Know Thy Enemy...

[Millhouse]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_fo ... (American)

It is time to set this one out front for examination.

I've told stories about how much these groups of scummy brainless morons have annoyed me at work, but I never knew how ridiculously involved this is.

And that ISN'T meant to be praise. It's meant to be the opposite. And specifically for Polite24, 'involved' does NOT mean 'complicated' or 'complex' in this discussion, so don't confuse the two.

Now, with all that out of the way, I just want to know one thing, really. How much time is wasted in the workplace for this bullshit?

"Fantasy football is a fantasy sports game in which participants (called "owners") are arranged into a league." = Fantasy football is a fantasy sports game in which people come up with an excuse not to work, and congregate for 30 minutes to an hour each day either in person or waste company time via email talking about this.

In my own workplaces of the past, I've seen this sort of thing go on all the time. I couldn't possibly have imagined what they were doing, I only knew it was the 'fantasy football' activity they engaged in on a daily basis. Congregating for half an hour on a regular basis at each other's desks, speculating the outcomes. Now that I've read the wikipedia article (know thy enemy), I now know what it is they were up to. And I am far less impressed than before, if that's even possible.

This is what I'm talking about. Professional Sports has been taken to an extreme that it never should have gone to. Popular is one thing, but these people really need something more productive to do with their WORK time. Not leisure, because I never saw any of them do it on their own time, personally. WORK time.

No wonder other countries that compete with us for quality made products think we're lazy.

[abitagirl]

Fantasy football. Really. There just seems to be something really weird and childish about the whole thing.

[Ray]

And repulsively needy.

So that's what it's about.. I didn't know before now either. I didn't know it was that involved or that there were rules. As if there wasn't enough actual sports, these clowns have to INVENT more!

I can imagine what type of personality would come up with this idea and coerce the rest of the workcenter to play along.

[Millhouse]

I can imagine what type of personality would come up with this idea and coerce the rest of the workcenter to play along.

As I've mentioned in other posts, I've been harrassed at work by these twits to 'sign up' for their stupid activities, and just like in grade school, ostracised for not participating. Then they wave it in my face after I politely refused, as if I would have enjoyed it. They treat it like any typical sports bully treats a sport they are fanatical about.

Oh, and when they weren't congregating and hanging about another person's desk talking about it, they were sending emails to their departments (mass emails) reminding people to sign up for this or that, don't forget your draft picks, or yammering on over email about winners.

[Sergey]

As much as I don't want to respond, I am The Trolling One, thus all I have to is... FANTASY FOOTBALL? So what now they like playing in idiotic leagues as if they are some important player? Fuck Fantasy Football/Baseball... oh god... more Fantasy sports games... I'm shocked how idiotic people can be for shunning RPG's even they role play as dumb ass players in dumb ass leagues!

[Ray]

Oh, and when they weren't congregating and hanging about another person's desk talking about it, they were sending emails to their departments (mass emails) reminding people to sign up for this or that, don't forget your draft picks, or yammering on over email about winners.

I bet the boss LOVES these chatty Cathys --NOT!

But, in the face of this kind of organized insurrection, most bosses can't do much about it. And are forced to play along like a clown. What a shame.

[Millhouse]

Oh, and when they weren't congregating and hanging about another person's desk talking about it, they were sending emails to their departments (mass emails) reminding people to sign up for this or that, don't forget your draft picks, or yammering on over email about winners.

I bet the boss LOVES these chatty Cathys --NOT!

But, in the face of this kind of organized insurrection, most bosses can't do much about it. And are forced to play along like a clown. What a shame.

Most male bosses are into this kind of crap. It is sad but true. Or worse, the company owner is.

[Polite24]

This is some petty ass shit to complain about...

[Fat Man]

This is some petty ass shit to complain about...

Excuse me, you MORON!

But being harassed on the job because you don't want to take part in some stupid activity is not "petty ass shit" because there is nothing petty about the issue of job harassment.

Some bosses are such ass-holes that they might even fire an employee who does not wish to take part in so-called fantasy football.

You don't think it can happen?

Guess again moron!

When I was in school, I was once suspended because I failed to climb a rope in a gymnasium. I tried to climb the rope but was unable to because of a knee injury, but that didn't matter, I got suspended anyway.

I was bullied around and harassed in school just simply because I didn't like sports.

If it can happen in school, it can just as easily happen in the job place.

So, thanks to sports, people who don't like sports may run the risk of losing their jobs, their cars, and even their homes if they can't find another job right away.

Ending up with your family living in the streets due to loss of employment is not a petty issue.

so, SUCK ON THAT! JIMBO!!!

[Ray]

This is some petty ass shit to complain about...

says the clown.

how would you like it if I sat on YOUR desk nekkid and played a tune with my armpit for 15 minutes every morning? That's about as ignorant, pushy, and repulsive as you and your boring friends are.

[Ray]

I bet the boss LOVES these chatty Cathys --NOT!

But, in the face of this kind of organized insurrection, most bosses can't do much about it. And are forced to play along like a clown. What a shame.

Most male bosses are into this kind of crap. It is sad but true. Or worse, the company owner is.

Really? Are you sure they're just not playing along to avoid appearing weak and overpowered? If not, what a pity... clowns working for fools.

[Millhouse]

This is some petty ass shit to complain about...

You almost sound resigned that I'm 'complaining' about it in the first place. As in, you have nothing poignant to say about it.

But sure, I'll bite on this. Petty, eh? Well, sunshine, I wouldn't complain about it if it weren't a legitimate disruption.

At your age, I don't know if you have a job, if you excel at it, or if your supervisors are just laid back, but I will tell you... if you want to get anywhere in life, being competitively good and efficient at doing your job is extremely important.

Say you had a job you liked. Say it was the career of your dreams, even. These two things make you work even harder to impress your superiors. Now pretend that every day around 10 a.m, guys start congregating near your desk, talking about Sesame Street. You think it's going to be an idle, curt conversation, but it's not, they go on and on and don't shut up for half an hour about whether or not Bert and Ernie are gay or the cookie monster has an eating disorder.

You shake it off. Then your email work inbox gets flooded all day with 'reply to all' discussions about the same thing, adding to the discussion whether or not oscar the grouch is a public menace. And people are placing and trading bets on whether or not elmo is stupid.

You go to lunch, and you're minding your own business, making idle polite conversation with people, and these weirdos come over to you and ask you why you haven't signed up for their Sesame Street Club. This happens several times a week.

At 2p.m., when you're settled back in after lunch and doing your job, trying to make a deadline for your boss, the congregating starts again. You get to hear more of what you heard earlier.

You want to do something to tune out the noise, like put on headphones, but those are banned in this particular office. Yet congregating at the desks and yapping for half an hour about this crap is not considered rude, nor disruptive.

You go to the boss about it, in spite of the fact that you don't want to make any waves at work, but you're fed up with the situation, he pretends to be sympathetic, and does little about it because he's a member of the Sesame Street Club himself. Later after this failed conversation, he pulls you aside and says something to the effect of 'you know, you might have fun if you just join the group and try things out.'

Um, fuck no? I come to work to do my job, not to fuck around.

A job and a legitimate career mean a lot to me. There are many genuine regular disruptions at the workplace that can cause an unnecessary amount of distraction and stress, and fantasy football teams are one of them. People will try and congregate for lots of reasons in an office, because they can't sit still and do their fucking jobs, but fantasy football offers them a special engine and excuse with which to screw around and get away with it. Because if you take away sports from them, then you're a fucking asshole, because it's sports, therefore popular, therefore you should make a special exception to this group of morons.

'Petty'. You just want the simplest explanations, Polite, and I hope I gave you a nice, complex one that forced you to think.

If I owned a company full of sports fans hell bent on forming fantasy football teams, I'd allow it, but on their own time.

Work is a place to work, not screw off. That goes for any passtime or leisure activity you enjoy. Just because you like fantasy football doesn't mean you should get to be a special exception to the rule. You should be disciplined like everyone else that wastes company time.

Here's another resource if you need it...

http://www.ehow.com/how_4513725_footbal ... ffice.html

The places I've worked, every single one of those fucking guidelines was broken and then some.

Care to tell me that I just happened to be in the 1% of sports fans who act like idiots, Polite?

'Petty'. I'll tell you what's petty...as if popular sports aren't enough, the fans have to invent this shit and infect the workplace with it, and get offended because everyone else besides them aren't interested in it.

Again, a recurring motif in my posts, it is almost religious in nature. Eat, breathe, sleep and live it, but also shove it down everyone else's throat and up everyone else's ass while you're at it. Proselytizing. There are fewer things uglier in human nature. That, I believe, is what you're afraid of conceding to, Polite, that we might have a point and might be right. Even though the core values of this website still don't want to ban or do away with sports.

[Fat Man]

Again, a recurring motif in my posts, it is almost religious in nature. Eat, breathe, sleep and live it, but also shove it down everyone else's throat and up everyone else's ass while you're at it. Proselytizing. There are fewer things uglier in human nature. That, I believe, is what you're afraid of conceding to, Polite, that we might have a point and might be right. Even though the core values of this website still don't want to ban or do away with sports.

Well . . . actually . . . I would like to see a total ban on all sports, and all the athletes and sports fans ground up and made into lunch meat to feed the homeless.

But, that's another story.

[Polite24]

Millhouse, I can kind of now see your point. I do think that these people mean no harm, just some people can't fathom other people not liking sports.

[Earl]

Give credit to Polite24 for trying to see another point of view. At least he listens.