Charlie Panarella (CAS ’28) sported a homemade “I suck at fantasy football” shirt for nine-and-a-half hours on Jan. 17 as he walked laps through Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall. As soon as the doors opened on Saturday morning, Panarella began walking a literal marathon inside Leo’s as punishment for losing his fantasy football league.
Panarella’s first-ever fantasy football loss is going to stick with him for a while, and maybe with anyone who went to Leo’s that day. However, his friends joined him in shifts during his nine-and-a-half hours in one of the most used buildings on campus—showcasing the social nature of fantasy football that Panarella loves.
“It’s a pretty positive culture, like, it’s just for fun,” he said. “The punishments are usually not too crazy.”
He believes that fantasy football should be an activity done with friends, part of the reason he played in four fantasy leagues this year. Panarella told the Voice that while his punishment took all day, he would have agreed to it even if he knew he was going to lose.
Fantasy football allows superfans and casual watchers alike to build their own teams and compete against their friends, peers, co-workers, and classmates. Participants manage a group of players who earn individual points based on their real-life performances, and give their managers points in head-to-head competition.
Many fantasy leagues are social outlets for friend groups, some of which develop amusing activities throughout the season or creative punishments for the ultimate loser of the league, like Panarella’s marathon in the dining hall.
Bad luck on Lau 2
Unlike Panarella, who (despite his loss) firmly believes that there’s more to fantasy football than luck, Jessie Traxler (CAS ’26) maintains the opposite.
“Last year I got second place, and I know nothing about football,” Traxler said.
Unfortunately, her luck soured this year, leading her to the second floor of Lauinger Library. To pay for her loss, Traxler will have to spend 24 hours on Lau 2, with every slice of bread she eats reducing the time by an hour.
While an all-nighter in Lau may not be foreign to many Georgetown students, it is arguably not the worst part of the punishment.
“Simultaneously, my friend group has these cardboard cutouts of each other, and they are going to put [mine] up in Red Square,” Traxler said. “It is a photo of my first day of class, and they will say, ‘I lost fantasy football.’”
While her bad luck will put her in Lau for more time than most seniors plan on spending there all semester, Traxler nevertheless said that playing fantasy with her friends was worth it. She, like Panarella, would have agreed to the punishment even if she knew she was going to lose.
“I would play again for sure,” she said.
Milk mile(s)
The season started on a positive note for Ethan Brady (SFS ’28) when he won four out of his first five games. Unfortunately, his success quickly came to an end as the majority of his starters hit huge slumps or had season-ending injuries. Just as quickly as he climbed in the rankings, he shot straight down to last place, where he stayed for the remainder of the season.
Brady played no part in deciding the punishment for his league, because he was so confident he was going to win.
“I didn’t even know what my punishment was until after I lost,” Brady said.
While the punishment date has yet to be announced, he will have 24 hours to fulfill a gauntlet of miles run, glasses of milk drank, doughnuts eaten, and hours spent in Lau in the interchangeable quantities of six, nine, 12, and 15. If he fails to do so, he must shave his head.
Brady drafted his team with the help of his friend from high school, whom he called his “quant.” Going into next season, he has two things in mind.
“I’ll be drafting my team on my own, and I want the punishment to be even harder because I know that I won’t lose,” Brady said.
All three of the losers agreed that they would certainly play fantasy football again, despite their intense punishments. For each of them, fantasy football is a way to bring people together in camaraderie or competition.
As Panarella said, “It’s supposed to be with your friends,” and even if you lose, “it will create a good experience for other people.”
