Posts Tagged ‘women against fantasy sports’

Wives Don’t Have to be Against Sports

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

So, we’ve all probably heard plenty about Women Against Fantasy Sports at this point (or maybe they just keep popping up within the material I keep tabs on). There’s nothing wrong with that pursuit. They’re just having fun with something that can be a point of contention for plenty of couples.

Well, there could be another way around the contentiousness, and it doesn’t have to involve anyone being against anything.

Paula Duffy, whom you might know as the National Sports Examiner, also runs a site called IncidentalContact.com, where she reaches out to women who want to learn more about sports.

The final paragraph on the “About Us” page states: “Incidental Contact was formed to bring the news to women who still can’t find the right guy or who want to make friends with whom they can share a laugh, a hobby and feel comfortable in the friendly surroundings of sports bars. Women learn better from other women, especially in the subject matters at which men have excelled for generations. There is no fear of seeming stupid. The method of learning is tailored to women and it works. It’s truly a girlfriend network based on sports: Incidental Contact, LLC.”

Duffy has also created “Woman’s Guides” to baseball, football and basketball, and even offers audio versions on her site.

So for women who don’t necessarily feel like buying underwear to protest the fantasy football season but also have husbands who can’t be bothered with questions because their too busy watching the Rams lose again, there is an outlet.

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FSB Daily 9/16: Fandora’s Box, FF Nerd, Online Media Questions

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

A roundup of recent posts on the FSB News page.

– Fandora’s Box has come out with its own fantasy football application for the iPhone.

– The emcee for this weekend’s OMMA Global online media conference ponders some questions that he hopes representatives from around the industry can help to answer. Although fantasy sports aren’t expressly mentioned, if you can’t make the connection, then you might be in trouble going forward.

– A teacher praises fantasy football as a valuable tool for connecting students with business principles and developing future economists. (Fair warning: The teacher could be mildly delusional, as he or she seems to think that the majority of students who play fantasy football are also watching CNBC. I’m what some might call a grownup and only land on that channel every four years, when it’s showing some of the Olympics.)

– If you’re hoping those gold-embossed 1965 Topps baseball cards will help make your retirement more comfortable, you’re going to be disappointed.

– Fantasy Football Nerd can now be accessed via the Fantasy Players Network.

Matthew Berry vs. WAFS: If this really gets going, it could generate an entertaining “Mayne Event”-type of TV feature … or get annoying. ESPN has been responsible for plenty of both.

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Uh Oh, Guys, Watch Out for WAFS

Monday, August 18th, 2008

A California woman who works in sportswear sales is teaming with an admitted fantasy addict to provide a forum for venting by “fantasy widows.”

Allison Lodish and Azar McMaster have co-founded WomenAgainstFantasySports.com to cater to those abandoned and repulsed by their partners’ fantasy-sports affliction.

The site includes forums, a “Stump the Chump” section that defines some common fantasy terms, WAFS merchandise and a blog in which a “Fantasy Sports Widow Speaks.” Lodish’s initial post includes the following:

“I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I am NOT a sports hater, and in fact I am a huge fan … of REAL sports. … I feel the pain when my team loses.

“But now, I am simply a woman who has had it with the countless hours my husband spends glued to the computer checking his fantasy football crap. If he spent that much energy on ANYTHING else, we wouldn’t be here now, would we?”

WAFS looks like a fun way for wives and girlfriends of the fantasy-obsessed (not anyone I know) to counteract the lack of attention from their partners, particularly between the months of September and February. Although the founders (one of whom is male) claim that the site is gender-neutral, reaching out to anyone perturbed by the time spent on fantasy sports, the material is clearly and undeniably directed at women. With the growing number of females participating in fantasy games — although that group is still a clear minority — the site might have to further neutralize in the future to reach the largest possible audience.

In the meantime, I’m not telling my wife about it. No need to get her worked up.

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