The Economics of Fantasy Football

Public schools, at their worst, tend to encourage a reactionary brand of liberalism.  BIG GOVERNMENT is the medicine for what ails society in the minds of most teachers.  Many public school curriculums do not do enough to cultivate entrepreneurship and self-reliance. 

 

This being said, increasing numbers of students are interested in entrepreneurship, business and investments.  Such encouraging curiosity runs contrary to the status quo at public schools; but students are not developing these habits at school, but from fantasy football and other games. 

 

Owning a fantasy football team teaches children ownership.  They alone are saddled with the success or failure of their team.  It is comparable to owning a small business.  While real schools cultivate self-esteem driven fantasy worlds for children, fantasy football is a zero-sum game of winners and losers.   

 

Students who play fantasy football develop expertise in rating the value of individual players.  This requires statistical analysis.  Numbers are crunched and team needs are addressed.  The search for undervalued players becomes essential to success. 

 

These same students often develop an interest in business.  The transition from rating players to rating stocks is not a huge one.  Many students who play fantasy football are interested in business.  They are not ready to run hedge funds yet, but they have watched Mad Money on CNBC.  It should also be noted that the copy of Rich Dad, Poor Dad that I keep in my classroom is worn out from being read by student after student.  And now it is missing! 

 

Fantasy sports are the inadvertent gateway to creating a new investor class in America.  Free market economic theories are welcome in this world.  There is even room for the limited use, via trades, of Game Theory, (reference the bar scene in A Beautiful Mind) but collectivist beware.

 

Marxists would be well served by avoiding this battle field, since not everyone can be a winner.   Marxist economists, whose theories failed in reality, now cannot even succeed in a fantasy world.  Perhaps American Universities should take notice. 

 

Let us engage in an economic version or Friday Night Lights.  I would bet Ladainian Tomlinson, the highly touted fantasy player who is on my team, that an on-line investment account managed by an astute group of high school students can outperform the returns generated by the Social Security System and most Defined Benefit Pension Plans. 

 

Today they play football.  Tomorrow they will clamor to privatize social security. 

 

* The author of this post is a public school teacher with a background in business.  The observations reported arise out of the author’s teaching experience. 

“There’s something about Brett”

Champion Sumo Wrestlers are forced to retire in Japan once they start to decline.  Japanese fans wish to remember their champions at the top of their game.  American stars often stay at the bar for one too many drinks.  Ask Pac Man Jones. 

 

Bret Favre had a shot at the Super Bowl last year, coming up short against the Giants in the playoffs due to a pair of Favre interceptions late in the game.  Favre lost a chance to play in another Super Bowl because he was trying to win the game by himself at an advanced age.  Favre should have watched film from the last two seasons of John Elway.  Elway, who was every bit Favre’s equal subordinated himself to a Terrell Davis dominated offense.  Elway’s Bronco’s ran often, dumped to the Tight End, Shannon Sharpe, just as much, and for the most part played a slow offense that kept opposing defenses tired and the Bronco’s D fresh.  Elway lost three Super Bowls as a “gunslinger” and won two as a control quarterback who let the game come to him.  Elway knew when to let it fly and when to toss it away.  The Bronco great also knew when to walk away.

 

Brett Favre does not let the game come to him, and consequently, has always thrown too many interceptions.  Take away his best three years when he played in back to back Super Bowls and the cheese king starts to look a little moldy.  The one Super Bowl win was over a Patriots team with poor defensive backs (Ty Law excluded) a grand canyon sized hole in the offensive line named Max Lane and a coach who was lining up his next job in New York.  Drew Bledsoe did not have time to throw.  All that being said, the Patriots might have made a game of it had they contained Desmond Howard.  Favre’s other Super Bowl appearance was a loss to Jon Elway’s Broncos. 

 

Favre’s loss to the Giants last year was a loss for the Patriots.  Green Bay would have been a much less problematic match up for the Patriots.  Anyway, it is time to walk away.  Last season was his swan song.  It was Green Bay’s last best shot.  Brett Favre will be a case study in diminishing returns going forward.  This is why Green Bay does not want him.  This is why they wanted to pay him to stay retired like one of Japan’s declining sumo champions. 

 

Favre’s cameo in “There’s Something about Mary” symbolizes his career.  He retires and then comes back.  He retires and then comes back.  He abandons Mary and Warren and then comes back.  Dude, concentrate!  Stay with the Packers until you are sure you want to retire.  Play catch with Warren and try not to throw any ill-advised interceptions.  And do not touch Warren’s head phones. 

Soul Asylum: Early advocates for Drilling in Anwar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ2458zCmaU

Manny being Manny

I find myself too upset to write about this.  Manny brought being a member of the Red Sox to the level of performance art.   Continue to be Manny, Manny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfe96xfUG54&feature=related

Yo Adrian, Tear Down this Wall!

History often repeats itself, but the sequels are rarely as good.  Sen. Obama is a great orator, but his speech in Berlin last week was the Rocky V of Berlin speeches. 

The first Rocky was the best of the bunch and ended in a stalemate between Rocky and Apollo.  President Kennedy’s speech was like the original Rocky, strong and aggressive.  Ultimately, the Cuban Missile Crisis – Kennedy’s biggest brawl with the Russians- ended in a stalemate.  A stalemate that may have saved the world.

 

Rocky II and III bare no resemblance to any presidential speeches I know of (unless LBJ, Nixon, Ford or Carter spoke in Berlin?) but Reagan’s speech resembled the knockout punch Rocky delivered to Ivan Drago.  “Mr. Gorbachav, tear down this wall.”  A short sentence that rocked history like an uppercut. In a way Hollywood helped the movie star President end the cold war.  The Soviets were beat up so often in American cinema that Reagan merely had to drop in and finish Stalone’s dirty work.  The Cold War was, after all, a war of ideas.  

Obama’s speech pales in comparison.  First off, he is not the president yet, despite what his supporters think.  In addition to that, Obama spoke to them as: “a citizen or the world”.  Kennedy and Reagan lived in the world too, but they were first and foremost Americans, patriots and cold warriors. 

Obama’s ability to relate to the world is an asset.  Perhaps he would make a good Secretary of State.  I fear that he would be a poor president because he is overly sensitive to the way the world perceives the United States.  A President that sees himself as a Citizen of the World first and patriot second will disappoint voters the way Tommy Gun let Rocky down in Rocky five. 

Sylvester Stallone made Rocky Balboa two years ago.  The storyline jumps from Rocky IV to the new movie.  Five never happened.  History does not give do overs, cinema does.  Rocky Balboa also showed an older Rocky Balboa who could still fight.  Perhaps there is something to be said for scrappy old fighters.  Vote for McCain in 2008.

Another Angry Jim Rice Rant

Former Red Sox slugger Jim Rice was snubbed by the Hall of Fame yet again.  This is proof positive that you do not have to be smart to be a sports writer.  These dopes go on ESPN and act upset over the way steriods have tarnished the sport and then fail to vote for Rice, someone who was clean.

Rice suffers because he played before the “juice” era and as a result his stats suffer in relation to some of his comically muscular successors.  Rice played the game with dignity and belongs amongst the greats in Cooperstown. 

Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame as well.  Charlie Hustle is no angel but is probably a better person than some people currently enshrined.  Ty Cobb, who once beat up a crippled fan,  comes to mind.