What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

Aging and Fantasy Football (1 Viewer)

What is your age?

  • under 21

    Votes: 1 0.3%

  • 21-30

    Votes: 16 4.5%

  • 30-40

    Votes: 88 24.6%

  • 40-50

    Votes: 176 49.2%

  • 50-65

    Votes: 71 19.8%

  • over 65

    Votes: 6 1.7%
  • Total voters
    358
bueno

bueno

In a class by himself
I was talking with Mike Hall at MFL about how hard it seems to be getting for leagues to recruit replacement owners. It may be an effect of the rising popularity of weekly games, But Mike postulates it's also an issue of people aging out of the leagues. The die hard owners are getting older, and perhaps don't have as much time to dedicate to the hobby.  

So I though it might be interesting to look at demographic information, specifically age, to see if as a group, we are getting older. Any other insights from the collective wisdom of the Shark Pool appreciated.

 
The older I get the less our entire league cares about FF. 

Dynasty and redraft. Same owners for 15+yrs. Just aint what it used to be

 
Think it's not unusual to become more laid back about FF as you get older. 20 years ago I'd devour every piece of info about 6th-string WRs or whatever , anything that had the slighetst fantasy relevance. Now, in my early 50s, I still enjoy playing but am far less intense about it, spend a fair bit less time on research, don't make quite so many waiver moves/trades as before (though still try to do my team justice), happier to use a bit of guidance from this site. I still enjoy FF, but in a slightly different way; I don't think there's a "right" or "wrong" way to enjoy it, as long as you do enjoy it.

 
This poll isn't going to be very representative, at least of the younger people,  because the majority of under-30's just don't use message boards. Those dynasty guys that age are mostly on twitter right now.

And you aren't going to get many redraft-only owners in July, period.

 
ConnSKINS26 said:
This poll isn't going to be very representative, at least of the younger people,  because the majority of under-30's just don't use message boards. Those dynasty guys that age are mostly on twitter right now.

And you aren't going to get many redraft-only owners in July, period.
Click to expand...
I'm an older guy (40 to 50) and an avid Twitter-user for work, but much prefer the message boards for FF talk. Maybe you're onto something there or this is purely anecdotal.

 
In my 20's and even very early 30's FF was a huge part of my life for 6 months out of the year. The main reason was I had no kids and neither did most of my league mates. We would get together every Sunday at our favorite sports grill, reserving our same tables and every game was going on all around us. We would have a blast rooting for teams, trash talking and just going nut's.

Once we all had kids......it died. Your priorities change quickly.

The game has also changed dramatically IMO too but that is entirely another story for another thread.

I was so into dynasty leagues at one point I owned 14 dynasty teams (2005) that became 0 as of this past off-season. I am out of the game as of this post. I have a bunch of local dad's I know begging me to join their local 12 team redraft. I may just do that one league. One league may ignite my interest again as trying to manage even 3 teams became like a job....I don't need a second job LOL. 

Remains to be seen. But FF is way down the priority list these days. I had played it since 1988.

I am 46 years old.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm 49. I'm as die-hard about FF as I was 25 years ago. I can't say the same about some of the other guys that I've known since then. Having kids seems to be the biggest factor. 

 
May I suggest you find an old FF friend and challenge them to a DFS matchup? It's not season long, but you can have some fun and banter n all for a day

 
I'm the same way but it applies not just to FF but to watching sports in general.  Hard to really be enthused about a bunch of millionaire babies throwing a ball around anymore.  

 
Lots of old people playing. That does have a correlation to why people are so agitated over little things around here.

 
WheelsUp said:
Lots of old people playing. That does have a correlation to why people are so agitated over little things around here.
Click to expand...
...and a few young people.  That does have a correlation to why some people think every stupid idea they have is wonderful, and no one has ever thought of it before.

Oh, and get off my lawn!

 
See exhibit A. BTW, I'm OLD. While I was making a bit of a sarcastic remark about myself, you kind of made my point in a general way. Happy 4th, hopefully us old people can see many more.

Oh, and dont sit on my nice plastic covered couch.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm 65.5 so not sure which category. I choose 50-65.        : )            I've played in the same 16 team re-draft since 1985 (31), although 2/3 of the owners have turned over with time. I've joined 3 dynasties since and play in those 4 only for the last 4+ years. I had more at a couple of points, but more detracted from my enjoyment. My wife and I never had kids, so maybe I've had more time and room for FF over the years.

I'm still pretty fierce about playing and don't easily accept losing. I am one who believes preparation and knowledge win leagues more often than not - so the work is worth it if you are willing to do it. I tend to think you can only do that well if really like it. Fortunately, I do and that makes it fun, year in and year out. I don't anticipate much difference in my answer at 70.

 
killface said:
I'm the same way but it applies not just to FF but to watching sports in general.  Hard to really be enthused about a bunch of millionaire babies throwing a ball around anymore.  
Click to expand...
FF is the only reason I consistently follow any pro sport now. 

 
43 and gave up all three of my dynasty leagues this year.  Love not caring about it anymore.

 
This is the first year I wouldn't really care if the league I've been in since 1997 folded.

Turned 37 in June and had my first kid in April. Priorities change.

 
In my 50s, but voted 40-50 since that was when I gave up FF altogether. And I figured that was the point of the vote.

 
LOVE my local leagues. 

One 16-teamer in year 28 is my main league. We've only had 2 full-blown owner changes in the past 12 or so years.  Always do a all-day live draft on the Sunday before Labor day. Always.  Family and the world be damned.

 
44 haven't played in about 15 years. Having kids killed my leagues. Though I know those league mates still watch their team. I think with kids they don't have the time to watch several games and keep track of scores like they used too. 

 
I'm about to turn 41 and I have four kids. Since I started having kids, fantasy has probably become an even bigger outlet for me. I pretty much gave up hobbies that would take me away from them for long (golf, running, reading long novels), but hopping on my iPad to check Twitter or read some articles while they are playing...sounds good to me. I don't get to watch as many games, but I have no problem managing lineups when they go to bed, or doing some slow drafts during the offseason. kids are still number one, but I don't see the issue with spending a little time online each day...better way to deal with life's crap than becoming an alcoholic. 

 
Would you be willing and able to add another poll in this same thread that indicates number of years playing ffb?

 
ConnSKINS26 said:
This poll isn't going to be very representative, at least of the younger people,  because the majority of under-30's just don't use message boards. Those dynasty guys that age are mostly on twitter right now.

And you aren't going to get many redraft-only owners in July, period.
Click to expand...
This

 
My leagues have all been very healthy...and a great way to keep in touch with old friends.

That being said, some guys starting businesses or having children struggle with the time management...but eventually get back into it.

FF isn't  going anywhere from what I've seen.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I agree with everyone who said priorities change as you get older.  As I've gotten older the number of leagues I'm in and my competitiveness level has dropped significantly.  Kids and career growth are the main reasons.  I have less free time to dedicate to research and staying up on FF news -- which has led to be being less dominant when I was a decade ago when I had more time on my hands.  I'm now down to my 2 oldest leagues -- one with HS buddies and one with college buddies.  For me it is now more about being able to catch up with friends and put back some beers on draft night.  The single, childless guys (particularly the ones with less demanding jobs) have been the most successful in both leagues the past few years.

 
I am 51. I have been playing since 1990. I have never been in any more than 7 leagues (4 local and 3 on line) in any given year. 2 years ago I got out of my last local league mainly because the other owners have lost interest and the leagues were no longer competitive. I have played in and still play in 2-3 on line leagues each year. I did several MFL10's last year an i am in the middle of my 4th league this year. For the last 2 years I have been assisting my now 12 year old with his league. I have been coming to this site since 2003 very seldom posting but enjoyed reading the articles and post of others.

 
I know it was tougher before technology, but now the excuses of time has gone out the window. You can sit on the toilet and run your team now.

 
I just turned 33 and have been enjoying fantasy football for about 15 years.  I've been the most involved in just the last 3 years.  Having my 2nd child slowed me down a little but I still do plenty of research and tons of mocks.  The biggest issue for me is that I don't have any friends in my town that care as much about fantasy football as I do.  For me it's a year round hobby.

 
The longer you do this the less effort you have to put into it, and the more you realize how many of the efforts you used to put in were never necessary or worth it in the first place.

Having it all done online or via apps makes this more so.

 
I'm approaching 49 and am presently in 5 leagues but plan on cutting back to 1 or 2 at most next year.  It's not so much about having the time at this time in my life.  They are just becoming rather boring and I see no reason to waste my time.  The league or two I am continuing in is more because they are with long time friends.

 
matuski said:
The longer you do this the less effort you have to put into it, and the more you realize how many of the efforts you used to put in were never necessary or worth it in the first place.

Having it all done online or via apps makes this more so.
Click to expand...
This might be true in redraft, but in dynasty I notice the correlation every single year between the top teams and the teams that are around the league site the most and trade the most.

 
Interesting correlation in how kids seems=death of FF.  Since when did we become extremists who can only do one thing?  I would think that, if anything, when kids come around, a person might WANT a cheap hobby that gives so much bang for the buck and, like others said above, really take you away from your family as little as anything. 

With that being said, I get it. I, myself, was one of those people who posted last season and said I'm just over this thing and I think I actually gave example of those things where you are "with" your family, but your mind is a million miles away in some "Is Jordan Reed going to be healthy enough to play today" void. 

I actually felt like a new person when  I said "I'm over this thing".  I still post here on the forum and follow the info but it's only during work and when/if I end up in a job where its not accessible during the day, I'll have to say goodbye here, too. 

I agree with Wheels up in that the people citing "time" really have no excuse. Technology has torn down that gap in such a way that you can literally work out your week's worth of FF info during a shave and teeth brushing.

What I DO find interesting is you always hear about guys that say "I just stay in this old league from college" or OLD league from way back when that they've been in 20 years. They cite the relationships with these guys.  But then, if this thread is any indication, kids come and that's that.  That's a bit counter-intuitive in the sense that you'd think that you'd want to have family-oriented gatherings even more.  My kids playing with yours. The backyard BBQs, etc.  What I really read from that is that as soon as kids come into play, we tend to go into our silos and the entirety of the world is centered around wife and kids and a lot of times that's that whole thing where wife doesn't want you spending money, "wasting time", etc when you need to be or could be at home.  I'm rambling but there are lots of dynamics and lots of paths this could go down to explore and all are interesting.

For me, I'm happy that I can say that I quit for me and not behind something else that I can't juggle 2-4 things in my life all at the same time. In truth, I think it has changed a lot and we tend to just get bored of it (that was my reasoning for the most part).  I'm still "around" the game and I actually am more active than I even thought I would be but overall, I am very happy that I don't pre-occupy my mind with FF way too much like I use to. 

 
ConnSKINS26 said:
This might be true in redraft, but in dynasty I notice the correlation every single year between the top teams and the teams that are around the league site the most and trade the most.
Click to expand...
I am around the league site the most and trade the most.

I am not referring to activity as much as research.  I no longer feel like I need to know minutia.  My eyeballs do just as well as any other crystal ball out there.

 
Lord Lucan said:
Think it's not unusual to become more laid back about FF as you get older. 20 years ago I'd devour every piece of info about 6th-string WRs or whatever , anything that had the slighetst fantasy relevance. Now, in my early 50s, I still enjoy playing but am far less intense about it, spend a fair bit less time on research, don't make quite so many waiver moves/trades as before (though still try to do my team justice), happier to use a bit of guidance from this site. I still enjoy FF, but in a slightly different way; I don't think there's a "right" or "wrong" way to enjoy it, as long as you do enjoy it.
Click to expand...
felt you needed one.

 
bueno said:
I was talking with Mike Hall at MFL about how hard it seems to be getting for leagues to recruit replacement owners. It may be an effect of the rising popularity of weekly games, But Mike postulates it's also an issue of people aging out of the leagues. The die hard owners are getting older, and perhaps don't have as much time to dedicate to the hobby.  

So I though it might be interesting to look at demographic information, specifically age, to see if as a group, we are getting older. Any other insights from the collective wisdom of the Shark Pool appreciated.
Click to expand...
I don't think it's time.  People just don't care as much anymore.  

 
ConnSKINS26 said:
This poll isn't going to be very representative, at least of the younger people,  because the majority of under-30's just don't use message boards. Those dynasty guys that age are mostly on twitter right now.

And you aren't going to get many redraft-only owners in July, period.
Click to expand...
Never been a problem in the past.

 
The people in the 40-50 range is almost as much as every other group. That should have concern for this site as we will die soon and who will be coming here?

 
ConnSKINS26 said:
This might be true in redraft, but in dynasty I notice the correlation every single year between the top teams and the teams that are around the league site the most and trade the most.
Click to expand...
Looking at my longer standing Dynasty league (14 teams): Since 2008, as MFL didn't archive trades older than that, but 8 years is a good measuring stick:

Top 3 traders combined for 6 Championships (out of 17 total titles).

Bottom 3 traders (10 or less total trades in the 8 years) combined for 7 Championships (out of 17).

Your results may vary.

 
Riffraff said:
Looking at my longer standing Dynasty league (14 teams): Since 2008, as MFL didn't archive trades older than that, but 8 years is a good measuring stick:

Top 3 traders combined for 6 Championships (out of 17 total titles).

Bottom 3 traders (10 or less total trades in the 8 years) combined for 7 Championships (out of 17).

Your results may vary.
Click to expand...
Nobody averaging 1-2 trades per year in a dynasty league should be able to keep up with owners that are taking advantage of value shifts, etc. over time. If owners who are exclusively building with their allotted rookie picks and waiver/FA pickups are winning championships, the rest of the league should be ashamed. 

I'm not saying every league needs to be full of trade whores who deal just to deal, but you can't win a championship in a competitive league making only one trade per year. Shouldn't be possible.  

Unless this is a contract league or a league with a very short bench.

 
I think it is possible to build layers of contingency in your roster without making a lot of trades. Especially in leagues with larger roster sizes where you can afford to roster more back ups and developmental players.

There are other ways to improve your roster besides trading.

 
This poll is interesting. I'm in my 30s and always figured I was one of the older people in here. My interest in FF has tailed off just a little over the years, but mostly I just cut out fantasy baseball and fantasy basketball due to time constraints (at least with football you can plan around the games - can't watch baseball and basketball with a firm daily/weekly schedule). I use the message board as a work distraction now. I enjoy analysis and statistics, so it's a fun distraction.

 
FF Ninja said:
This poll is interesting. I'm in my 30s and always figured I was one of the older people in here. My interest in FF has tailed off just a little over the years, but mostly I just cut out fantasy baseball and fantasy basketball due to time constraints (at least with football you can plan around the games - can't watch baseball and basketball with a firm daily/weekly schedule). I use the message board as a work distraction now. I enjoy analysis and statistics, so it's a fun distraction.
Click to expand...
Pretty much me right here. Not in as many leagues as I once was before family and job took over, but still have my home leagues with buddies and a dyno league. I feel like I'm still very involved in the leagues I'm in, just not in as many as I used to.

 
MattFancy said:
Pretty much me right here. Not in as many leagues as I once was before family and job took over, but still have my home leagues with buddies and a dyno league. I feel like I'm still very involved in the leagues I'm in, just not in as many as I used to.
Click to expand...
Yeah, and I'm really picky now. I used to join just about any league. Now I shy away from dynasty leagues because of commitment fears and I only agree to join leagues if they are auction. I'm done with snake draft leagues except for the ones I've been in for years. I also won't mess around with leagues with short benches or small starting lineups. Short benches are a parity mechanism and require me to be more active than I want (I'm pretty active weekly, but you almost have to check those leagues daily due to significant mid-week adds/drops).

As I've gotten older, I've found I really enjoy best ball leagues where you just draft and you're done. Sucks when a Jordy injury happens, but saves me the weekly hassle and puts more pressure on the pre-draft strategy which is my favorite part. I'll do quite a few of those, but don't count them towards my total leagues tally.

 
40s. I may have had it. I keep telling myself this but my league mates keep me in. 3-5 leagues per year. The family and work obligations aren't it, FF serves as a nice distraction. I got used to winning championships, and enjoyed the bonus money at the end of the year (no not big) but I'm mostly exhausted by the plethora of information in the marketplace vs my competitive desire to win... and I miss the kid-like love of the sport for the sport I used to have. The end of the season has been met with relief not disappointment the last few seasons. So I may finally bow out, I just have to get up the gumption to tell everyone in advance. I may already be too late (again).

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Travdogg's Free Agency Predictions and 2 round mock (updated 4/8/22)
2
Replies
73
Views
3K
rockaction
rockaction
T
travdogg's favorite values as of 7/21
Replies
44
Views
2K
Deamon
Deamon
EBF
Top 26 Rookies 2021
2 3
Replies
108
Views
11K
jdoggydogg
jdoggydogg

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Top