Two years ago today, I stumbled across a curious post on r/NFL.
I had no clue what a "sim-league" was, but the idea of getting to create my own player and experience an entire pro football career was extremely interesting to me. As I read the post, I became more and more intrigued by this "National Simulation Football League." I followed a link in the post to the site, and after looking around for a while, eventually decided to sign up and create my own player.
My journey since then has been greater than anything I could have imagined. This whole experience has been amazing, from my first days as an eager but unsure Prospect Bowl participant to today, with the Second Line on the verge of another playoff appearance. And I'm not just talking about Bode's career, although that has exceeded my wildest expectations. I'm talking about the people I would meet and get to know through the league. The r/NFL post I read talked about forming close relationships and making great friends, and I'll admit I was a little skeptical about that. But I cannot imagine my life now without many of the people I've met through the league. I joined for the football, but I've stayed around for the people.
The Prospect Bowl was the main reason I was so active in the league early on. It's what got me excited about being a part of this community, and helped keep me going when I felt less than motivated to earn TPE or write media. My Central Grizzlies might not have won the "championship," but that short period of time was an absolute joy. So thank you @TomHanks and @ScorpXCracker for being amazing teammates, and for helping me find my feet in the league. And a special thank you to Gimmy Jaroppolo, through whom all things are possible. #GrizzlyGang
Then, through the DSFL Draft, I found my way to the San Antonio Marshals. There, I forged some of my first and most lasting league friendships. It was a great locker room to be a part of, and to this day I still take pride in the fact that I was part of such a great team (the fact that we had a historic regular season certainly helped, too). Thank you @timeconsumer for taking a chance on me, and for all the guidance and advice you gave me in the early days of Bode's career; in a very real way, I would not be where I am today without your support. And I can't talk about the S14 Marshals without shouting out the Fab Five: @Baron1898, @Frick_Nasty, @Duilio05, and @shadyshoelace. You guys are all incredible people, and I'm thankful every day that I got to share a locker room with you all. I'm definitely looking forward to getting to play with some (or all?) of you again in the future. #MarshalUp
And then came the S15 NSFL draft, and suddenly I was a member of the New Orleans Second Line. I don't think I can adequately put into words how much I've loved my time with the Second Line. It has truly been a home to me the past year and a half, and the people I've shared that locker room with have come to be some of my dearest friends. When I got engaged, they were among the first people I told. They were cheering me on last week as I went through several rounds of interviews, and they celebrated alongside me a few days ago when I landed the job. The on-field success has been great, don't get me wrong, but through all the ups and downs there's no team I'd rather have been a part of, and no group of people I'd have rather had by my side throughout. To @JuOSu: after our first pre-draft conversations, I knew for sure that I wanted to be a part of your team. You were exactly the kind of leader I wanted to play for, and the kind of person I wanted to share a locker room with. Your impact on Bode's career -- and on me as a person -- cannot be understated, and I'm truly honored to have played for and with you for so long. To @slothfacekilla: the first message I ever sent you was "Let's go win an Ultimus." I'm happy that we managed to achieve that goal, but I'm even more happy that we became friends along the way. You always motivated me to do better, even if you didn't know it, and you were always there when I -- or anyone on the team -- needed a joke or a kind word. You're truly one of the funniest people I know, and I'm glad I've had your support through thick and thin. To @TomHanks (yeah, you get a second shoutout. It's my retirement post, I can do what I want): I was ecstatic when we ended up in New Orleans together. So much of the team's success and current standing is because of your hard work, and I've always admired your passion and dedication to the team and to the league. You've been a great teammate, GM, and friend, and I'll never forgive you for beating me in the S14 playoffs. To @bex: you're a fantastic commissioner, and I'm so glad I got to work in the Head Office while you were in charge. And you're a fantastic teammate; your energy and spirit have touched me and everyone else in the locker room. "Purple Reign" will always hold a special place in my heart, and I had an absolute blast hanging out with you in person last year. To @IsaStarcrossed: I knew your name long before you came to New Orleans, but getting to know the person behind the name was a great experience. Your passion for the league rubbed off on me, and I strive to be the best league member I can be partly because of the example you set. And to @ddrector and @mithrandir: You've continued the New Orleans tradition of outstanding leadership, and I know the team's future is safe in your hands. Thank you for making the last few seasons so memorable, and for allowing me to finish my career the way I wanted to. #DootDoot
There are still a ton of other people I want to thank. @manicmav36, @infinitempg, and @TeyonSchavari were the best Head Office co-workers I could have asked for, and the epitome of what the league should strive to be. Thank you to @flyeaglesfly29 for hiring me as an updater and showing me the ropes, and thank you @"Laser" for continuing to make the updating team the best department in the whole league. Speaking of updaters, thank you to all the updaters I've had over the years; there are too many of you to name, but I appreciate every one of you and am grateful for the work you did for me. To the other Second Line teammates I've had over the years, thank you for making the team special in your own unique way. You've all contributed to the great locker room culture that has kept me around for so long, and I thank you for that. And to everyone else in the league that I've ever talked, joked, interacted, or dealt with, thank you for being here. The league is nothing without its users, and I'm glad that the community is continuing to thrive and to grow. You've made me excited to recreate and experience the entire journey again. If I didn't shout you out here, it's not personal, I'm just bad at remembering things. You can yell at me in the replies if you feel like you were overlooked.
My NOLA squad already knows this, but I will not be recreating right away. I'll continue to work as an updater, but I'm taking a season break between players just to give myself a chance to step back from the league a little bit. Once I've had the opportunity to catch my breath (so to speak), I'll be back with a new player.
It's been a fun two years, and while I'm sad that Bode's career is finally at its end, I'm eager to see what the next two years have in store for me. Thank you all.
I had no clue what a "sim-league" was, but the idea of getting to create my own player and experience an entire pro football career was extremely interesting to me. As I read the post, I became more and more intrigued by this "National Simulation Football League." I followed a link in the post to the site, and after looking around for a while, eventually decided to sign up and create my own player.
My journey since then has been greater than anything I could have imagined. This whole experience has been amazing, from my first days as an eager but unsure Prospect Bowl participant to today, with the Second Line on the verge of another playoff appearance. And I'm not just talking about Bode's career, although that has exceeded my wildest expectations. I'm talking about the people I would meet and get to know through the league. The r/NFL post I read talked about forming close relationships and making great friends, and I'll admit I was a little skeptical about that. But I cannot imagine my life now without many of the people I've met through the league. I joined for the football, but I've stayed around for the people.
The Prospect Bowl was the main reason I was so active in the league early on. It's what got me excited about being a part of this community, and helped keep me going when I felt less than motivated to earn TPE or write media. My Central Grizzlies might not have won the "championship," but that short period of time was an absolute joy. So thank you @TomHanks and @ScorpXCracker for being amazing teammates, and for helping me find my feet in the league. And a special thank you to Gimmy Jaroppolo, through whom all things are possible. #GrizzlyGang
Then, through the DSFL Draft, I found my way to the San Antonio Marshals. There, I forged some of my first and most lasting league friendships. It was a great locker room to be a part of, and to this day I still take pride in the fact that I was part of such a great team (the fact that we had a historic regular season certainly helped, too). Thank you @timeconsumer for taking a chance on me, and for all the guidance and advice you gave me in the early days of Bode's career; in a very real way, I would not be where I am today without your support. And I can't talk about the S14 Marshals without shouting out the Fab Five: @Baron1898, @Frick_Nasty, @Duilio05, and @shadyshoelace. You guys are all incredible people, and I'm thankful every day that I got to share a locker room with you all. I'm definitely looking forward to getting to play with some (or all?) of you again in the future. #MarshalUp
And then came the S15 NSFL draft, and suddenly I was a member of the New Orleans Second Line. I don't think I can adequately put into words how much I've loved my time with the Second Line. It has truly been a home to me the past year and a half, and the people I've shared that locker room with have come to be some of my dearest friends. When I got engaged, they were among the first people I told. They were cheering me on last week as I went through several rounds of interviews, and they celebrated alongside me a few days ago when I landed the job. The on-field success has been great, don't get me wrong, but through all the ups and downs there's no team I'd rather have been a part of, and no group of people I'd have rather had by my side throughout. To @JuOSu: after our first pre-draft conversations, I knew for sure that I wanted to be a part of your team. You were exactly the kind of leader I wanted to play for, and the kind of person I wanted to share a locker room with. Your impact on Bode's career -- and on me as a person -- cannot be understated, and I'm truly honored to have played for and with you for so long. To @slothfacekilla: the first message I ever sent you was "Let's go win an Ultimus." I'm happy that we managed to achieve that goal, but I'm even more happy that we became friends along the way. You always motivated me to do better, even if you didn't know it, and you were always there when I -- or anyone on the team -- needed a joke or a kind word. You're truly one of the funniest people I know, and I'm glad I've had your support through thick and thin. To @TomHanks (yeah, you get a second shoutout. It's my retirement post, I can do what I want): I was ecstatic when we ended up in New Orleans together. So much of the team's success and current standing is because of your hard work, and I've always admired your passion and dedication to the team and to the league. You've been a great teammate, GM, and friend, and I'll never forgive you for beating me in the S14 playoffs. To @bex: you're a fantastic commissioner, and I'm so glad I got to work in the Head Office while you were in charge. And you're a fantastic teammate; your energy and spirit have touched me and everyone else in the locker room. "Purple Reign" will always hold a special place in my heart, and I had an absolute blast hanging out with you in person last year. To @IsaStarcrossed: I knew your name long before you came to New Orleans, but getting to know the person behind the name was a great experience. Your passion for the league rubbed off on me, and I strive to be the best league member I can be partly because of the example you set. And to @ddrector and @mithrandir: You've continued the New Orleans tradition of outstanding leadership, and I know the team's future is safe in your hands. Thank you for making the last few seasons so memorable, and for allowing me to finish my career the way I wanted to. #DootDoot
There are still a ton of other people I want to thank. @manicmav36, @infinitempg, and @TeyonSchavari were the best Head Office co-workers I could have asked for, and the epitome of what the league should strive to be. Thank you to @flyeaglesfly29 for hiring me as an updater and showing me the ropes, and thank you @"Laser" for continuing to make the updating team the best department in the whole league. Speaking of updaters, thank you to all the updaters I've had over the years; there are too many of you to name, but I appreciate every one of you and am grateful for the work you did for me. To the other Second Line teammates I've had over the years, thank you for making the team special in your own unique way. You've all contributed to the great locker room culture that has kept me around for so long, and I thank you for that. And to everyone else in the league that I've ever talked, joked, interacted, or dealt with, thank you for being here. The league is nothing without its users, and I'm glad that the community is continuing to thrive and to grow. You've made me excited to recreate and experience the entire journey again. If I didn't shout you out here, it's not personal, I'm just bad at remembering things. You can yell at me in the replies if you feel like you were overlooked.
My NOLA squad already knows this, but I will not be recreating right away. I'll continue to work as an updater, but I'm taking a season break between players just to give myself a chance to step back from the league a little bit. Once I've had the opportunity to catch my breath (so to speak), I'll be back with a new player.
It's been a fun two years, and while I'm sad that Bode's career is finally at its end, I'm eager to see what the next two years have in store for me. Thank you all.
![[Image: BODE.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/800790374204571721/893650710489628732/BODE.png)
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