As the leaves shift colors and the air becomes cool and crisp, a different kind of battle begins — not on the field, but within the leagues of friends transformed into fantasy football managers. Fantasy football is a game where players create and manage a virtual team made up of real NFL players. These virtual teams compete based on how well the players perform in real games. Points are earned based on stats like yards gained, touchdowns scored and other performance metrics.

 When bragging rights and playful rivalries evolve into fierce competition and intense punishments, the question arises: how far is too far in pursuit of glory?

To answer this question, seniors Henry Bownas and Lukas Krzeminki speak on their experiences playing fantasy football in the same league. 

“If anything, [the culture is] not intense enough,” Krzeminski said.

It has become extremely popular in these leagues to award the winners at the end of the season and to punish the losers. These punishments can be a hilarious way to joke around with friends, but have they grown too intense? Both Bownas and Krzeminski have been immersed in fantasy football for multiple years, and unfortunately for Krzeminski, he has experience in the department of losing. 

“I endured the dog cage,” Krzeminski said, “You get put in the cage for five minutes, and everyone else in the league gets to pour whatever they want on you.”

As bad as it may sound, Krzeminski’s punishment did not end there.

“I also endured two weeks of publicly posting TikTok dances, and I was not allowed to say that it was a punishment.” 

The drafting process in fantasy football is extremely crucial and can greatly affect the outcome of the season. The choices made during the draft — like when to pick certain players and how to build a balanced team can ultimately contribute to the wins or losses in the leagues.

“I had the fourth pick [in the draft], and I was really happy with it,” Bownas said. “I would not want to have had the last pick.”

Krzeminski further explained that you can trade players to earn points based on how well they do. Although this can positively affect the outcome of a teams performance, it can also have the opposite effect. 

There are many unique strategies that players can use to enhance their performance and luck, including one that Bownas attempted to pull off on Krzeminski. 

“I actually changed the settings of a trade value analyzer to trick Lukas into trading his players with me,” Bownas said.

When ethics come into play, it might be necessary to reanalyze what strategies are really worth it.  

“[This is] where my game really falls off,” Krzeminski said, “I went from predicted number one in the league to last place in a second.”

With a positive outlook, Krzeminski believes that he can only go up from last place.

“It feels natural, it’s like my habitat, but I thrive in those areas,” he said.

Along with the help of their friends, Bownas and Krzeminski have spent a great deal of time formulating their plans for their drafts, as well as for the upcoming last place punishment.

“This year, we’re competing for trick or treating, not in the month of October,” Bownas said, “It’s going to be after the Super Bowl in the month of February.”

In addition to this, Krzeminski adds that the person who finished last place must dress up in a costume and collect ten pieces of candy to successfully complete the punishment. 

Some fantasy leagues have a prize for whoever takes first place, but in the boys’ league, they explain the true prize that comes with the win.

“It’s a lot of pride, a significant amount of pride,” Krzeminski said.

Fantasy football might be lighthearted to some leagues, but this is not the case for the boys. With an intense passion for the game, they have traveled to extreme lengths to trick their opponents, complete punishments and spend many hours watching football games. 

“I love my teammates like I love my children,” Bownas said. 

In agreement with Bownas, Krzeminski touches on his love for the game saying that he “thrives on the thrill of it.”

“I love immersing myself in the statistics and match ups and celebrating the joy of watching my team,” Krzeminski said.

As excitement arises around fantasy football, some wonder if it has gone too far, some, however, can’t get enough of it.