When people ask me why I keep writing about not drinking during your draft, I think of one of those motivational posters you see with a guy skiing or biking on a mountain trail. It's supposed to inspire you to achieve great things. But my poster looks different.
It's a guy who doesn't drink during his draft. He read my column and stuck to water or soda until the draft was over. And he had his best draft ever and won the title. In the poster, his beautiful wife kisses him as he holds his shiny new trophy and everyone is happy. Even his kids. It's like they actually care about his fantasy league for some strange reason. And at the bottom it says "Listen to Murillo." Isn't that awesome?
Here we go again.
I shouldn't claim that nobody should drink during their draft. Maybe you don't care about winning. Maybe you don't mind spending months trying to fix the mistakes you made that day. Maybe you just like hanging out with your friends, and a 4-10 record is a fair price to pay for that kind of fun. If that's the case, I take back what I said. Go ahead and drink up.
But if that's not you -- if you want to do as well as possible this season -- you have every reason to let someone else slam the beers when selecting players. No matter how good you are in evaluating talent, you're not as good when you've been drinking. No matter how successful you've been while drinking every year, you would have been more successful if you hadn't. You're putting yourself at an unnecessary disadvantage and putting money in your opponents' pockets. For no reason at all.
Can you think of anything you do better while drinking? When you send a drunk text, how does that normally work out for you? If you drunk-dial an ex, is that usually a conversation that makes you proud the next day? If you get into an argument at a bar after a few drinks, is that a rational discussion and a respectful exchange of ideas?
Of course not. But people still do those things. Drinking during the draft been a bad idea for years, and it's an even worse idea today. The gap between owners who are "good" at fantasy football and the ones who are "bad" at fantasy football is shrinking. There are plenty of tools your opponents can use (subscriptions, apps, websites) to overcome your good judgment and football knowledge.
So why make things harder for yourself by impairing that judgment and knowledge when you need it most? You know what I mean. Drink too much, and your favorite team's players start filling up your bench. You start overcompensating for early mistakes by grabbing every handcuff available when you still need starters. You're not sure who to draft, but you remember a running back mowing through future insurance agents in the preseason and you take him.
I don't think you should drink during your draft. And believe me, I've heard all the arguments against my philosophy: I've won several leagues and I was drunk at every draft. It helps me relax. Why are you trying to ruin all the fun? Your drafts must be boring.
Blah blah blah. Even if you were totally hammered at your draft and still won the league, that isn't the reason you won. You don't need to completely relaxed at your draft. You need to be prepared and alert. You can have plenty of fun without getting drunk and still drink to your heart's content after the draft.
The bottom line is that the very best strategy, the best judgment and the best football intuition doesn't mean jack if you aren't sober enough to use it to your advantage. So even if it sounds silly or uncool to you, just try it. Please. Just once. Draft totally sober, even if everyone around you is drinking. See if you don't end up a little happier with your roster, a little stronger at each position and a little more confident in your team.
I can't guarantee you results. All I'm trying to do is give you an advantage on draft day. Or, more accurately, help you avoid a disadvantage. Good luck.
Okay, am I crazy? Right on the money? Totally blowing this all out of proportion (again)? Share your thoughts below.