28 October 2009 - 15:56Fantasy Football and NutriSystem

Last night, I wandered into my neighborhood bar to watch Monday Night Football with The Wife. My downstairs neighbor, David, was there too and we got into a conversation that I thought was worth sharing.

David is a successful documentary filmmaker. He lives in Tribeca with his wife (a journalist) and kids. As far as I know, he makes movies about interesting aspects of American culture. Essentially, a successful, creative, intellectual, family guy.

As the game played on, David mentions that he’s obsessed with the NFL. A Running Back for the Eagles was hurt in the 1st quarter; David already knew who would replace him. That is some in-depth, on-demand knowledge about two teams that are arguably not on the forefront of many minds outside of DC or Philadelphia. That led to Fantasy Football.

I like pro football. With few exceptions, I’ve tuned in every season since I was a kid in Indiana. I’ve certainly heard of Fantasy Football, but didn’t know anything about it. David enlightened me. Fantasy Football has become an incredibly popular phenomenon. Just prior to the 2009 NFL season, Colin Cowherd of ESPN said “more than 27 million players play fantasy football. They spend an average of nine hours a week (during football season… playing fantasy football).” And per David, in addition to ‘drafting’ players and competing in your ‘league’ based on real player stats, it is a singularly fascinating way for all these guys in diverse social, geographic and racial groups to connect with one another (trading players, anguishing over defeats, boasting victories, etc.).

The wife and I ordered a bite to eat. David declined; he had just eaten at home – NutriSystem. I’d say his enthusiasm for NutriSystem and Fantasy Football were about even. It just works, he said. We were suspicious about the food; he said it was fine. He likes spicy food, so he often adds hot sauce – said the portions are small but he eats them throughout the day so he never feels hungry (“lots of pasta and chocolate”). David has dropped 20 lbs in 6 weeks via NutriSystem. ”. Apparently it does just work. David discovered NutriSystem a few years ago after being on the set of a sports show with Dan Marino; thought Marino looked great and made the connection. I’ve always imagined that a diet program would mean dreary food tinged with endless hunger pangs. Certainly not so in reality it seems. In fact, he was counting his scotch as a “snack” permitted within the program.

Interesting that Weight Watchers, with its pink & white packaging and location in supermarket freezers, is so clearly aimed at women. Jenny Craig: the name alone excludes men, while NutriSystem seems to be more inclusive – for anyone with an interest in dropping a few pounds.

Sitting in a bar watching the game, learning about the apparently pervasive Fantasy Football League and how easily it connects 27 million “owners” across socio-economic barriers (most of the other guys in David’s league are on Wall Street), and talking about the wonders of NutriSystem: unrelated except that I hadn’t appreciated the importance of online community around sports and self-improvement for men.