One of the many types of
Fantasy Sports. It is tremendously popular in the U.S. where the game involves
American Football. There are magazines, web sites, tv programs, etc. all dedicated to this
pastime. Often times the game involves money, sometimes large sums of money.
The basic concept is that a league is formed. The each member (called an owner) of the league is a team and each owner drafts and manages their team. The team is comprised of people playing in the sport. Some leagues are built from the NFL others from College Football and there are probably CFL fantasy leagues as well.
Each week one team in the league is pitted against another team in the league. A team is awarded points based on how the players of their team does in the real life sport. Some leagues are touchdown only where points are only awarded when a member of a team scores a touch down. Some are performance leagues where points are awarded for various other stats such as yardage or sacks.
Another difference between leagues are dynasty vs. re-draft. In a dynasty league you keep your players from year to year drafting only new players or free agents each year. In a re-draft league the teams are reformed each year with the entire teams being drafted before the start of the season.
Since there are many possible ways to gain points in a fantasy league the rules of the game for each league must be written up before the draft. To maintain order, keep records, make rulings a commissioner is elected or picked. But still many times for changes to be made or important rulings a vote of the Owners is required.
It can be a rather fun game. I love football and this is the first time I've played fantasy football in years. It has gotten me to pay much more attention to the game as a whole. It reminds me of when I was a kid and collected football cards. It also helps that I'm leading my league at 6-1 as of this writing.