09-01-2021, 11:11 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-03-2021, 09:26 AM by Tesla. Edited 1 time in total.)
This league is filled with amazing, unique,(sometimes crazy) and incredibly dedicated people that make it a fantastic place. I have met so many dedicated and driven individuals that are the reason for the ISFL’s continued success, from the rookie mentors (yes the team that I am currently on) to the GMs, to all those analytics people that try and maximize the success of their teams – everyone contributes to make this place as great as it is. I have now been in the league for four seasons and I can confidently say that I am in the ISFL for the long haul.
When I first heard about the ISFL I had no idea what to expect – I thought maybe it would be a few people passionate about football and interested in doing just a little bit more than fantasy football could offer… I was severely underestimating what actually took place. As I received dozens of private messages, discord invites, and contacts through the forum, I was quickly overwhelmed. Luckily for me the Rookie Mentor team helped me get established, not only that, but Southpaw spent upwards of an hour with me on a discord call helping me to build out my character… a full two to three weeks before the draft even started and I ended up on his team! He was so passionate about helping that it didn’t matter if I was drafted to another team altogether. The commitment of my GMs and the teammates around me has most definitely helped me to stay motivated and involved in the ISFL.
That leads me into my main point – the most interesting thing about this league are the people in it, the people who are constantly participating and making this place better than when they first started. My Rookie Mentor team is great and it comes with major contributions from Workers, Schwarznar, and the approvals king himself, William Lim. Without those guys (and girls) working in the background, our new players wouldn’t have the seemless transition into the world of the ISFL. People would be lost in the early complications of creating characters, building rapport with teams, and ultimately getting drafted altogether. Without the contributions of this team’s work, I highly doubt we would have successful drafts at all!
We have bankers that manage to track the most obscure information so that I can purchase equipment and training each week. We have people whose sole responsibility is to develop relationships and find new avenues for recruitment in the league. Others who create the rules and regulations. Still more who practice and simulate to find the best strategy possible to win games and maximize player output. Though the “sim gonna sim” mentality will always remain strong in a league that is entirely based off of RNG, this is the closest thing to a professional experience that a lot (possibly all) of us will ever have in our lives.
The countless hours that our GMs put into this game, to make the team cohesive and to promote bonding, is arguably the most impressive thing about this league. I’ve truly been blessed with GMs in my time here – Southpaw helped me get started, zEagle got me through the first year, Mithrandir drew me in to the ISFL and showed me how to lead a franchise well, and I have high hopes for Pat and Cody to continue to lead me in my new path with the Philly Liberty. The time they spend strategizing and making sure their teams get the best drafts, ideal trades, and the best odds to win an Ultimus is astounding. I’m not sure I could live up to the role models I see in GM positions now. The amount of passion these people have has ignited a fire in me to win an imaginary trophy for an imaginary franchise… something that means simultaneously nothing and everything to me.
What I am trying to get at is this league is a complex and changing environment that is directly the result of the contributions of every person. Without the “mundane” jobs being completed, without the Head Office making rules, without everyone else contributing to make this a better place, it all falls apart. If even one team fails or falters, the league would struggle – yet here we are, entering our 31st season, a robust Hall of Fame, a development league and a high level league to boot!
This is why I do not get caught up in the small stuff. Yes, my team will lose, my character will make a bad play, drop a ball, fumble it, or throw a game entirely… but I’m just happy to be here with these people, watching 11 little dots move on my computer screen, hoping my team scores more than the opposing team at the end of the day. The best part is enjoying it with the people around me
.
When I first heard about the ISFL I had no idea what to expect – I thought maybe it would be a few people passionate about football and interested in doing just a little bit more than fantasy football could offer… I was severely underestimating what actually took place. As I received dozens of private messages, discord invites, and contacts through the forum, I was quickly overwhelmed. Luckily for me the Rookie Mentor team helped me get established, not only that, but Southpaw spent upwards of an hour with me on a discord call helping me to build out my character… a full two to three weeks before the draft even started and I ended up on his team! He was so passionate about helping that it didn’t matter if I was drafted to another team altogether. The commitment of my GMs and the teammates around me has most definitely helped me to stay motivated and involved in the ISFL.
That leads me into my main point – the most interesting thing about this league are the people in it, the people who are constantly participating and making this place better than when they first started. My Rookie Mentor team is great and it comes with major contributions from Workers, Schwarznar, and the approvals king himself, William Lim. Without those guys (and girls) working in the background, our new players wouldn’t have the seemless transition into the world of the ISFL. People would be lost in the early complications of creating characters, building rapport with teams, and ultimately getting drafted altogether. Without the contributions of this team’s work, I highly doubt we would have successful drafts at all!
We have bankers that manage to track the most obscure information so that I can purchase equipment and training each week. We have people whose sole responsibility is to develop relationships and find new avenues for recruitment in the league. Others who create the rules and regulations. Still more who practice and simulate to find the best strategy possible to win games and maximize player output. Though the “sim gonna sim” mentality will always remain strong in a league that is entirely based off of RNG, this is the closest thing to a professional experience that a lot (possibly all) of us will ever have in our lives.
The countless hours that our GMs put into this game, to make the team cohesive and to promote bonding, is arguably the most impressive thing about this league. I’ve truly been blessed with GMs in my time here – Southpaw helped me get started, zEagle got me through the first year, Mithrandir drew me in to the ISFL and showed me how to lead a franchise well, and I have high hopes for Pat and Cody to continue to lead me in my new path with the Philly Liberty. The time they spend strategizing and making sure their teams get the best drafts, ideal trades, and the best odds to win an Ultimus is astounding. I’m not sure I could live up to the role models I see in GM positions now. The amount of passion these people have has ignited a fire in me to win an imaginary trophy for an imaginary franchise… something that means simultaneously nothing and everything to me.
What I am trying to get at is this league is a complex and changing environment that is directly the result of the contributions of every person. Without the “mundane” jobs being completed, without the Head Office making rules, without everyone else contributing to make this a better place, it all falls apart. If even one team fails or falters, the league would struggle – yet here we are, entering our 31st season, a robust Hall of Fame, a development league and a high level league to boot!
This is why I do not get caught up in the small stuff. Yes, my team will lose, my character will make a bad play, drop a ball, fumble it, or throw a game entirely… but I’m just happy to be here with these people, watching 11 little dots move on my computer screen, hoping my team scores more than the opposing team at the end of the day. The best part is enjoying it with the people around me
.