Getting Started
First, I signed up on one of those websites. I'm pretty sure everyone and their grandma has one for this, but I just went with the one my office was using. It looked simple enough, all I had to do was pick the winners, right? Easier said than done, my friend.
The Deep Dive )...fO (Sort Of...)
I started by just glancing at the matchups. Some were obvious - like, the number one team versus, well, a team I'd never heard of. Easy pick. But then...oh boy. It got tougher. I started looking at some "expert" picks online, you know, just to get a feel for things. Everyone had a different opinion! My head was spinning.
- Spent way too long on forums reading people's "sure-fire" strategies.
- Got totally sidetracked looking at team mascots. (Some of those are wild!)
- Almost threw my computer out the window trying to understand "point spreads."
Making My Picks
After the initial confusion, I just decided to go with my gut. I mixed in a few of the expert picks, a few of my own hunches (based mostly on team colors, I'm not gonna lie), and hoped for the best. I figured, what's the worst that could happen?
The Waiting Game
Then came the agonizing wait. I checked the scores obsessively during the games. I yelled at the TV, even though I barely understood what a "down" was half the time. I celebrated when my picks were right, and sulked (privately, of course) when they were wrong.
The Results
In the end? I didn't win the whole thing, no surprise there. But! I didn't come in last place either! I landed somewhere in the middle of the pack, which, for a football newbie like me, felt like a major victory. Plus, I learned a little bit more about the sport, and had a good amount of fun trash-talking with my coworkers. Would I do it again? Maybe. I've definitely gotten a taste for the competition now!
