Nowadays people are becoming more and more enthusiastic about fantasy sports. Each major American sports league has a fantasy aspect to follow along and track the stats of your favorite players. The more popular ones are fantasy football, hockey, baseball, and basketball. It can get competitive, especially when money is on the line. If you have an office league or a league related to the workplace, there are definitely some do’s and don’ts that you should always keep in mind. Even though tensions might rise during your weekly matchups, you need to stay professional when it’s related to work. So, here is a list of the fantasy sports do’s and don’ts and some tips on how to succeed. Don’t let these simple mistakes on the fantasy platform hinder your career.
1.) Offensive Names
Every fantasy league has a handful of names that people might consider offensive. It’s common practice to take an event that has occurred in popular culture, such as a legal issue, and make a joke out of it on your team name. In a work league this is unacceptable, especially if it’s a competitive environment with room for advancement. You always need to keep in mind that people can be sensitive, and your words might seem humorous, but they can negatively impact the people around you. You can still have a funny team name or league name; just keep it clean and fun. We’ll leave the ideas up to you.
2.) Trash Talk
Part of fantasy sports is the ability to trash talk your opponent. There are even chat boxes in yahoo for this very purpose. However, you need to be careful what you say in your work league. You never want to talk smack to your coworkers or managers in a public setting, because it can have a negative impact on your professional image. Talking smack should be reserved for leagues between friends. Just keep it quiet and focus on winning your match ups. You will have plenty of time to jab at your opponent in the lunch room.
3.) Checking Your Team During Work Hours
This is a huge no-no. Don’t ever do this, and if you do decide to do it, don’t get caught. When you are in the workplace, you are there to get work done. You never want your managers checking in on you and noticing that you are not being effective. Checking your rosters on your cellphone quickly at lunch isn’t a huge deal, but save the roster analysis and free agent / waiver pickups for when you get home. It looks bad if you are browsing the internet during work hours.
4.) Share Your Winnings
If you win the office pool, you’ll have several options regarding what to do with the money. You will be an office hero if you spread the wealth to your coworkers. Maybe consider buying your league members a few rounds of adult beverages, or taking some of them out for dinner. If you are generous with your winnings it will turn into an office tradition, and people will be spreading the wealth for years to come. Be a pioneer who isn’t afraid to take risks, and your generosity will become contagious. Give and you shall receive.
5.) Have Fun!
Fantasy sports are a great way to follow professional athletics from a statistical standpoint. If you are new to the game, then you will surely learn a lot in short period of time. Sometimes it can be frustrating when your team performs poorly, especially when money is on the line. However, take the game for what it is and have fun doing it. You’ll start to root for teams you wouldn’t normally care about as you cheer for your roster to perform well. Have fun and make sure your coworkers do as well!
Matthew Welch
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