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Committed: Confessions of a Fantasy Football Junkie
For one man, football is more than just a fantasy...
As seen on ESPN's Cold Pizza
Fantasy football -- one of America's most popular, and profitable, virtual pastimes -- became a way of life for sports humorist and author Mark St. Amant. Utterly fed up with never having won his league championship, St. Amant abandoned a successful advertising career to make fantasy football his full-time job, embarking on a sprawling reconnaissance mission to discover what really makes this game, and its 20 million players, tick. Committed is the result of St. Amant's ranting, relentless, and strategic pursuit of his own obsession.
In this wickedly funny and deeply informative work, St. Amant offers readers an all-access sideline pass to his wild, unprecedented fantasy football season, and to the hobby itself. From its humble beginnings in a New York hotel in 1962 to a multibillion-dollar business today, from local and online leagues to high-stakes, cutthroat Las Vegas competitions, St. Amant lays bare the facts, figures, and fanaticism of fantasy football in all its multidimensional glory.
As seen on ESPN's Cold Pizza
Fantasy football -- one of America's most popular, and profitable, virtual pastimes -- became a way of life for sports humorist and author Mark St. Amant. Utterly fed up with never having won his league championship, St. Amant abandoned a successful advertising career to make fantasy football his full-time job, embarking on a sprawling reconnaissance mission to discover what really makes this game, and its 20 million players, tick. Committed is the result of St. Amant's ranting, relentless, and strategic pursuit of his own obsession.
In this wickedly funny and deeply informative work, St. Amant offers readers an all-access sideline pass to his wild, unprecedented fantasy football season, and to the hobby itself. From its humble beginnings in a New York hotel in 1962 to a multibillion-dollar business today, from local and online leagues to high-stakes, cutthroat Las Vegas competitions, St. Amant lays bare the facts, figures, and fanaticism of fantasy football in all its multidimensional glory.
- GenresSportsNonfictionFootball
296 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 27, 2011
You know that guy who thinks he's funnier than he really is? The one who tells a joke and then pauses slightly, waiting for the laughter that he's sure to follow?
I got the feeling that St. Amant might be that guy.
As admirable as parts of "Committed" is --the guy really did his homework on the history of FF, for example-- it's hard to get past humor that feels forced and falls flat. There are hints that St. Amant can be genuinely funny when he's not trying so damn hard. (And for the record? Didn't laugh at the first use of "Adebisi-ed"; didn't laugh at any of the seemingly million uses that followed.)
I got the feeling that St. Amant might be that guy.
As admirable as parts of "Committed" is --the guy really did his homework on the history of FF, for example-- it's hard to get past humor that feels forced and falls flat. There are hints that St. Amant can be genuinely funny when he's not trying so damn hard. (And for the record? Didn't laugh at the first use of "Adebisi-ed"; didn't laugh at any of the seemingly million uses that followed.)
June 4, 2010
Not a big fan of this one--his jokes got really repetitive, and they were already extremely reminiscent of Bill Simmons' material in the first place (and since the author is also from Boston, there's just no way that's a coincidence). But I may have gleaned some pretty good fantasy football advice from it, and that's all I was really after.
September 2, 2024
I've been playing fantasy football with friends off and on going back maybe 15 years. My mom actually gifted me this book around the same time, maybe when I was in high school, and I never actually read it until now. I didn't start watching football until early high school, so roughly 2010/2011, and I didn't know much about the history of the NFL prior to this point. So when I tried reading this back then, immediately being confronted with many names of players that I didn't know, I was not very enthusiastic about diving deeper into the book (I also didn't read much in high school). Fast forward to 2024, now that I'm reading more and have many books at home that I've accumulated over the years that still have to be read, it seemed to be the perfect time to pick this one up and give it a try, and then probably give it away.
Going into this I didn't know what to expect. Worst case scenario was that it is terrible and I give it to a friend afterwards. After getting through it I'm not going to say that it's a terrible read, but there were moments that I wanted to skip ahead or even give up on reading the rest of the book entirely. I'm just not that interested in sports anymore. It is very cringe to me for grown men to be over-enthusiastic about multi-millionaires they don't know (who they pretend to know) playing a child's game. There's the competitiveness of it that maybe a lot of people are missing in their lives or reminisce about from when they played, and there is also the aspect of community around these teams of athletes playing a game, but other than that it doesn't make much sense why sports are so popular. In my situation I don't think I would have much to talk about with a lot of my friends who I'm now back playing fantasy football with if it wasn't for this game. I often wonder what they would even be like if they didn't have these games to watch and bet on. That is the cringe part, it's become a whole personality type for many modern-day people where their whole emotional state is dependent on whether or not a sports team (fantasy or otherwise) wins or loses.
I'll admit I do find it somewhat appealing, betting money on who's team is the best. It gives me a reason to be engaged with others competitively, which I also will admit I lack opportunities in, I can be very competitive though when I get the opportunity, but mostly in the non-physical nerdy ways (chess anyone?) especially now that I am at the point where I can hardly sit down and watch a full game any more, even the action-packed redzone. Wasting away in front of the TV all day has lost it's charm I guess (or what I really mean is that there was never really any charm and I've just woken up to that fact). But the competing against people I know to pick a team of players that outperforms their players, and then the smack talk and competitiveness with people that you know, it is nothing short of fun, and after a few years hiatus from playing, I dare say that I missed it, but my approach to sports has evolved immensely. Like I said, sitting in front of the TV all day on Sundays is a waste of a day, so I won't be watching any of the actual games, which I've found out with fantasy baseball is not necessary to compete. This is actually the first year that I've tried fantasy baseball. I'm about to make the playoffs without actually watching a baseball game in three months. I'm glad the Phillies are good and I will try to make an effort to watch them in the playoffs, but I really don't care if they win or lose. Obviously if they win that will give the city a reason to have a party, which of course is alluring and I will accept any good reason to get outside on a nice autumn day, but I can't image ever being upset if they don't win it all. My point being that one does not have to be emotionally invested or waste hours watching these games to compete in the fantasy drafting and end up with a good team.
The games themselves seem more appealing when we are younger when we are still figuring out what we are going to do with our lives, but they can also become too much of a distraction, preventing us from any, or enough, self-development, that is if we are mere spectators. Maybe if we are really smart, dedicated, and connect with the right people, someone might just be lucky enough to get a job working for a professional sports organization. But it's more likely that someone either loses their life savings betting on these games, or even falls into a deadly depression because of their uncontrolled rage as a result of being too emotionally dependent on some millionaires throwing a ball around. It's all bread and circuses at the end of the day. But, like I said, it brings people together to have fun, for the most part, but then again, even the circus brings people together. Anyway, Two stars for all the crude humor that had me chuckling throughout the book. I plan on giving this book to my lawyer friend who also works at Deloitte, just like the author did, but I can't say I blame Mark for quitting a marketing job.
Going into this I didn't know what to expect. Worst case scenario was that it is terrible and I give it to a friend afterwards. After getting through it I'm not going to say that it's a terrible read, but there were moments that I wanted to skip ahead or even give up on reading the rest of the book entirely. I'm just not that interested in sports anymore. It is very cringe to me for grown men to be over-enthusiastic about multi-millionaires they don't know (who they pretend to know) playing a child's game. There's the competitiveness of it that maybe a lot of people are missing in their lives or reminisce about from when they played, and there is also the aspect of community around these teams of athletes playing a game, but other than that it doesn't make much sense why sports are so popular. In my situation I don't think I would have much to talk about with a lot of my friends who I'm now back playing fantasy football with if it wasn't for this game. I often wonder what they would even be like if they didn't have these games to watch and bet on. That is the cringe part, it's become a whole personality type for many modern-day people where their whole emotional state is dependent on whether or not a sports team (fantasy or otherwise) wins or loses.
I'll admit I do find it somewhat appealing, betting money on who's team is the best. It gives me a reason to be engaged with others competitively, which I also will admit I lack opportunities in, I can be very competitive though when I get the opportunity, but mostly in the non-physical nerdy ways (chess anyone?) especially now that I am at the point where I can hardly sit down and watch a full game any more, even the action-packed redzone. Wasting away in front of the TV all day has lost it's charm I guess (or what I really mean is that there was never really any charm and I've just woken up to that fact). But the competing against people I know to pick a team of players that outperforms their players, and then the smack talk and competitiveness with people that you know, it is nothing short of fun, and after a few years hiatus from playing, I dare say that I missed it, but my approach to sports has evolved immensely. Like I said, sitting in front of the TV all day on Sundays is a waste of a day, so I won't be watching any of the actual games, which I've found out with fantasy baseball is not necessary to compete. This is actually the first year that I've tried fantasy baseball. I'm about to make the playoffs without actually watching a baseball game in three months. I'm glad the Phillies are good and I will try to make an effort to watch them in the playoffs, but I really don't care if they win or lose. Obviously if they win that will give the city a reason to have a party, which of course is alluring and I will accept any good reason to get outside on a nice autumn day, but I can't image ever being upset if they don't win it all. My point being that one does not have to be emotionally invested or waste hours watching these games to compete in the fantasy drafting and end up with a good team.
The games themselves seem more appealing when we are younger when we are still figuring out what we are going to do with our lives, but they can also become too much of a distraction, preventing us from any, or enough, self-development, that is if we are mere spectators. Maybe if we are really smart, dedicated, and connect with the right people, someone might just be lucky enough to get a job working for a professional sports organization. But it's more likely that someone either loses their life savings betting on these games, or even falls into a deadly depression because of their uncontrolled rage as a result of being too emotionally dependent on some millionaires throwing a ball around. It's all bread and circuses at the end of the day. But, like I said, it brings people together to have fun, for the most part, but then again, even the circus brings people together. Anyway, Two stars for all the crude humor that had me chuckling throughout the book. I plan on giving this book to my lawyer friend who also works at Deloitte, just like the author did, but I can't say I blame Mark for quitting a marketing job.
October 16, 2019
Committed is a lighthearted, funny, and enjoyable book that is more of a comedy story than a football tale. For this reason, I would not limit its audience to just football fans. Anyone looking for a quick, funny read should consider Committed as an option. For football fans, this book is a blast. The early 2000s setting shows a league with a young Tom Brady and a prime Randy Moss. Committed follows author Mark St. Amants’ journey to win his fantasy football league. He goes as far as to quit his job in order to travel across the country to question fantasy experts about his team and the history of fantasy football. However, the story does not stop at football commentary; throughout the story, Amant remarks on current events happening in 2002 using his dark sense of humor and his experiences as a writer.
Committed is a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously while still providing a compelling narrative. It’s a short and easy read that anyone can enjoy.
Committed is a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously while still providing a compelling narrative. It’s a short and easy read that anyone can enjoy.
March 21, 2018
I thought this was a wonderful book that depicts fantasy football very well. I have been playing fantasy football since 1989 when we drafted in person, hand wrote our lineups, and the commissioner scored every game using the USA Today box scores. The ups and downs Mark St. Amant wrote about in the book were similar to the ones I have felt. That made me connect with the book and enjoy it all. If you enjoyed watching The League, this came before that and speaks to the same level of dedication. Fantasy football is a year-round project and this book is an enjoyable component of getting ready for the upcoming season.
September 19, 2017
It is a little out of date now, but a funny look into a fantasy football player's mind during the season's ups and downs.
January 28, 2011
This book is a cross between a Fantasy Football how-to book and Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, with a little bit of addiction thrown in. The author gets points for including some of the history and background of Fantasy Football. I'm somewhat of a FF newbie, and only play in local leagues. So I'd never heard of GOPPL or WCOFF before.
The book definitely has a few very funny moments as well. Self-deprecating humor and sarcasm made the book as good as it could be.
As has been said before, one of the biggest problems with this book is the fact that it's dated... a mini time capsule of the 2003 season. Also, no one really cares about someone else's team. I couldn't listen to my best friend talk abou his team (outside of my league) for 5 minutes without zoning out. Reading an entire book about a league belonging to someone I wouldn't know from Adam was that much harder.
Finally, being a book about fantasy football, his minor excursions into Boston Red Sox fanaticism seemed extraneous.
The book definitely has a few very funny moments as well. Self-deprecating humor and sarcasm made the book as good as it could be.
As has been said before, one of the biggest problems with this book is the fact that it's dated... a mini time capsule of the 2003 season. Also, no one really cares about someone else's team. I couldn't listen to my best friend talk abou his team (outside of my league) for 5 minutes without zoning out. Reading an entire book about a league belonging to someone I wouldn't know from Adam was that much harder.
Finally, being a book about fantasy football, his minor excursions into Boston Red Sox fanaticism seemed extraneous.
May 11, 2019
Mark St. Amant seems a little too much like a frat boy with the jokes he shoe-horns in, but he also shows that Fantasy Football junkie-ism is kind of universal. As a true believer in the FF Gods, he drills this one through the uprights. It's all there. The creation of the FF Widow, the foul mood you're in after losing (FOR A WHOLE WEEK), the downright ridiculous obsession that is basically dungeons & dragons for sports fans. Mark's idea is definitely bookworthy: Quit job, focus on fantasy football, finally win league's super bowl. And maybe it's cuz I'm a junkie, but his play by play of each week is captivating. I feel his pain. We all feel his pain. He also interviews various emissaries of the Fantasy Football universe including the games creators, big winners, actual football players etc. It's not a perfectly organized book, and while St. Amant's humor is a little grating from time to time, overall you are generally rooting for him (if only because he quit his job to play fantasy football why did he do that he better not lose!). Maybe the FF Gods will be appeased with his offering and he can finally win a league championship.
April 6, 2016
This book, Committed, is about a person named Mark who loves fantasy football. He likes fantasy football so much that he decides that he is going to quit his job and do fantasy football full time. He goes to different states and he competes in several leagues for a title, fame, and money. As he joins this fantasy world, he learns new things about fantasy football, and becomes an addict. I can relate to Mark, since I really like fantasy basketball. I can see why he likes it so much, but I don’t think it was a smart idea to go and quit his job. If he doesn’t win at all, he gets no money. He also has a wife. Mark soon realizes that fantasy football is growing into a much larger thing than anyone would have thought. Mark starts to go to parties where he can play fantasy football and draft with other people. He learns more and more about how to draft and what to do, and meets new friends and rivals. As the book progresses, Mark comes to learn how fantasy football really is.
April 16, 2014
Good premise - guy quits his job to focus full-time on winning his fantasy football league - but the story veers away from its early promise. I enjoyed learning about the history of fantasy football, the Vegas draft, the camaraderie between FF players, and how various leagues develop. But when each chapter became a blow-by-blow list of the performances by each of St. Amant's players each week in 2003, I got bored. He should have stuck with taking a broader look at fantasy football while weaving in his team's performance - and what it meant for his life, overall, to give up his job to pursue this passion.
October 11, 2008
while i immensely enjoy playing fantasy football, and i thoroughly enjoy the idea of someone writing a book about it, i couldn't have been less interested by the content of this book. the problem stems from the fact that nobody cares about anyone else's fantasy football team- people's interest starts and ends with their own.
so while i give the author 1 star for his idea of writing a book about fantasy football, i have to withhold any additional stars for him being unable to get me interested in anything he had to say. good idea, poor execution.
so while i give the author 1 star for his idea of writing a book about fantasy football, i have to withhold any additional stars for him being unable to get me interested in anything he had to say. good idea, poor execution.
September 22, 2008
If I could, I would've given this 3.5 stars. I really liked the idea of the book in general (a fantasy football junkie quits his job for a year to focus on winning his fantasy football league), but I actually had a hard time sticking with it. Nonetheless, if you're obsessed with ff, you'll probably enjoy this! And it gave me some good ideas for how to improve my team.
July 29, 2012
This is a fun read, and a nostalgic one for anyone who played fantasy football in the days of the true stud running back. Early on I think St. Amant forced the dirty joke too often, but as the season goes on he gets more comfortable, finds his voice, and his jokes become self-deprecating and endearing rather than crass.
June 9, 2015
Very funny combination of history, investigation, and how-to book about fantasy football. St. Amant captures the intensity and comradery of fantasy football.
More vulgar than it needs to be, funnier than it should be. Made me laugh out loud and nod knowingly when he touched on the emotions of fantasy (football, that is).
More vulgar than it needs to be, funnier than it should be. Made me laugh out loud and nod knowingly when he touched on the emotions of fantasy (football, that is).
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September 21, 2012I learned today that Mark St. Amant is going to quit his job to play fantasy football!
I think that he is a little to obsessed with fantasy football and will probably ruin his career if he does this.
It is a pretty good book so far but the main character is kinda stupid.
I think that he is a little to obsessed with fantasy football and will probably ruin his career if he does this.
It is a pretty good book so far but the main character is kinda stupid.
August 23, 2007
This book makes me not want to quit my job and devote my life to the whims of the fantasy football gods. Fairly entertaining, but I'm convinced the author is just not that good at fantasy football.
January 19, 2010
Can be fun, but the information is old and dated.
February 25, 2009
Absolutely hilarious!!! Its a sickness!! Deptford Fantasy Football Lifer
January 23, 2010
Hysterical book. Easily the best fantasy football book out there. His stories about "the guy" in the draft resonated all too close to home with me.
February 13, 2011
It's like reading Sportscenter (from 2003). I still find it hard to believe that his wife let him quit his job to focus on winning his fantasy football league and write this book.
May 10, 2011
If you're a fan of fantasy football, this is a hilarious read. So true, all of it.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews