The classic trade-off between the warm, sun-filled weather of summer, and the brisk Monday nights of fall, filled with hard tackles and big TDs.  With college applications coming up, football season acts as a big distraction to many students at Carlsbad. Fantasy Football, on the other hand, leads to an abyss of distraction which only the loss of WiFi can diminish.

I, Spencer Stone, am a victim of fantasy football. With this comes sleep loss, stress and emotional breakdowns. At points during the season, I am more emotional than a tween girl going through middle school.

Sure, football season provides a nice way to cope with the harsh reality, but that only works for casual watchers. The ability to watch football “just for fun” no longer exists for those who play fantasy football. The constant checking of the computer, checking stats, checking who to play, checking your own mental stability, then double checking everything again gets tiring, but you are too committed to stop. I personally do not remember the last time I watched a full game without checking my phone.

I am currently in the most important time of my life, and I am being distracted by a worthless game which will have no impact on my future. Every player of fantasy will agree with this credo. Even commercials advertising one day fantasy football leagues show players missing out on important events to check the current games. Fantasy football is a modern day addiction suppressed by the public as they do not want to admit to their faults.

Although the hate overpowers the benefits on this emotional roller coaster that is called fantasy football, I believe I will continue to play for years. There is no better feeling than showing up to school on Monday and boasting about how great your team is. Fantasy Football adds very minimal happiness to life compared to the stress involved, but when winning occurs, life literally could not be better.

My opinion of fantasy football varies as the season goes on. But I do not advise those who are thinking about joining a league to join. The risk of falling into the abyss seems way too high. The loss of friendship, happiness and time is unavoidable, so do not expect your time to be filled with playful banter in a noncompetitive environment.

If you still want to play, I respect that decision, but once you’re friendless, stuck in your bedroom watching football all Sunday, just remember…

I warned you.