Historically, in Fantasy Football, a game where players manage a virtual NFL team, the winners of each league get praise and maybe even a cash reward. But nowadays, the losers are the ones being “rewarded.” Embarrassing videos, physical challenges and numerous other Fantasy punishments have been forced on last-place finishers of countless Fantasy leagues across the country.
Chris Bejin ’27 doesn’t mind the punishing aspect of Fantasy Football; however, he was unlucky enough to lose his league. As a result, Bejin is to make a series of 10 embarrassing videos on TikTok, a situation that the junior has taken on with optimism.
“Obviously, I didn’t want to lose, but I think I got off easy,” Bejin said. “It could have been a lot worse. I could have had to make 30 [videos] instead of only 10.”
While Bejin still believes that he could have gotten a worse punishment, he knows he’s in for humiliation nonetheless. Understanding that his peers and classmates would see the videos, he took extra care to control how he presented them to others.
“All over my videos, I put ‘Fantasy punishment,’ ‘Fantasy punishment,’ just so [everyone] would know it wasn’t because I wanted to make them,” Bejin said.
For Brady Cooper ’28 and his Fantasy league, the threat of punishment looming in the distance throughout the entire season was nerve-racking. However, it also gave Cooper a sense of unity with the group and a good reason for them to all hang out.
“Doing the punishment got all of us together,” Cooper said. “For the last two weeks, I was stressing about it, but they’re a good thing to have for a friend group, it’s so much fun.”
Thankfully for him, Luke Parent ’26 avoided last place in his league, and the cycle of punishing every year’s loser is one that helps stoke Parent’s flame of competition every football season.
“We talk smack all fall about Fantasy Football,” Parent said. “There’s a lot of friendly debates and a lot of good negotiating. If you lose Fantasy, it should make you want to try even harder next year.”
What’s more important to Parent than a painful forfeit or an embarrassing video is the camaraderie that Fantasy brings each fall. It’s all about the memories that, for Parent, are made all the better when they include a reason to stay focused and avoid defeat, a reason to keep having fun every year with his group.
“I think Fantasy Football is great. I love it,” Parent said. “It’s a topic me and my friends can talk about, and the punishment gives you more incentive to do better. I don’t like losing, and especially not with that punishment. Overall, it’s me and nine of my friends; it’s just us having fun.”
