The Night That Changed Football Forever
Every year, 40 million Americans (and even entire offices) play fantasy football, “drafting” players from across the NFL for their virtual teams and competing for money and bragging rights. Maybe you have a virtual team in the locker room as you’re reading this! But where did the concept of fantasy football start? According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the gridiron trend began in a New York City hotel room in 1962 — a night that changed football forever. There, a group of friends led by Oakland Raiders part-owner Bill Winkenbach created the first fantasy football league. They dubbed it the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League — or GOPPPL for short. Apart from the point values assigned to different accomplishments on the field, their original model wasn’t very far off from the fantasy football of today. “The league members would ‘draft’ actual National Football League (NFL) and American Football League … players to their fantasy franchises, and on the basis of the actual performance of those players in games, the members would accrue points and compete against each other,” the encyclopedia reports. Early fantasy football leagues were complicated undertakings. In the days before the internet, members had to agree to reference the box scores in a particular newspaper’s sports pages and “draft” their teams in the same room on long phone calls, or even via snail mail. CBS Sports began offering online fantasy football leagues in 1997, and today it’s even easier to play. The sport is built right into the NFL website (Fantasy.NFL.com), and you can join a free league or start a league of your own with a click! Whether you’re a former player or a HOW FANTASY FOOTBALL GOT ITS START
One of the unsettling realities that no one really warns you about when you file a personal injury lawsuit is that it may cause the insurance company to put you under surveillance. You read that correctly: The insurance company responsible for compensating you if you win the case will spy on you. Why would they do that? Well, to see if they can gather evidence to negate your claims of the severity of your injuries. They may take photos or videos of you on your property, and they’ll certainly monitor your social media page, all for the purpose of presenting “evidence” to the court that could lower the amount of money they have to pay you. Will Insurance Companies Spy on You? Yes! DON’T LET THEM PAY YOU LESS THAN YOU’RE OWED
Now that you know about this possibility, however, you can follow a few rules of thumb to ensure the insurance company pays you what you’re owed.
Don’t push yourself to be more active. Even if you’re feeling good one day, and you think you might go for a walk, rake some leaves or mow your lawn, think again. For starters, “feeling good” doesn’t always mean you’re actually healthy enough to engage in those activities. You should always follow your doctor’s advice for when you can do certain activities again. Secondly, if spies from the insurance agent see you doing tasks that make you seem like you’re healthier than you are, they’ll present these misleading photos and videos to the court, which could substantially lower your compensation. Stay off of social media. Your social media profiles are a gold mine of information for insurance companies looking to find evidence to combat your claim. After all, many people post their entire lives on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter profiles! So, while you might think that posting certain photos would be harmless, insurance companies could rip it wildly out of context for evidence to back up their claims. So, it’s probably better to not post anything at all. Insurance companies and major corporations may have armies of spies and lawyers, but if you have a good attorney in your corner, you can still come out on top. If you want to make sure you’re fairly compensated, call Shuttlesworth Law Firm at (205) 322-1411 to hear how we can help.
superfan who wants to play coach for a day, fantasy is a great way to stake a personal claim in the sport and connect with friends while you do it.
Check out the article “How to Play Fantasy Football: A Beginner’s Guide” on NFL. com to learn the basics. It’s
updated annually, so make sure you hunt down the 2021 version! When you start, don’t forget to salute Winkenbach, the official “Father of Fantasy Sports.”
2 • SHUTTLESWORTHLASSETER.COM
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