If you're like me, until a couple years ago you didn't understand the attraction of fantasy football. Even as a football fan, you might've thought that fantasy sports were a silly, esoteric hobby, pursued by a bunch of dudes who, in some parallel universe, are all happily playing Dungeons and Dragons.

But.

On any given sunday, a good half to two thirds of the contests being played in the NFL are blowouts, boring, irrelevant to the question of who will be league champion, or all three. For example: why was I excited about the ending of last year's otherwise ugly Denver/Baltimore Monday nighter?

Ahead by the score of six to three and in the Ravens' red zone, the Broncos on third and ten called a simple up the middle draw play to Tatum Bell. Bell ran eleven yards, giving Denver a first and goal inside the Ravens’ ten yard line. The run set up a Denver touchdown that essentially decided the game. I didn’t particularly care about the outcome, so why was I yelling at my television as Bell dragged linebacker Ray Lewis the final four yards?

Because this particular week, Denver placekicker Jason Elam was starting for my fantasy team. And while the week's game wasn't particularly important in terms of the playoff fates of the Broncos or Ravens, it was critically important for my beloved Placeholders, who were fighting to hold off their archrival Bees for the leagues' final playoff spot. An Elam field goal would have meant earning enough points to put me over the top; Jake Plummer's eventual touchdown pass did not. A Monday Night game that would've otherwise been an irredeemable snorefest wound up providing me with quite a bit of excitement, all thanks to fantasy football.

(Note: Elam’s two field previous goals and extra point turned out ot be enough; his field goals both came from distances of more than forty yards, which meant they counted for four points as opposed to three. Elam thus scored nine points, and I won my fantasy matchup by a little over half a point.)

Fantasy sports are interesting for another reason. As much as they're a fun little sideboard for enthusiastic sports fans, and something friends can enjoy together, trust me: they bring out the worst in everybody. If you've never rooted for your team to run up the score, been unreasonably happy to see a prima donna wide receiver celebrating in the end zone, or smiled grimly (even for a second!) when an opposing player was injured, try fantasy football. I guarantee that by the end of the season, you'll have done all three. If you've never felt burning hatred toward a (former!) good buddy, wait until he drafts your starting running back's handcuff* a round before you were planning to.

What I'm trying to say is, if you're like me, and you occaisionally develop a taste for things like that, give fantasy football a shot. Or for that matter, give any fantasy sport a shot; football's what's getting started right now, though, if the trash talk finding it's way to my inbox is any indication.

*His backup. Yes, fantasy football has a confusing terminology all it's own.