The Only Black Guy in the Office
I Miss Office Fantasy Football, but Not Enough to End My NFL Boycott
Fantasy football season is back at my job, and I hate it here
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
There was a time in my life where fall meant one thing: football season. The way White women feel about PSL, the way hipsters feel about PBR — that’s how I felt about the NFL. And fantasy football was an extension of that excitement, a way to use my extensive knowledge of stats and gameplay to flex on my friends and colleagues alike. At a previous job, the fantasy football draft rivaled the holiday party as one of the biggest team-building, morale-boosting events. What started as a few of us staying late after work to compile our teams (mine was naturally named BLM) turned into a catered bash in which everyone from temp workers to C-Suite suits participated. The league was a fantasy in every sense of the word, an escape from the real-life rigors of workplace bullshit.
And then Colin Kaepernick took a knee.
The then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback began kneeling during pregame performances of the national anthem back in 2016, a form of silent protest against police…
