Welcome to Fantasy Week at 草莓传媒.com, where we鈥檒l be rolling out fantasy football related content to help you with your聽draft strategy,听team names听补苍诲 more.
Getting traded in the middle of the baseball season is tough. Your life is uprooted, as you鈥檙e sent to new city with new teammates and coaches, expected to adjust on the fly.
But when reliever Daniel Hudson arrived in Washington after being dealt from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline this year, he immediately found one of his creature comforts: fantasy football.
鈥淲hen I got traded over, they said they had a spot for me, so I was able to get jump in this league here with these guys,鈥� he said.
It may be a funny thought for fans 鈥� that professional athletes play fantasy sports the same way they do. And Hudson鈥檚 certainly not the only one.
鈥淚 absolutely do,鈥� said outfielder Adam Eaton. 鈥淢y family has had a league and my neighborhood has had a league before computers took over, [on] pad and paper.鈥�
Neither Hudson nor Eaton actually play fantasy baseball, though. Hudson dabbles in fantasy golf as well as his participation in the Nationals鈥� league, helmed by none other than Max Scherzer.
Scherzer separately hosts his own celebrity-studded fantasy football draft party as a charitable event (). Proceeds benefit the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.
Eaton steers clear of the Nats鈥� team league, though, preferring lower stakes action with his friends outside of baseball.
鈥淭he team has [a league] as well, but it鈥檚 a little too expensive for my taste to get in,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 like to keep it cheaper and enjoy it. It鈥檚 a good way to keep in touch with friends as well, and family members, talk a little crap.鈥�
But what about NFL players? Football reigns supreme among fantasy sports. While Washington Redskins running back Chris Thompson said some of the special teamers play, he never has. In fact, he鈥檚 completely oblivious to the entire enterprise.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 even understand it, to be completely honest with you,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have no clue how it works. I don鈥檛 even really know what a flex player is.鈥�
That made it even more funny when defensive end Calais Campbell, then of the Arizona Cardinals, came up to Thompson after a game in 2016.
鈥淗e was like, 鈥楳an, I鈥檝e had you on my fantasy team since you got in the league,鈥欌�� said Thompson.
Most such interactions are less pleasant. How often does a fan give Eaton fantasy-related grief?
鈥淎bout every night,鈥� he laughed. 鈥淚 apologize to my fantasy owners in advance.鈥�
Hudson sees it as an inevitability of the game, but one he鈥檚 happy to deal with so long as it brings more fans to his sport.
鈥淲hen I was a starter, I used to hear it a lot more, especially on social media and stuff like that,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just part of the game now, and it鈥檚 really popular, and it鈥檚 getting more people into it, so I鈥檓 all for it.鈥�
草莓传媒’s Dave Preston and George Wallace contributed to this story.
