At a very young age, I was told by adults that once you grow up, the best thing you can do is own something. Well how about a team consisting of the most talented players in the NFL? Oh, and did I mention that you get to choose each player too?

According to kgbanswers.com, an estimated 35 million people in the USA get to do just that, so long as they are a member of the fantasy football family.

For those who are unfamiliar, fantasy football is a service put on by websites such as Yahoo!, ESPN, and NFL.com, which allows you to put together a group of usually 8-14 friends. You and your friends are then able to “draft” the best players in the NFL for your individual teams. Those players move on to score a number of points for you, their “owner,” in hopes that you will win the weekly matchup against another member of the league.

I am an owner of three of these teams, and for good reason – not only because I love the sport of football, but also because it truly makes each and every game I watch 100 times more enjoyable, instead of being like half of America’s male population, who sit shirtless on the couch, eating chips, without any educated interest in the game.

Monitoring your team, making trades, dropping players and acquiring free agents is a fun part of the process, but hands down, the draft is the most fun. How could it not be? This is where you get the chance to hire NFL players for your team.

The period of time where you wait to find out your draft pick is intense to say the least. It is quite possibly one of the most suspenseful experiences one can endure. It is EVERYTHING. It will dictate when you pick, obviously, but also who and/or what kind of player you will pick (based on position, skill, etc).

Receiving the number one draft pick is over-rated because most groups, if not all, will draft in serpentine style (figure eight). This means that those who have picks later in the round, such as nine or ten, will be able to choose two top players back to back, while the earlier picks have to wait much longer just to pick a second player.

Now if your group of guys is lame, you’ll use the online, readily-available, draft system provided by all fantasy football websites. All you have to do is set a date and commence the draft. But if you’re awesome, you will do it in person. Though it will take a little effort, it is beyond worth it.

In order to organize a live draft correctly, you will need a HUGE draft board, some spicy buffalo wings with ranch and lists upon lists of rosters and rundowns.

Quick rule of thumb: if you want to be serious about your league and win the big bucks, you have to dress to impress. Put on your nicest suit and tie and walk into that draft ready to win. It works for me, and it will work for you.

The best part about a live draft is that it brings everyone together to truly enjoy the game of football, which is essentially what fantasy football was created to do. There are so many different kinds of leagues out there that the possibilities for bonding are endless.

It allows people to keep in touch after college by joining their annual frat-house fantasy league. It enables workplaces and colleagues to come together and interact with one another in a very different way than in the office. It gives young kids like us at GBS something to talk about at the lunch table and in the halls. In fact, according to an Oracle-conducted survey, 54 percent of male students at GBS said they are participating in fantasy football this year.

If you have just finished reading this and are now thinking to yourself, “That stinks. I didn’t join a league this year” or, “Hey I’ve never done that but I love football,” don’t worry, it is not too late. Just get a few friends together, create a league, put your shirt back on and the chips in the garbage, and join the world of Fantasy Football.

Disclaimer: This story cannot be held responsible for any one person who becomes addicted to fantasy football and all the pure joy that it has to offer.