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Fantasy Football is more than just a hobby for Jared Weisman. It's an obsession. The 15-year-old Weston High sophomore has been playing it since he was in fifth grade, taking part in leagues on Yahoo and ESPN and coordinating friends to play along. He spends up to eight hours a week on the activity.
"Since you're assembling parts from different teams, you can build your own team the way you want it,'' says Jared, who plays on the Weston soccer team. "I like negotiating with my friends to get the players I want."
Sundays are heaven for Jared. He watches the afternoon games, breaks for dinner and soaks in the Sunday telecast. "Dinner's from 7:30 until 8:15,'' Jared says. "While dinner is on you have to have the television on so you can watch the recaps."
Jared plays fantasy football with friends from school and camp. He conducted a draft of 192 players before the season started to set up the league. He looks for players who are undervalued and believes he found keepers in Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles and 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree.
Creating a team and monitoring it is only part of the attraction. There is also a mathematical component Jared is an honors student in the subject at Weston and he hopes to parlay his sports and mathematical interests into a career as a sports agent. "I'd like to go to the University of Michigan, get a business and law degree, and create the biggest sports agency in America,'' Jared says.
Jared also enjoys the "bracketology" of the NCAA basketball tournament. His mother, Amy, had Jared fill out brackets for an office pool. People were astonished at her handicapping, not realizing her son made the selections. "March Madness is my favorite because of the intensity,'' Jared says. He also plays fantasy sports in baseball, golf and hockey. "But I won't do NASCAR,'' Jared says.
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