This is the time of the year when your enthusiasm kicks into high gear. The first (real) game is less than a month away, which means your draft or auction is fast approaching. It's an exciting time.
But what if it isn't? What if you're not really feeling it this year? You still plan to play in your leagues but you don't have that nervous excitement as September nears. The feeling that you can't wait for the season to start just isn't there. Is the magic gone? Have you grown out of the game? Is it time to hang up your password and call it a career?
No, no, and no. Lots of managers experience this feeling at some point, and the solution is easier than you think.
The problem usually comes down to one of two issues. Fortunately, once you identify which one it is, the path to getting your enthusiasm back becomes pretty clear.
1. Your leagues have changed. Leagues go through gradual, subtle changes that might take years to notice. Great managers drop off and are replaced with mediocre ones. You lose touch with the people you once worked with when jobs change, and you just aren't close anymore. A buddy moves across the country and you lose touch except on draft day. A league of close friends becomes a league of distant acquaintances or even strangers over time. It's just not as fun.
Or maybe life changes (marriage, children, financial status) have turned your enthusiastic opponents into barely-there managers. They don't serve up any trash talk and they don't even respond to trade offers. It's hard to get excited about winning a league that isn't worth winning anymore. In that light it's not hard to see why you might struggle to get excited about the upcoming season.
2. You've changed. Those life changes I mentioned earlier? Maybe they happened to you. Maybe you used to have time for a year-round dynasty league with IDP slots, contracts and daily message board banter. But now? Maybe you have a family, a new career, or elderly parents to monitor. Maybe your kid is headed to college and you don't have time to respond to every trash-talking meme your league dishes out. The league you lived and breathed for several years looks like a lot of work now. You'll either trudge through the daily tasks to keep up with the league, or you'll become one of those less-active owners you used to resent. You'll either feel frustrated or guilty, and who would look forward to that?
Or maybe you just don't have the time for all 11 leagues anymore. You sit in front of the television and you're not sure who you're rooting for or against because you're in too many leagues. Every week you're playing against the same guys you're starting. What used to be exciting is now exhausting. Logging in to make multiple waiver wire adds and lineup adjustments for four months just doesn't sound fun anymore. Again, it sounds more like work. And who’s excited about going back to work?
Most of the time, your malaise stems from one of those two issues. If it's the former, you might need to either add some new blood to your leagues or add some new leagues to your plate. See if some enthusiastic friends know of a league opening, or maybe start a brand new one with current close friends. You can also send a message to your old league and try and drum up some interest. Tell them you miss the old, enthusiastic attitude and want to get back to it. You might find that other managers feel the same way and you might get things moving again. And you can certainly do your part to rekindle old friendships and check in with your league mates to get that camaraderie back. They might be happy to hear from you, and it might kick the league interest up a couple notches.
And if the problem is the latter scenario, do the opposite. Maybe it's time to transition from a hardcore dynasty league to a basic redraft. Maybe just accept that you only have so much free time, and you don't want to feel guilty about not spending 20 hours a week on football anymore. It might be time to pick your two favorite leagues that fit into your schedule and let the rest of the "work" go. You can look forward to the season without feeling burdened or guilty, and you might find that you're excited to play again.
In the vast majority of cases, you haven't lost interest in the game. You've lost interest in the game as you're currently playing it, so that's all that has to change. The great thing about fantasy football is you aren't locked into one style of play your entire life. Now is the time to ramp up the activity and double the number of your leagues, or scale back and simplify the way you play. When you find the right balance for you at this stage of your life, you'll find the magic is right where you left it last season. All you have to do is go get it.
Have you ever felt like the game isn’t as fun as it once was? What was the cause and what did you do about it? How has the way you play changed over time? What advice would you give to someone who wants to recapture that spark? Share your thoughts below.