2015, what a great time it was to be alive with fantasy football. I was playing in the NHL, just bought a new house, and I was only one year into my life sentence of marriage. On the outside things were great, but there was just something that always felt missing in my life. I tried to fill this void with endless busy work around the house or maybe even playing some men’s league with my buddies squad, The Dump Trucks, and about 15 casuals in the parking lot after. Whatever I tried to preoccupy my abundance of downtime with, it just didn’t feel right.
I have been playing fantasy football since my days at Boston University over a decade ago. At that point of my life I had fun with it, didn’t take it too seriously, and in the end if the Pats won on Sunday I could care less about my fantasy squad. Once I signed my first NHL contract and started playing in fantasy football leagues with my teammates for higher stakes, well thats when things got serious. I went right down the rabbit hole of fascination and obsession of fantasy sports like you hear so often. All those leagues were a blast don’t get me wrong, but in the end they were all work leagues. So when I hit that point in 2015, the fantasy football fire was burning the brightest in my stomach and I needed more. I needed a league; that everyone took as serious as I did, that was all year round without large amounts of owner turnover, built on relationships and owners that cared about each other. Most of all I needed a league with a live in person draft! The decision was made right then and there that I would carry the burden that every commissioner has and start my own league.
For the Love of Sunday was the name that I chose for two reasons. First, I thought the actually name sounded cool and official, and second I liked the Abbreviation FTLS. When it came to finding owners I like to think of Herb Brooks’ famous line “I’m not looking for the best ones, I’m looking for the right ones”. I needed the right mix of owners in order to lay the foundation of a long standing league. I was looking for good people with a passion for football, beers, and a competitive attitude. I still think about the original owners and how grateful I am that they didn’t destroy the league year one.
The first FTLS draft would decide if the league would survive or not. At this time we were basically a Boston based league, only having three teams even outside Massachusetts, so draft day would be easiest if we did it in the Boston area. An outstanding man of the FTLS and my brother-in-law, Marky, stepped up to the plate and set us up with a Sunday pool party at a local hotel for the inaugural event. Needless to say it was a massive success. We had our own boardroom with wings, pizza, music, and booze lots of booze. Heck, we even had a waitress that offered to put up players names for us as they were selected. The draft took a little longer than expected, as we lost owners for long periods of time out at the pool bar, but we got through it and had one of the best times ever doing it.
I can’t tell you how crucial that first live in person draft was to our league. If you haven’t done one in any of your leagues I am telling you get on it ASAP. I literately hate sitting in front of a computer to draft now. Its boring as hell and so damn emotionless. Don’t even ask about how emotional the FTLS draft room gets. I still remember the mid draft brawl of 2016 down at Foxwoods with the owner of 8 Hour Shower. If you don’t believe me maybe you can ask the owner of Mick’s Muffs how it feels to catch a chicken wing in the eye at the start of round 8. The best part is waking up the next morning and reminiscing with you pals about how Johnny Batts was speaking cursive when he selected Nate Washington right after he was cut from an NFL roster. The live draft is worth every penny and for a lot of us it is one of the few days all year that we truly look forward to.
The FTLS has definitely taken off as a league and a brand since that summer of 2015. We have had two drafts in Boston, one at Foxwoods Casino, and one in Saratoga Springs, NY. We have lost a few owners along the way only to find other great FTLS men with our ever so important application process. Oh and if you haven’t heard by now Johnny Batts and myself started a podcast under the FTLS brand. We have made many changes over the years but the FTLS still features heavy trading, light banter, and impenetrable camaraderie. We aren’t the youngest of lads anymore. Everyone is getting pulled in a hundred different directions each summer with family and friends, but we always manage to get together for that one very important day to drink too many beers and throw some stickers on a board.
Heading into year five of the league and new territory with our website FTLSunday.com; our FTLS rating system seems to be just scratching the surface. Whatever happens with this website and podcast I will never forget why I started doing any of this in the first place. I love fantasy football, love hanging out with my buddies, and I absolutely love whatever the For the Love of Sunday league has. I speak on behalf of all the FTLS owners and say that I hope you all can find a league that you care about as much as we all do. From a simple fantasy football league we are building a lifetime of memories and relationships. Remember to do a live in person draft, enjoy the people in the league, and like always make sure you #LoveSundays.
