Olympic dreams and fantasy sports

Friday, July 27, 2012

By ERIC HAMILTON

Neighbors Editor

I recently saw a video from the 1992 Summer Olympics that showed the story of British track star Derek Redmond when he pulled a hamstring during the 400 meters. In obvious pain, he was unable to finish the race alone. His father came out of the stands to help him cross the finish line, as the crowd roared in support of his determination.

This weekend, as the 2012 Olympics begin in London, we will no doubt see and hear many stories of athletes defying odds, overcoming life’s obstacles and standing on the medal stand. There will definitely be those “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” moments.

I enjoy watching the Olympics on television. I don’t get into the Winter Games as much as the Summer Games. My favorite events to watch are basketball, swimming, volleyball and track. If other events are on, I’ll pay attention, but not as much as the four I noted.

I can imagine that representing your country in the Olympics feels like a great honor. For those participating in events that typically don’t offer opportunities to play professionally, I bet the Olympics are extra special. Their team is their country, not a sports franchise in a city or state playing in a league. In their eyes, winning championship ring for a sports franchise pales in comparison to earning gold medal for their country.

I’m looking forward to watching athletes compete for the “love of the game,” instead of for a multi-million dollar paycheck or to feed their own ego.

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In a recent Bacon Bits blog entry, I wrote about my new addiction — Fantasy Football.

Making the assumption that I’m not the only football fan around who enjoys running their own team, I invited anyone interested to join the Neighbors Fantasy Football League. So far, Team Taylor has accepted the challenge. But we need 10 more Fantasy addicts to join our support group.

It’s easy to sign up: Log in to your Yahoo account, then find the Fantasy sports section. Click through to join a custom league and enter our league ID number (157522) and the password (addicts).

Then, you can create and name your team. We will pick players through a live Yahoo draft on Friday, Aug. 24 at noon.

There’s a limit of 12 players for this league, so sign up today.

One last thing — this isn’t just for men! I’d love to see some female football fans jump into this league and show us guys how it’s done.