Chicago Swarm (Jack)

1 Who are you? Where do you live?

Hey guys! I'm Jack, a 16 year-old, living in the United States who would like to join this league sometime in the near future. I'm only 16 but I've been playing fantasy football for about half my life.

2 Tell us about your fantasy football experience, including the types of leagues you play in and where they are hosted.

In 2009 (third grade!), my friend and I, with the help of our dads, joined a fantasy league on NFL.com.

3 Why do you want to be part of Roster Wars...what drew your interest?

Activity. I saw your post on the DLF forums and the level of activity sounds ridiculous (in the best way possible). Of the twelve people in my hometown redraft league, there is only 1 that I'd say matches my level of activity. I average 4-5+ waiver pickups a week (although some are due to indecisiveness when streaming D/ST and kickers) and there are a couple of the people in my league who refuse to trade with me because our league group chat has made too much fun of them before for getting ripped off in a trade with me.

4 How much time in a typical week do you spend on your fantasy football hobby?

An embarrassing amount. A little under 20 hours a week including watching football, 7-ish without watching football.

During the offseason, starting in late June-ish, probably an hour a day. Now that I'm joining my first dynasty league, there obviously is no offseason (whereas before I'd only done redraft, hence starting in late June). So for now, probably an hour a day.

5 Talk about a favorite memory or crazy fantasy football related story.

I'll take a recent one from this year. I was down 15-20 going into the fourth quarter and I had Rodgers and Adams, he had no one. Rodgers does Rodgers things and gets me back in the game and it goes to OT, I'm down 2.9 at this point and Rodgers throws a 75 yard pass to Geronimo Allison on the second drive of OT and I'm winning by 0.1. All the Packers need to do is kick the field goal and I escape with a 0.1 point victory, but Rodgers takes the snap on the next play and runs to the middle of the field to set it up right down the middle for Crosby, and I lose by 0.1 because Rodgers took a knee for -2 yards. Also this year, I won by 0.04 because of Stefon Diggs' week 1 performance where he put up 2 TDs and 24 fantasy points against New Orleans week 1. Another one, this was a few years ago, I was down 29 with Calvin Johnson and Rashad Jennings going into MNF, he had no one left. Giants are up with less than two minutes left and instead of just running the ball, they run a screen pass for Rashad Jennings and it goes for 30 yards. 30 yards = 3 points, reception = 0.5, and I win 119-117. Thursday comes around, and on a stat correction, we tie 117-117. We switched to decimal scoring the next season.

6 What do you think members of your other leagues would say about you as an owner?

Members of my other leagues would say I take it too seriously and spend too much time on it. They think I spend every awake moment thinking about fantasy (they're not wrong). They'd say I'm a very good trader, an average drafter, and write very good power rankings.

7 Anything else you would like to add?

Not really, no. Maybe that I've never played IDP so I it would be a learning experience for me at first.

8 Are you joining to be a friend of the league or are you looking for the first chance into the fray?

Looking to join the league in the future in a couple of years.

Welcome Aboard Jack!  I gotta tell ya, for a first post, this is pretty impressive.  I can appreciate a 16yr old that can write in complete sentences without using "texting vocab".  And yes, I'm a 50yr old duffer so I can profile a group of youngins.    

By the way, I love the team name. Has a cool ring to it.  If you like talking football, this is the place to be.  Just stay away from the NFL Draft Countdown thread.

Well, as a parent and teacher I am torn.

As a fantasy football player, welcome! You will surely learn some vital information being here, about fantasy football.

Thanks! Glad to be here, seems like a great group!

And about the team name, bees are my favorite animal so I had to think of a bee-themed team name. Glad you like it!

Las Vegas Juggalos wrote:

Well, as a parent and teacher I am torn.

Torn about what? Sorry, bit confused

Thanks for the welcome!

Hey Jack,
So this is a new one for us here. My deal is this...as a father of a 12 year old boy I am not going to treat your parents differently than I would want to be treated. You're a minor and they clearly are fighting the good fight to keep you from being consumed by a world filled with idiots and degenerates and heaven knows what else and I can't blame them for that.

Will I allow you to play now and pay later? No.
Would I allow a grown adult to play now and pay later? No.
Will I allow you to play now if you find a way to get money to us now? No.
Do I personally have an issue with you hanging around here? No.

I guess what I would urge you to do is either bookmark our site or remember the name Roster Wars for the future when you are an adult. I'm confident there are at least a few things that go on around here that your parents would likely disapprove of you associating yourself with like cursing, gambling, pictures of scantily clad ladies (no porn) and conversations that may include alcohol use and such. On the off-chance that wouldn't scare them off, then I would tell them that THIS GROUP is probably the best adult crowd on the internet you're likely to find and I would be SHOCKED if anything found here isn't readily found at your school on an every day basis so I'll leave it up to you and/or your parents as to whether you hang around here with us.

I'm just trying to be honest with you and them. You should do the same. We'll be around in a few years if it doesn't work out right now. Good luck and let me know what you decide.

Unfortunately, Greg's posts aren't appropriate for minors.

Miller902 wrote:

Las Vegas Juggalos wrote:

Well, as a parent and teacher I am torn.

Torn about what? Sorry, bit confused

Thanks for the welcome!

Andy answered this question.

Hell man, I'll even say this....like Bern said I was impressed with your introduction. If you think there is any chance at all your parents wouldn't HATE HATE HATE this place...I'm totally willing to discuss it with them to see if they're comfortable with it. The best scenario would be they APPROVE of you hanging out here which I can assure would keep you out of trouble elsewhere. A bunch of parents in this club.

Minnesota Eternals wrote:

Hey Jack,
So this is a new one for us here.  My deal is this...as a father of a 12 year old boy I am not going to treat your parents differently than I would want to be treated.  You're a minor and they clearly are fighting the good fight to keep you from being consumed by a world filled with idiots and degenerates and heaven knows what else and I can't blame them for that.

Will I allow you to play now and pay later? No.
Would I allow a grown adult to play now and pay later? No.
Will I allow you to play now if you find a way to get money to us now? No.
Do I personally have an issue with you hanging around here? No.

I guess what I would urge you to do is either bookmark our site or remember the name Roster Wars for the future when you are an adult.  I'm confident there are at least a few things that go on around here that your parents would likely disapprove of you associating yourself with like cursing, gambling, pictures of scantily clad ladies (no porn) and conversations that may include alcohol use and such.  On the off-chance that wouldn't scare them off, then I would tell them that THIS GROUP is probably the best adult crowd on the internet you're likely to find and I would be SHOCKED if anything found here isn't readily found at your school on an every day basis so I'll leave it up to you and/or your parents as to whether you hang around here with us.

I'm just trying to be honest with you and them.  You should do the same.  We'll be around in a few years if it doesn't work out right now.  Good luck and let me know what you decide.

I don't know how to quote into individual blocks so I'll just do it as one big response.

Paragraph 1: Makes sense, I figured as much. Probably for the better honestly, as I don't think I know enough about IDP fantasy yet to be competitive in what seems to be a super active league. I didn't expect that I'd be able to join yet. As for the "fighting the good fight part"...I know that's what they're trying to do, and obviously as a teenager I don't have the experiences yet to fully understand it, but it's tough to have basically no freedom/independence. I'm guessing some people here can relate, we'll see if my opinion on the strictness changes as I get older but for now, it kind of sucks.

Paragraph 2: If I remember, I probably will come back in a few years and try to join again. I can't promise that I'll hang around here in the meantime, because I don't see myself wanting to post on a forum with a league I'm not in when I could talk to leagues I am in, if that makes sense. That sounds kind of harsh, I don't mean it to sound that way. But I might be back in a couple years!

All of the things you listed would scare them off, yes, but you're 100% right that I see it at school on a semi-regular basis, haha!

Thanks for the honesty, and for taking the time to write out a thought-out response when you could have easily just said "No, no people under 18, sorry." See you in a year or two, potentially?

Edit for your second response: Nah, they wouldn't approve honestly. Obviously I wish I was allowed to play, but it is good to see that you guys don't want to do anything that could jeopardize the well-being of the entire league for the sake of one potential person.

Minnesota Eternals wrote:

Hell man, I'll even say this....like Bern said I was impressed with your introduction.  If you think there is any chance at all your parents wouldn't HATE HATE HATE this place...I'm totally willing to discuss it with them to see if they're comfortable with it.  The best scenario would be they APPROVE of you hanging out here which I can assure would keep you out of trouble elsewhere.  A bunch of parents in this club.

Completely agree.

Miller902 wrote:

Minnesota Eternals wrote:

Hey Jack,
So this is a new one for us here.  My deal is this...as a father of a 12 year old boy I am not going to treat your parents differently than I would want to be treated.  You're a minor and they clearly are fighting the good fight to keep you from being consumed by a world filled with idiots and degenerates and heaven knows what else and I can't blame them for that.

Will I allow you to play now and pay later? No.
Would I allow a grown adult to play now and pay later? No.
Will I allow you to play now if you find a way to get money to us now? No.
Do I personally have an issue with you hanging around here? No.

I guess what I would urge you to do is either bookmark our site or remember the name Roster Wars for the future when you are an adult.  I'm confident there are at least a few things that go on around here that your parents would likely disapprove of you associating yourself with like cursing, gambling, pictures of scantily clad ladies (no porn) and conversations that may include alcohol use and such.  On the off-chance that wouldn't scare them off, then I would tell them that THIS GROUP is probably the best adult crowd on the internet you're likely to find and I would be SHOCKED if anything found here isn't readily found at your school on an every day basis so I'll leave it up to you and/or your parents as to whether you hang around here with us.

I'm just trying to be honest with you and them.  You should do the same.  We'll be around in a few years if it doesn't work out right now.  Good luck and let me know what you decide.

I don't know how to quote into individual blocks so I'll just do it as one big response.

Paragraph 1: Makes sense, I figured as much. Probably for the better honestly, as I don't think I know enough about IDP fantasy yet to be competitive in what seems to be a super active league. I didn't expect that I'd be able to join yet. As for the "fighting the good fight part"...I know that's what they're trying to do, and obviously as a teenager I don't have the experiences yet to fully understand it, but it's tough to have basically no freedom/independence. I'm guessing some people here can relate, we'll see if my opinion on the strictness changes as I get older but for now, it kind of sucks.

Paragraph 2: If I remember, I probably will come back in a few years and try to join again. I can't promise that I'll hang around here in the meantime, because I don't see myself wanting to post on a forum with a league I'm not in when I could talk to leagues I am in, if that makes sense. That sounds kind of harsh, I don't mean it to sound that way. But I might be back in a couple years!

All of the things you listed would scare them off, yes, but you're 100% right that I see it at school on a semi-regular basis, haha!

Thanks for the honesty, and for taking the time to write out a thought-out response when you could have easily just said "No, no people under 18, sorry." See you in a year or two, potentially?

If you are looking to learn IDP, this is a good spot for you. I understand participating but not reaping the rewards. Perhaps the rewards are greater then you can see right now.

I hope you can stick around, parents thing, but hope you learn IDP from some knowing individuals either way.

All I can say is that I'm a sucker for 1st impressions, this is a good kid.  

Miller902 wrote:

Minnesota Eternals wrote:

Hey Jack,
So this is a new one for us here.  My deal is this...as a father of a 12 year old boy I am not going to treat your parents differently than I would want to be treated.  You're a minor and they clearly are fighting the good fight to keep you from being consumed by a world filled with idiots and degenerates and heaven knows what else and I can't blame them for that.

Will I allow you to play now and pay later? No.
Would I allow a grown adult to play now and pay later? No.
Will I allow you to play now if you find a way to get money to us now? No.
Do I personally have an issue with you hanging around here? No.

I guess what I would urge you to do is either bookmark our site or remember the name Roster Wars for the future when you are an adult.  I'm confident there are at least a few things that go on around here that your parents would likely disapprove of you associating yourself with like cursing, gambling, pictures of scantily clad ladies (no porn) and conversations that may include alcohol use and such.  On the off-chance that wouldn't scare them off, then I would tell them that THIS GROUP is probably the best adult crowd on the internet you're likely to find and I would be SHOCKED if anything found here isn't readily found at your school on an every day basis so I'll leave it up to you and/or your parents as to whether you hang around here with us.

I'm just trying to be honest with you and them.  You should do the same.  We'll be around in a few years if it doesn't work out right now.  Good luck and let me know what you decide.

I don't know how to quote into individual blocks so I'll just do it as one big response.

Paragraph 1: Makes sense, I figured as much. Probably for the better honestly, as I don't think I know enough about IDP fantasy yet to be competitive in what seems to be a super active league. I didn't expect that I'd be able to join yet. As for the "fighting the good fight part"...I know that's what they're trying to do, and obviously as a teenager I don't have the experiences yet to fully understand it, but it's tough to have basically no freedom/independence. I'm guessing some people here can relate, we'll see if my opinion on the strictness changes as I get older but for now, it kind of sucks.

Paragraph 2: If I remember, I probably will come back in a few years and try to join again. I can't promise that I'll hang around here in the meantime, because I don't see myself wanting to post on a forum with a league I'm not in when I could talk to leagues I am in, if that makes sense. That sounds kind of harsh, I don't mean it to sound that way. But I might be back in a couple years!

All of the things you listed would scare them off, yes, but you're 100% right that I see it at school on a semi-regular basis, haha!

Thanks for the honesty, and for taking the time to write out a thought-out response when you could have easily just said "No, no people under 18, sorry." See you in a year or two, potentially?

Edit for your second response: Nah, they wouldn't approve honestly. Obviously I wish I was allowed to play, but it is good to see that you guys don't want to do anything that could jeopardize the well-being of the entire league for the sake of one potential person.

That does suck man. I completely understand what you mean. I'm shocked they have such a tight grip over a 16 year old in this day and age. I'm all to aware of how little one can control things at a certain point. They would be wise to lighten up in some areas but that's just my opinion. I believe there are more positives for you here than negatives but what they think of it is what matters.

Well, worst case...you've posted a few times so I won't delete your account and collectively someone here will remember you so if your email doesn't change maybe we'll shoot you an email in 2 years to remind ya to come back.

You sound like a smart kid. Best of luck to you sir!

Grammar and spelling? Check! Can't get much better than that to start lol

Nevada NightHawks wrote:

All I can say is that I'm a sucker for 1st impressions, this is a good kid.  

I think that is hard. I bet he is, well mannered, and good intentions. For me, it's the lack of integrity. I am sure he is talented with fantasy football and looking to become better. Which I would love to help if he had permission.

If I don't give my daughter permission to be online and find out she is using online to learn how to play music, shouldn't I still be upset she broke the rule? The cause or justification doesn't always meet. I would just say that I would hope another parent would respect my rules for my kids.

Hey Jack, welcome! I I'm gonna side with you and agree that your parents might be a bit too strict if you are force to delete and reinstall apps just to use social media. But that being said, I wouldn't wanna be responsible for facilitating you going again st their wishes. Haha.

I hope you do hang around from time to time. We are about 50/50 league talk/other nonsense here, so there's plenty going on.

Hey guys, I'm going to edit the post down a little because since I can't join yet, I would prefer not to have my information just sitting there for anyone to see since I don't know how many or who uses this forum and I'd prefer just to stay more private until I'm older and can join.

They might be too strict but I'll side with em on this...and it's why I'm probably more strict than average too...in a world full of disinterested self-centered jackwagon parents with little to no parenting going on, the reason Jack probably got where he has and sounds as intelligent as he does is because his parents do give a damn. In two short years, you'll be able to make all the mistakes you want (like hearing what Greg has to say) but some day you'll appreciate that your parents tried so hard.

Miller902 wrote:

Hey guys, I'm going to edit the post down a little because since I can't join yet, I would prefer not to have my information just sitting there for anyone to see since I don't know how many or who uses this forum and I'd prefer just to stay more private until I'm older and can join.

Absolutely. Again a wise move. I should have you over to hangout with my kid because I'm trying to get him to understand exactly that concept.

Minnesota Eternals wrote:

Miller902 wrote:

Hey guys, I'm going to edit the post down a little because since I can't join yet, I would prefer not to have my information just sitting there for anyone to see since I don't know how many or who uses this forum and I'd prefer just to stay more private until I'm older and can join.

Absolutely.  Again a wise move.  I should have you over to hangout with my kid because I'm trying to get him to understand exactly that concept.

Funny, I teach freshman all about this every semester. I am no longer shocked that students don't understand what they give away for free. Example, before the flashlight became a feature on every phone you would have to download the application. The application would request access to your phonebook and GPS, among others. Some students still don't understand why that is a problem.

Young Matt is going to be so disappointed

Philadelphia Pigskins wrote:

Young Matt is going to be so disappointed

Poor guy! Maybe in 2 years Jack will be back to relieve Matt of the youngest duty!

Minnesota Eternals wrote:

Miller902 wrote:

Hey guys, I'm going to edit the post down a little because since I can't join yet, I would prefer not to have my information just sitting there for anyone to see since I don't know how many or who uses this forum and I'd prefer just to stay more private until I'm older and can join.

Absolutely.  Again a wise move.  I should have you over to hangout with my kid because I'm trying to get him to understand exactly that concept.

Well handled Andy. Jack is wise beyond his years. Pretty impressive.

Welcome Jack.  This reminds me of when I was 16 years old.  I was a busboy at a restaurant in Annapolis.  I became good friends with a lot of people that I worked with and was invited to a bachelor party for one of the dishwashers.  I was so excited and couldn't wait to go to the party.  I went home and told my parents -- who, unlike me, understood what happened at bachelor parties.  As you can imagine, I didn't go to my first bachelor party until about 8 years later.  While we certainly aren't a bachelor party, I could see your parents being a bit cautious about you joining the group.  

With that being said, it's great to see your level of energy at your age.  I started playing when I was about 10 and am still playing 35 years later.  Keep with it and you'll have a lifetime of enjoyment with this fake sport.

Damn this one was tough. Seems like a good kid.

Great call on this Andy. I hope we see him again

Alaska Arsenic wrote:

Damn this one was tough.  Seems like a good kid.  

Great call on this Andy.  I hope we see him again

I agree! We need to remember to have him come back when he turns 18!

You've made a great impression Jack. Hope you come back and join us somewhere down the road.

He will stick out to me on the list of MEMBERS because his username is not his team name...so if he doesn't change emails I'll hit him up in 2020 and see if he's still into FF. He's obviously welcome to drop by any time. We're just not gonna act like he's 26.

Learn all you can about playing IDP, we would love to see you back in a couple of years!

Welcome to RW. Hope to see ya back in a couple years. Try to get some IDP leagues in there so you won't be easy pickings when the time comes.

Minnesota Eternals wrote:

He will stick out to me on the list of MEMBERS because his username is not his team name...so if he doesn't change emails I'll hit him up in 2020 and see if he's still into FF.  He's obviously welcome to drop by any time.  We're just not gonna act like he's 26.

Hopefully there is somebody here that will remember this thread 2 years from now, and can remind us about it.  

Maplewood Doppelgangers wrote:

Philadelphia Pigskins wrote:

Young Matt is going to be so disappointed

Poor guy! Maybe in 2 years Jack will be back to relieve Matt of the youngest duty!

I think I'm still going to be young Matt until we get an even younger Matt to join.
I'll put out an advert for new members named Matt ages 18-20.

Riverside Rottweilers wrote:

Maplewood Doppelgangers wrote:

Philadelphia Pigskins wrote:

Young Matt is going to be so disappointed

Poor guy! Maybe in 2 years Jack will be back to relieve Matt of the youngest duty!

I think I'm still going to be young Matt until we get an even younger Matt to join.
I'll put out an advert for new members named Matt ages 18-20.  

Don't go all Kevin Spacey on us. I'd avoid placing that ad.

Is there an email that would let me get in touch with the commissioner (Minnesota Eternals)? I know I can't join this year but I'd like to learn more about the league because I would still like to join in the future and I have some questions

Hope you get back to us in a few years Jack.

Miller902 wrote:

Is there an email that would let me get in touch with the commissioner (Minnesota Eternals)? I know I can't join this year but I'd like to learn more about the league because I would still like to join in the future and I have some questions

I'll email you right now and you can reply to that. Otherwise, you should be able to click the EMAIL button under any one of my posts here on the forum.

Thanks, replied to your email. I was on mobile so couldn't see the Email button

Never a dull day at RW. Kudos to him for being honest about his age.

Just getting caught up. Smart call. Good dude, see you in a couple years!

Hey Jack, you still interested or have you discovered the finer things in life.... women.