It is a Monday night in December; your favorite NFL team is playing their division rivals in a battle for first place. There are three seconds left, and your kicker is lining up for the game-winning kick. He nails it, winning the game for your team. You celebrate in jubilation; then you come to a realization: your fantasy opponent has that kicker on his team, and that kick just ended your fantasy playoff hopes.

 Invented by Wilfred “Bill” Winkenbach in 1962, fantasy football has been a mainstay in the modern sports culture. The premise is simple: you and a group of friends take turns “drafting” offensive NFL players onto your respective teams (defensive/special teams players are grouped into one category called D/ST); these players, in turn, add points to your fantasy team. Points are given out based on the performance of real-life players in their actual NFL games, so if a player does nothing all game, he will score zero points. if he turns the ball over, he will lose two points, and if he scores a touchdown he gets six points. There are some variations to the point system, as players can also receive a point-per-reception, also known as PPR. The point totals from each player on your team is added up and compared to your opponent each week. Whichever team totals the most points after Monday is deemed the winner.

 Simplicity, however, is not the only reason why people play fantasy football. As senior Josh McLean said, “I play fantasy football because it’s fun to spend time with friends and good competition.” Competition: that is why people love playing fantasy football, whether it is competition between friends or a competition between random strangers on the internet, competition keeps players coming back for more. “There’s nothing better than whooping your friends,” McLean elaborated. It also makes for a good conversation starter, as friends can always talk trash about each other’s teams.

 Fantasy football is not only a game revolved around leagues with friends, since people also use it as a way to gain money. Daily fantasy services such as DraftKings and FanDuel are legal because fantasy sports contests are exempt from regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. However, gambling is not condoned by the Cat Talk.

 Fantasy football is a simple game sprinkled with a bit of friendly competition that keeps its players coming back. Nothing feels better than beating a friend and berating them for the next week. However, do not get caught in the dilemma of cheering for your fantasy player against your actual NFL team… just bench him.