Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

The Sunday Afternoon Quarterback #9: No Such Thing as Beginner’s Luck in Fantasy Football

November 3, 2019 / 22 Comments
Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion
Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

Penn State is off this week so I am giving Jeff the week off from writing. But I wanted to give a brief update on my history with football as well as my rookie season in Fantasy Football. My friend Carson asked me if I would join his Fantasy Football League this year because they needed more people to get it going. I was hesitant at first because not only do I not understand how these fantasy leagues and their rules and scoring systems work, I don’t even understand how football works!

Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

However, this summer I decided to make it my mission to try new things. So when the opportunity presented itself in the form of a text from Carson simply asking, “Hey, you wanna join my Fantasy Football League?”, I figured I should just go for it. Try something new and see what happens. Maybe I will learn something. Maybe I won’t. But worst case scenario is that I paid $20 to have a little bit of fun. Life is short, so I spent the $20.

Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

To be clear, I am not one of those girls who gets excited about football games and sits glued to the television cheering over touchdowns and yelling at pass interferences, fumbles, and penalties. In fact, other than touchdowns, I don’t know what any of those other things even look like. All I see is a bunch of football players huddling and running and crashing into one another and throwing a ball in one direction or another. I have always wanted to be one of those girls who gets it. The girl who can hang around with a bunch of football loving guys and know exactly what’s going on. A guy’s girl, you know. But try as I might, it is something I will never be.

Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion
Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

So I have long since settled into my role as the girl who appreciates the passion and excitement of others over a good football game. I love the mood that is set when a bunch of friends gather around the television to watch their favorite sport. I’ll make the food. I’ll bring the drinks. I’ll share my thoughts about good sportsmanship and quality athleticism. I’ll chime in on some of the politics of contract negotiations and whether or not college players should be allowed to receive compensation for their talents and hard work. But you will never hear me yelling at a referee over a bad call. Because a bad call is not something that I will ever be able to identify.

Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

I will look the part of the biggest fan. I will put on the fan gear and style it in unique and fun ways. I will root for your team if I am watching the game with you. Unless my husband is in the room, then I will always root for his team. Because, well you know, it is compromises of this sort that make for a successful marriage. And while I may not understand the game, I do always love to have it on the television.

Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

It gives me all sorts of nostalgic feelings from childhood. My father always had football on the television. Back when we only had one television in the house. (Actually, we still only have one television in our house.) He didn’t watch the games so much because he enjoyed them, but because he was a bookie. And a pretty successful one at that. The job has changed considerably over time, with new technology being implemented regularly; such as the pay per head service from BossAction that allows private bookies to give their players access to a fully equipped online sportsbook, casino, and racebook.

I’m sure my father would barely recognize it nowadays! So, he would be flipping from channel to channel, taking notes about the over/under and statistics and all that shit that I have no knowledge about. As a result, however, he didn’t have a favorite team. His favorite team was whichever team was going to make him the most money that week. But being from Pennsylvania, we did have a tendency to root for Pennsylvania teams, but only when there was no money riding on the outcome.

Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion
Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

Fast forward to adulthood and my father has been gone many, many years. I met my husband, whom you all know is a huge Penn State fan. But when it comes to professional football, he is a Steelers fan. Not the Eagles. Do not ask about the Eagles. He doesn’t like them. And it is a passionate dislike. An emotion that I don’t quite understand. It is just football. But okay, I’ll ride along on my happy wave of indifference and support those Steelers. But in all honesty, if I were watching a football game with Carson, I would be the biggest Carolina Panthers fan the world has ever seen. And Patrick, if I were hanging with you, the Cal Bears would be my team.

Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

Now onto the business of Fantasy Football. What in the sweet holy hell is this nonsense? First of all, I really thought beginner’s luck would pull me through. That has not been the case. I got the first draft pick and scored myself Saquon Barkley. Everyone was jealous. My outcome was promising. I started off the season projected to place second in the league. But very quickly, as I lost matchup after matchup, I have been sitting at last place in the final standing projection. My current record is 2-6-0 with only one other team in my league with a worse record than mine.

Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

Our league has 8 teams and other than Carson and myself, I know none of these men. They are all friends with each other and I was the invited outsider. And a girl. And clueless. So while I have been the subject a few jokes here and there in the nonstop text thread that has been going strong for months, I can certainly throw a good burn and quality GIF into the mix every now and then. They said the loser was going to have to wear a tee shirt similar to the one below.

Last Place Fantasy Football Shirt

I have a feeling that I am going to be wearing that tee shirt once the season comes to a close. So be prepared. But y’all know I will rock that shirt unlike any other Fantasy Football loser. Because if I am going to lose, I am going to lose in grand fashion and great style!

gray tights, sparkle sneakers, Shelbee on the Edge
sparkle sneakers, Shelbee on the Edge

Pray for me and send me some winning energy. Or don’t. Because this is all in fun anyway. No need to cross energy wires with people who really need some positive vibes sent their way.

Steelers shirt, tweed coat, shorts with tights, Shelbee on the Edge, over 40 fashion

Do you play Fantasy Football? Do you prefer college or professional football?

Come back next week for the recap of the Penn State vs. Minnesota game.

Until then,

We are…

Losing on the edge,

Shelbee

My husband, Jeff, is a lifelong Penn State fan and chronic armchair quarterback. By default the rest of our family are Penn State fans as well. We have many choices in life, this is not one of them. We are…

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties. 

Shop my look…

Outfit Details: Tee Shirt-Gift / Coat and Shorts-Thrifted / Sneakers-Target (Old) / Belt-BedStu / Hat-Gap (Old) / Tights, Necklace, and Earrings-Old

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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