explain?

I assume he means that our story of what happened changes all the time. The past is only what we remember/want it to be, and memories are fluid and perceptions shift over time. We also change our stories to suit a particular purpose or agenda all the time. All you have to do is look at politics today to see how the past gets changed constantly. On the other hand, the future hasn't happened and the present is what what's happening right now, so they're objective until they become experiences/memories/emotions/etc.

 

[cstu]

"We can't change the present or the future," says Dylan in that same interview. "We can only change the past, and we do it all the time."I don't exactly understand what he is saying here, can anyone explain?

It's Dylan stating the obvious with the first part, but he means that we constantly change how we view things in the past. It's already happened with Chris Johnson - two years ago he was Light Blue Jesus and now he's a bum.

 

[Sarnoff]

Is he arguing that someone that gains 45 rushing yards in 33 attempts is somehow doing good?

 

[KentGraham10]

This is a really interesting topic. On the one hand, I cant help but appreciate what fantasy football has done to bring new fans to the game and to keep old fans into the game at a new level. I personally know four or five people that like watching football and are new fans just because of fantasy football. Through fantasy they now have favorite teams and players and all of thatis awesome. With that said, the whole NFL Redzone thing isn't for me and I would much rather spend that time watching the Giants and whatever teams are playing that day and using the hour before the Sunday night game to worry how I did.

I try to use Sunday afternoon to enjoy the game of football. I love watching defense and prefer low scoring, close games where points are tough to come by and actually mean something. That doesn't mean when Monday night comes around and I need a big game from Brady I'm rooting against him putting up big numbers. In that case I might keep the laptop open to see how I'm doing in a game. I just cant imagine doing that for 11 straight hours and at the expense of missing a good game.

 

[Drop]

"There was a time when I watched football in order to not think about my day-to-day life, but fantasy sports slowly changed that — in fact, my affinity for fantasy only makes it worse. I turn the players I draft into tiny parts of my life, which stops me from remembering that they have no relationship whatsoever to who I am. It makes me unconsciously think of them as extensions of myself. And I wonder if this is more problematic than I want to accept."

This is often what gambling does to people. It exposes things about people that they may not like or know how to deal with honestly. It's not just money, I think that it's similar to what fanatics go through too with the ups and downs of their teams. The outcomes of games are emotional currency and it can have a huge impact on personality that carries over into other aspects of life and how they treat people.

 

[RUSF18]

I think it's a good theory to a point. Some good examples IMO are the chain moving TE who averages 10 yards a catch and few TDs, but is instumental in moving his team between the 20s and gaining critical first downs. Another area I think FF skews perceptions is the undervaluing of turnovers. I remember Daunte Culpepper finishing top-5 every year but losing so many games with fumbles, bad decisions and picks. If we wanted to have fntasy stats mirror real NFL impacts, -1, -2 and even -3 would be laughable as penalties for picks and fumbles lost.

To use an example...I'm a 49er fan. I know that Delanie Walker is a pretty key piece in the offense. He doesn't put up big numbers but his versatility and effectiveness when his number is called is vital to their success. I know this. 95% of Niner fans know this. Why would I expect fans of the Titans or Chiefs to know how good of a football player (not FF player) he is? If/when their teams face the Niners, they'll probably understand a bit better.And also by his theory, no one would have any clue about which defensive players are important.

 

[Da Guru]

FF has destroyed the way I watch football. There have been many times that I have had no idea who won or lost the real game..nor did I care. Only cared that my players had a good game.

Plus FF has caused to people cheer injuries to players. I have been in bars when a QB gets knocked out, or a RB blows his knee out and people are cheering because they are playing against that player. Hell I admit I do it myself... I had Spiller when F-Jax went down and was happy to see Jax leave the game. FF has made players commodities and not human.

Just the way it is now.

 

[just_want_2_win]

FF has destroyed the way I watch football. There have been many times that I have had no idea who won or lost the real game..nor did I care. Only cared that my players had a good game. Plus FF has caused to people cheer injuries to players. I have been in bars when a QB gets knocked out, or a RB blows his knee out and people are cheering because they are playing against that player. Hell I admit I do it myself... I had Spiller when F-Jax went down and was happy to see Jax leave the game. FF has made players commodities and not human.Just the way it is now.

On occasion it's made me not cheer for my favorite team as enthusiastically because it would benefit my FF opponent. I took a year off last year and must admit though I really enjoy the challenges of FF, it was nice to just watch football with no FF stakes involved.

 

[massraider]

I couldn't care less if Chuck Klostermann or anyone else disapproves of the kind of fan I am. We now think of them as commodities, and not humans? Newsflash Chuck, we always have. Now, we just care about more of them as such.

The idea that fantasy has ruined the way people watch football is absurd. They watch it differently. If some guy with a MacBook doesn't approve, who cares? Watching the redzone channel this past week, during the early games, was freaking awesome.

 

[Todem]

I still like playing FF. When you have been playing since the late 80's....it is a way a life.

However, I went back to watching football like I used to. I really relax, watch my Dolphins, I love Red Zone because I get a taste of every game around the league, and do not have to suffer through commercials anymore during the national broadcasts.

Come Sunday night...check my teams, see how I did, see what I need Monday night and enjoy the heck out of MNF.

Simple.

I do not get worked up anymore about FF. There was a time between 2003-2008 where I was a raving lunatic, checking scores, stats.....all the time. It got really old...and I felt myself not enjoying football anymore.

When I watch a game with buddies we have a rule now. We all do not give a rat's ### about each others FF teams and we just watch the game and enjoy ourselves without having to mention that's my guy...blah blah blah.

Now......my local dynasty league get's together a couple of times a year and we go full tilt trash talking and getting crazy. That is fun. When it's your league getting together.

But IMO FF has Jumped The Shark.

Yes it's cool how popular it has become. But those of us who were pioneers to the game....keeping stats by hand, reading box scores, looking for any bit of information before to get a true edge before the internet age....it was an art. You had to know your stuff.

Today....anyone can win this game and everyone has the same information. The only edge some of us get is those of us who watch college ball a lot, go to training camp for your local team, have some inside contacts...so there are ways to still have an edge. But it is far more difficult to have it than before.

Before the internet,,,,,,,it was a far different game and most people did not know nor care about it.

 

[habsfan]

I've been in pick'em pools a lot longer than fantasy. One personal trend I've noticed is that as I get better and better at fantasy, I seem to get worse and worse at picking winners. If think it's a slightly different spin on what others have said about following players instead of games.

 

[kupcho1]

your market may vary.

for all intensive purposes

 

[Shutout]

FF has destroyed the way I watch football. There have been many times that I have had no idea who won or lost the real game..nor did I care. Only cared that my players had a good game.

Plus FF has caused to people cheer injuries to players. I have been in bars when a QB gets knocked out, or a RB blows his knee out and people are cheering because they are playing against that player. Hell I admit I do it myself... I had Spiller when F-Jax went down and was happy to see Jax leave the game. FF has made players commodities and not human.

Just the way it is now.

So, in short, WE (FF owners) now think of NFL players the same way team owners do when they think about their business. There are worse things in life.

 

[Shutout]

When I meet a NFL fan that does not play fantasy, they generally think I am some kind of NFL genius. "How do you know ALL these guys play on all these teams? How do you remember that 2007 was his GREAT year? He was on HOW MANY teams before coming here?" Basically, because these people are fans of a team (die hard Steelers fan or whatever), they know the ins and outs of their team and its history and all the trivial ST players from 1994, but they don't know what us FF junkies know on the broader scope (and don't care to). They don't care that we know that Kevin Acee is the gospel in San Diego, etc. So, when I think of that, I think its obvious that for us that are fantasy football fans, we enjoy a certain level of on-going education that enhances our knowledge of the game. I've even found myself learning the technical terms of NFL defenses since playing IDP; something I didn't care about at all before (I just knew Mike Singletary was a bad man).

So, I don't agree with the article at all. I think playing fantasy has opened up the book on the NFL to me, where before it was just one chapter of many.

With that being said, like some of you that have posted, I certianly have had my moments where "This is too much". There are times (and actions) where I have felt that I am ruining the enjoyment of it, based on the obsessive part of my fantasy team's performance. But, as I've learned in recent years: all things in moderation.

 

[Cato]

So rather then loving or hating my QB because he won or cost my REAL team the game. (Tony Romo.)

I love or hate him because he won or cost my FAKE team the game?

Either way, you're not caring for him as a person or recognizing his humanity or whatever. Your loyalty may be fractured from one team into many teams, but I don't believe the amount of human care for the athlete himself has changed.

I suppose the author is suggesting fantasy footballers are personalizing things, but I think all rabid, zealot fans were already doing this anyways. Really then the issue is with sports fandom in general be it related to reasons of loyalty, gambling, or fantasy football.

I don't see how a fantasy footballer is more frustrated with Chris Johnson, then a Titans fan is. Same difference IMO.

 

[ufshowboat]

Honestly, this is the first time I have ever read anything negative about NFL Redzone ever. Its the greatest sports invention since the referee.

 

[jim k]

If there was a fantasy draft on nostalgic Andy Rooney types this guy is a first round pick. As far as writing a compelling article with a cogent point - not rosterable.

 

[cheese]

The problem is he's making an assumption that most fantasy-obsessed people are huge football fans that are instead focusing on the points rather than the game itself. The reality is, a lot of those people wouldn't even have the game on if it wasn't for fantasy.

If it weren't for fantasy, I would watch my team from 1-4 every week. As is, I'm in for Thursday, RZone 4-8, SNF, MNF.

 

[zandbak]

I never was a huge football fan until I started fantasy 5 years ago. (Hard to be a huge professional football fan living in Michigan)

Therefore, all I care about how is fantasy football. I watch games to be entertained and see how my fantasy players are doing, but I don't care at all who wins or loses. All I watch on Sunday is RedZone and I love it. I also don't care at all about players outside of their fantasy relevance.

I'm 100% fine with this. Also, #### Chris Johnson.

 

[matuski]

it's not passive or relaxing. People get super excited or angry when their players do/don't score. It's a huge drain.

This is on you, not FF.If FF has become important enough to ruin your day.... you need to stop playing FF.

 

[zandbak]

Person enjoys something for 15 years.

Said thing becomes widely popular.

Person starts complaining that things have changed, its not what it used to be, etc etc etc.

Welcome to everything, ever.

 

[Todem]

Honestly, this is the first time I have ever read anything negative about NFL Redzone ever. Its the greatest sports invention since the referee.

It is football porn. It is the greatest channel for football ever. Hands down no question about it.They better keep it exactly like it is....forever.

 

[Todem]

Person enjoys something for 15 years.Said thing becomes widely popular.Person starts complaining that things have changed, its not what it used to be, etc etc etc.Welcome to everything, ever.

Exactly.....it is everything. I agree. But I still can moan and groan about it.

 

[Cato]

It's also highly likely people resent Chris Johnson because he was paid $$$, and immediately began a downward spiral, due to vision, o-line or effort or what have you. So not sure the article clearly establishes the causality is directly related to fantasy football. (as oppposed to real football fandom, or jealous/resentful of payday, followed by lacklustre results)

Chris Johnson may also be a singularity, sure NFL stars can fade... (see Shaun Alexander) but not sure it happens often to a still healthy player still in their prime.

Do I resent Brian Westbrook for taking a knee at the 1? (Or MJD for that matter.)

No,any FF ball owner who doesn't realize there will be bumps in the road, shouldn't be playing the game. Every year 11 people lose, with one champion.

To pin the fact that fantasy football has a slanted view point on the view of one player who seems to be a singularity, seems pretty dubious to me.

I think he's also discounting the increased fandom in regards to many various players across the league brought about by participation in FF ball.

/Article fail. (IMO)