Fantasy Football: The Do’s and Don’ts of Choosing a Name

Opinion

This year, as it seems most years usually do, has flown by, so much so that my email check yesterday led me to a pleasant surprise: an ad for fantasy football 2012 on the side. Really, it’s almost time for fantasy football again?

This season will mark the fourth year of playing fantasy football for me, and although I haven’t been what you might call “successful” (a championship my inaugural season is all I have to show for sleepless nights full of research), there’s definitely no other way I would want to spend my Sundays—and for that matter, the six days following.

While researching who to pick and who to stay away from is key to a successful season of fantasy football, there is one element that tends to be overlooked by many: choosing a great name. For every “Under Dwayne Bowe” and “Ixnay on the Heyward-Bey”, there are plenty of uninspired names that make fantasy owners everywhere want to weep silently. So, the question is how to you distinguish a great name from an awful name? Follow these five rules of naming your fantasy football team, and I guarantee that you will have one of the best names in your league.

Put Some Effort Into It – When I first started playing fantasy football, the people I played with kept the names simple: something like “The Dawgs” or “The Red Zone Raiders”. Now that everyone has got some experience and knows how to handle a team, a name like that would get you laughed out of the league. Try and come up with a catchy name; anything less than that it’s just a waste of an opportunity.

Make It Funny – Funny names are great for fantasy football, because even when your team is dead last you’ve got something to cheer you up. Plays on words are great for team names like the ones listed above, so just think of some common sayings and pop culture references and try and replace a word with a player of coach’s name.

Don’t Be a Copycat – There are plenty of websites out there with clever team names, but don’t just go to one and copy a name that you think is a good one. Also, don’t look at other leagues on your site in order to find a name; it’s not very hard to be creative, so just do it.

Make It Relevant – Just because you think you can make a funny name using a player from the 1980’s doesn’t mean you should, because more than likely the other people in your league will be left scratching their heads. Try and incorporate a big name in the league right now, someone like Arian Foster (Foster the People) or Jets head coach Rex Ryan (I’m Rexy and I Know It). Come up with a good one, and you could be the talk of your league—that is, at least until the season starts.

Don’t Recycle Names – Used a funny name in last year’s league? Well, kiss that one goodbye, because this is a new year. As much as I enjoyed “VYoung & the Restless” last year, a new season means a new name. With new players coming into the league, more good names become available, so just have at it.

Don’t think these rules work? Here are the best ten names that I’ve come up with since yesterday, including the one I am using for my team.

Stand By Your Manning
Jamaal Charles in Charge
Weeden Out the Pretenders
What Would Jones-Drew?
Flynn to Win
Skeltons in the Closet
T-T-T-Tebow & the Mess
On DeMarco
It Ain’t Easy Being Breesy
DeCoud Do U Think U R?

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