It's that time of year again when footballs are flying. Yup, the NFL is back.
Actually, it has been for a few months now. So, you might be curious why I bring it up at this particular moment. Well, we've been playing fantasy football again this season, so there's another amusing story.
First of all, I should mention that the Mild Wife and I aren't doing as well this year as last year. We're both somewhere near the middle of the pack, but we both had a pretty bad start to the year. I think at one point, I was at the bottom of the standings. What can I say? Some years, you just have some bad luck.
Now, it's not like I can personally give these guys pep talks or otherwise control their performance, either. Ultimately, I just have to pick players and hope for the best. Even players who everyone expects to perform admirably sometimes have off years, so there's definitely an element of luck to the whole thing.
Still, that hasn't stopped a whole industry from popping up around this hobby. As of four years ago, the industry was estimated to be worth about $70 billion dollars. And I'm absolutely positive that the industry has only grown since then. Given that, it shouldn't surprise you that people run all sorts of statistical models and try to wean numerical advantages from these fantasy teams. Seriously. I know a few people who actually do this. They are very smart, very competitive people that happen to like fantasy football.
The sites that run fantasy football leagues can do this, too, so they tend to provide some of this analysis for their players. It helps remove the barrier to entry, so everyone can feel like they can play and have a shot to win. From a pure business perspective, it's smart. It widens the pool of people who want to play.
Now, remember that the Mild Wife was new to the whole fantasy football thing last year. She was precisely the sort of person that would benefit from the industry-provided projections and statistical analysis. If you remember the post from last year, that's what she did. In fact, she rode those projections to the top of the standings and to an ultimate championship in her rookie year. Yup, she won the whole darn thing.
As I mentioned, however, this year is a different story. That's led to my favorite remark about the different outcomes this year:
Mild Wife: "Whoever is doing the projections this year is no good. They need to bring back last year's person."
I burst out laughing when I heard that. Clearly, she's grasped the value of using data science to win at fantasy football. Incidentally, if any of you are up-and-coming data scientists, might I suggest a future with ESPN's fantasy football division?
Actually, it has been for a few months now. So, you might be curious why I bring it up at this particular moment. Well, we've been playing fantasy football again this season, so there's another amusing story.
First of all, I should mention that the Mild Wife and I aren't doing as well this year as last year. We're both somewhere near the middle of the pack, but we both had a pretty bad start to the year. I think at one point, I was at the bottom of the standings. What can I say? Some years, you just have some bad luck.
Now, it's not like I can personally give these guys pep talks or otherwise control their performance, either. Ultimately, I just have to pick players and hope for the best. Even players who everyone expects to perform admirably sometimes have off years, so there's definitely an element of luck to the whole thing.
Still, that hasn't stopped a whole industry from popping up around this hobby. As of four years ago, the industry was estimated to be worth about $70 billion dollars. And I'm absolutely positive that the industry has only grown since then. Given that, it shouldn't surprise you that people run all sorts of statistical models and try to wean numerical advantages from these fantasy teams. Seriously. I know a few people who actually do this. They are very smart, very competitive people that happen to like fantasy football.
The sites that run fantasy football leagues can do this, too, so they tend to provide some of this analysis for their players. It helps remove the barrier to entry, so everyone can feel like they can play and have a shot to win. From a pure business perspective, it's smart. It widens the pool of people who want to play.
Now, remember that the Mild Wife was new to the whole fantasy football thing last year. She was precisely the sort of person that would benefit from the industry-provided projections and statistical analysis. If you remember the post from last year, that's what she did. In fact, she rode those projections to the top of the standings and to an ultimate championship in her rookie year. Yup, she won the whole darn thing.
As I mentioned, however, this year is a different story. That's led to my favorite remark about the different outcomes this year:
Mild Wife: "Whoever is doing the projections this year is no good. They need to bring back last year's person."
I burst out laughing when I heard that. Clearly, she's grasped the value of using data science to win at fantasy football. Incidentally, if any of you are up-and-coming data scientists, might I suggest a future with ESPN's fantasy football division?
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