Geek parents: Get your kids and claim a GeekDad fantasy football franchise (photo: Steve Henry)

Building on the success of the GeekDad Fantasy Baseball league, we are starting a GeekDad Fantasy Football league. Similar to the baseball league, our football league will be a GeekDad parent and child league. This league is not for the GeekDad’s; it is truly meant as an experience to be shared between the parent and child.

In the mid-90’s, I was first exposed to Fantasy Baseball then Fantasy Football. I am a diehard Cleveland sports fan, but I quickly learned that I was not very knowledgeable about the rest of the NFL (and MLB). By participating in fantasy sports, it gave me a much broader appreciation for the talent in the MLB and NFL. I enjoyed the competition and sense of community with the other owners in my league. As the kids came along in 2001, I made a choice to retire from fantasy sports and focus on our growing family. Wisely, I knew it would not end well if I told my wife my crying son would have to wait while I set my fantasy lineup for the week.

Fast forward to 2012, I saw an opportunity to play in a GeekFather/Son fantasy baseball league with my middle son who is a sport fanatic. Yes, I pulled a Michael Jordan and came out of retirement (minus the millions of dollars). My middle son loves playing sports, watching sports, playing sports video game, writing fictional sports stories, dreaming about sports, and planning how he will spend his first multi-million dollar contract (give to the poor and buy himself a mansion). He is a budding SportsGeek if I ever saw one.

He has really enjoyed our first season of fantasy baseball. Prior to this season, he had a focus on the “name” (read, popular) baseball players. Through fantasy baseball, he has learned to appreciate more than just homeruns. We’ve seen a few of our fantasy players play in person. We look at box scores together, watch highlights, set lineups, and discuss trades. It truly has been a fun father-son experience.

Many of our SportsGeek parents will take no convincing to participate in our league. For those of you on the fence, here are four reasons, starting on First Down, why you should consider joining our league.

First Down – Bonding –Fantasy football provides you a chance to further bond with your son or daughter while you enjoy America’s most popular professional sport. Part of the fantasy football experience is getting to know the other owners and the joy of competition – not to mention talking (kid-friendly) smack to the other owners.

Second Down – Math, Statistics, and Strategies – Fantasy football is a great (and sneaky) way to work on math, statistics, and strategic thinking with your son/daughter. The beauty of fantasy football is its simplicity which makes it very accessible with your child. However, you can take it as far as you want as you start to look at weekly match ups.

Third Down – Fantasy Football is like a real-life extension of Madden’s franchise mode. You get to be the co-owners of your franchise! Will you run it like Dan Schneider or Robert Kraft? Will you stock your team with your favorite team’s players or will you stock talent from some of your favorite team’s arch-rivals?

Fourth Down - Gives you an excuse to watch football all day Sunday… you are just trying to be a good GeekDad and do some “scouting” with your son or daughter!

If you are interested in joining a startup fantasy football league for GeekDad parents and their kids, please look for more information on the project site. Claim your franchise now!