The ISFL has been a fantastic community to find. Over the past couple months getting to know everyone here, learn about the league, and continue to get to know even more new people, get drafted, hang out in Kansas City, then now Yellowknife, has been just a great break from the past year or so. I found the league after looking for more involved fantasy football leagues – and I guess you could say I certainly found the spot. I wasn’t sure at first about this all, like anyone new to here I guess reading all these stories, but it’s quickly become a merging of my favourite hobbies; football, fantasy football, simulations, and of course, the friends and fellows to share all of this with. The community is definitely something I’ve never really come across before – an online fantasy football league on steroids, built to this massive sprawling complex of personalities, engaging people, and just fun atmospheres. As everyone has talked about the past year has been tough for a lot of people. I’ve been fortunate to not be affected too greatly by everything occurring out our windows, but still constant lockdowns and working from home, avoiding friends or family for months at a time, drives some lack of social connections that can have you itching mentally. This community and league has been a wellspring of social connection – even if I’m only somewhat talkative in most LRs, even just opening up Discord to see what’s what that day is a nice break from otherwise daily grind that has invaded home spaces to become work spaces, where relaxing at home by the laptop is too similar to glued to the laptop for work … also at home. So getting to switch gears, watch some crazy dots run around a 2D football field almost any weeknight, and just lose myself in talking to someone in the KCC LR, or working on coding the fantasy football bot to do more, or running some side projects involving data science and the league data, or, or, or the million and one things that the league offers as a fun social activity every day, has really been as valuable as it appears to have been for everyone else too. Logging into discord and chatting with the other ISFL community members, or fellow Coyotes, or now fellow Wraiths, is always a highlight of day – and chatting with someone about fantasy football, debugging the bot, working on the data science projects, and now helping with the stock market, is just the cherry on top. I’m very grateful for the community and the league, and look forward to seeing how the next 25 seasons play out.
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The last few months in this league have been incredible. I joined in February at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and very soon after, I transitioned to working full-time from home. As an extroverted person, the isolation has been very difficult for me, but this community has relieved some of that strain. I initially planned on being a minor participant in this league, rather than a max earner but I immediately connected with Jay Doctor over our mutual appreciation for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He took a chance on using his second draft pick on me, and I joined the amazing Tijuana Luchadores franchise. So many great people there gave me a sense of community and gave me people to talk to. I was blessed to eventually become the GM in Tijuana and had a wonderful time drafting and strategizing, and working with Swanky to build an Ultimini winning team. I’m thankful for Jay and Bagel, Swanky, Calvin, Tonzy, Ben, and all the other wonderful people who I worked with in Tijuana. As an avid football fan and someone who loves stats and writing about football (I had an NFL blog that I made two entries in before giving up), the media portion of the league has been a blast. I have written many media pieces on a variety of topics, and I believe it was my media that helped me gain recognition in the league. So much recognition, in fact, that the New Orleans Second Line spent a first round pick on me in the largest draft class in league history my a wide margin. I am so grateful to Tom Hanks, Isastarcrossed, the aforementioned Jay Doctor, and the New Orleans Second Line organization for drafting me and welcoming me into their family. Seeing my name called by New Orleans in the first round filled me with more excitement than I thought possible for a simulated league. I am so proud to now be NOLA’s GM and to have the opportunity to continue improving this fantastic franchise. Finally, I am incredibly grateful for all the hard work put in by the members of the Dotts team to make it so successful. This idea which started in the Tijuana Luchadores locker room has now grown into a huge operation with over 1000 cards made and over $1.1 billion in ISFL sales. We have so many talented people who have made wonderful designs and cards, and Caltroit_red_flames has been instrumental and absolutely vital for the whole thing. The dude has created and paid for an entire website to host the cards platform, and he deserves all the credit in the world.
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I have been a member of the ISFL for just two of the 25 seasons of existence. In this short time, the league has made a real impact on me. When I first joined, I had just left my job and figured I could try this as a way to fill my free time and maybe meet some new people. I figured I would just give it a shot the first season and see what happened from there. In this time, I have grown to love the league. I have enjoyed getting to know so many unique people all across the globe. I never thought a virtual football league would keep me so engaged but it has. I find myself excited for every tuesday and thursday (though now it will Monday, Wednesday, Friday) to come and watch my dot perform.
I started a PhD program this year about a month after I had joined the league. School is different than anything I had experienced in the past and with the decrease in salary it has been a difficult time. Combine this with the impacts of Covid and forced virtual classes, and the last few months have not been the best for meeting new people. the league Discord had given me a way to stay in touch with people and overall feel connected to a group. It gives me a way to unwind after a long day of classes or writing. It is a welcome break and one I am glad to have found. Overall, the league has been an absolutely positive experience for me. I never thought such a simple concept could be so enjoyable to me. The league's ability to allow me to put as little or as much effort as I want to on a given week has really sucked me in. I look forward to the ISFL making it another 25 seasons and hope that I will be able to be a part of everyone of those seasons. Thank you to all that make this league so special. ![[Image: AXVcb1Q.png]](https://i.imgur.com/AXVcb1Q.png) ![[Image: klTkv9B.png]](https://i.imgur.com/klTkv9B.png) Offline 
I have written this before in a couple of point tasks, and have podcasted (is that a word?) about it once, but I will reiterate for the sake of context. I joined the league at a pretty low point in my life, and it’s been a huge factor in helping me get through a lot of real life garbage. I joined the league in late July after seeing a post on reddit’s NFL sub reddit, and was sort of hooked on the idea. When I signed up, I genuinely did not expect that I would end up where I have ended up today in the league. When I joined, I went inactive for the first six or so in-game weeks of Season 24. I wasn’t updating, and I wasn’t active at all on the Discord locker room. We’re just about to jump into Season 24, about four real life months later or so, and I am now a co-GM of the Kansas City Coyotes, the DSFL team that took a chance on me in the late rounds. Going from essentially inactive to being a person responsible for the well being of a whole DSFL franchise in four months is insane to me, but I accept the challenge with open arms. Now, it didn’t happen randomly. The user Southpaw is the number one reason I have been able to get to where I am today after such a short amount of time, since he spent hours of his precious time helping me learn the ropes of earning and updating, and checking in on me to make sure I was still enjoying the league. It’s interactions like that that renewed my faith in humanity, and helped me find my way out of a pretty dark spot. Along with that, it’s been the support and friendships I’ve made in the Kansas City locker room and with members around the league that has driven me try to be as positive and active of a force as I can be around the league. I’m still learning, and definitely still making mistakes along the way, but it has been such an interesting and rewarding experience so far. Glims has been kind enough (and brave enough) to take a chance on me multiple times so far, and has even gone as far as to make me his co-GM. So, in this new and exciting position, I ponder where we will go from here, and I look back fondly on the well-worn road that has brought me to this point.
Also can’t forget to thank my man Simo for always convincing me not to drunk text my ex at 5am in the LR, he might actually have been the biggest help so far. [459 words] ![[Image: qlYcKQS.png]](https://i.imgur.com/qlYcKQS.png) ![[Image: image0.png?width=918&height=602]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/763536517183701003/782159772199813140/image0.png?width=918&height=602)
The ISFL is celebrating 25 seasons. Well, I have been here for 11 of them. You can safely call me a veteran at this point. When I joined, back on March 3rd, 2019, I thought it would be something temporary, more like a game I'd spend some time and then get bored. Yeah, uh, that thought aged really poorly. At the moment of writing this, it's December 1st, 2020, I am now on my second ISFL career, meaning that in 2 days, I will be a member of the league for the past 21 months. That is ridiculous. I have had my ups, I have had my downs. But I have met people I have spent so much good time with. Slm, my first encounter on the server, who, thankfully, talked me out of creating as a QB when I first joined, and also my first GM in the DSFL. Daybe and BigRed, the GM duo that drafted me in season 15. Shady, Fly, and Mooney, Daybe's and BigRed's successors, who put up with all my bullshit. Gucci, Kyle, Steg, and all the guys over in Dallas. Walt and High, who picked me up at Berlin. Even my partner in crime in the backfield, Uchiha, who, sadly, went inactive. Alas, not everyone gets so invested in something at the same level. I can just keep going with the names, but 400 words will not suffice. The league has given me a place to waste some of my time. A reason to pull all-nighters to hang out with my teammates in the locker room. A way of getting my creativity out in the open, through the various articles. And that's the prime reason I have been chasing after every league job available. The league gave to me, and I want to give back. And it all started from a discord post in the now nuked NFL trash talking circle. A discord server where all the degenerates used to talk about the NFL. But not in a courteous and polite way. Insults were hurled left, right, and center. It was funny, but it got out of hand, and the owner extreminated the server. On top of that, I was part of the draft class that started the new era in the league. Repeated expansions, more GMs, more updaters needed, longer seasons, longer playoffs. And we are still in the beginning. 14 teams is still not that much. Is it after 25 seasons? Considering there have been expansions in S15, S18, S22, and S25, with the most recent before that being in S5 or S6, no. There is room for a couple more teams right now. Who knows with the high retention numbers the league boasts about.
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Wow, 25 seasons already? Hard to believe we've gotten this far as I remember worrying about the league dying somewhere around Season 7, but I'm very grateful that it's lasted this long. For those who aren't familiar with my history in the league & may be reading this, I was brought in when this league was first forming by my then GM in SHL, Perkules as he was known here & asked to be his co-GM. Now this is a classic case of things happening for a reason because to that point, I'd seen a few ads around SHL for NSFL but had no intention of joining, but when he asked me to GM with him, I decided to give it a shot as I had virtually no GM experience yet. As Season 1 moved along, Perk/Brumm stepped back from his position as GM in SHL & handed it off to Clardy & I. What I didn't realize was that his activity here was going to fade as well & by the end of the first season, I'd inherited the position of head GM for the SaberCats. My football knowledge, by comparison to sports like baseball & hockey, is very lacking, so this isn't necessarily something I was looking for, but rather what I needed as I've met my best friends in the world through these leagues, including but not limited to my first 2 1st round picks here in Muford & Bayley. There are a handful of guys throughout sim leagues that I know will always have my back (& I theirs), and those 2 are certainly among them. Getting back to the team though, I want to give a shout out to my former co-GM (& new GM in PBE), AW & my co-GM for the last 9 seasons now, Rradum. I had taken a brief step back in Season 8 & really didn't know if I'd get back into the league after trading away some of my best friends, but I ended up taking the team back right before the Season 10 draft & it couldn't have been better timing to be honest because it gave me the chance to draft Muford for the 2nd time as well as AW, who I'd only known briefly from PBE, but he soon became my co & we went on to win 2 GM of the Year awards together before making back-to-back Ultimus appearances. I've already hit my max word count here, but I need to get more of this out because I can't leave out the latest wave of SaberCats. With expansion looming after Season 15 & our core splitting up, I decided again to step back as GM & this time handed it to AW, but as he was in the process of moving across the country, he ended up giving it back a few weeks later & that brings us to the latest chapter of my tenure as GM. Rrad has been my co now since Season 17 & honestly it's a perfect match. I'm more of a numbers guy & struggle a bit in the communication department, so he's my perfect complement in that regard & I couldn't be more thankful to have him by my side. We've certainly had our ups & down in our tenure together, but I can honestly say that I'm having as much fun in this position right now as I ever have. Of course, back-to-back Ultimus championships & another GM of the Year award certainly help with that, but none of it would be possible without the rest of our guys that keep this machine firing on all cylinders. The last 15 months or so have been absolute hell for me in real life, as I'm sure 2020 has been for a lot of people, but I would like to thank my SJS boys for what feels like the millionth time for keeping me somewhat sane through all of this. I love you guys dearly.
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I had never heard about sim leagues before I was browsing Reddit one day and see a post for a league called the NSFL. I thought "weird name, but the mods are cool with letting it roll so let's check it out". I read through the post and though it sounded pretty dope and it was at least worth a shot. I joined and then shortly told my buddy @flyeaglesfly29 about it. We created in the S15 class with myself as Tight End Cameron Olsen and he was at the time, Linebacker Lightsout Lewis.
When I joined the discord it was moving pretty quick. I remember for the first few days or so, I rarely talked and just kind of lurked to see if I would want to stick around. I think what kept me invested the most was the Prospect Bowl where I was a Pacific Owl alongside the "something of a RB himself" Ryan Leaf. With so many people joining at this time it was consistent hype for each game even though they didn't really mean all that much. When I saw my dot on that screen and saw how excited everyone was to actually play, I knew I was hooked. After the Prospect Bowl, I was drafted by @mcgriddleluver to the Kansas City Coyotes and Fly was drafted to the then led by PSanchez, Pythons. The Coyotes were in a tough spot with Griddle being dropped into GMing and not having a lot to work with so the locker room was fairly barren. After learning more about the league I realized that I would love to be a GM for a team. Griddle wanted out so I offered to take the spot. He allowed me to take over and for my co I absolutely wanted to pick Fly. Sadly, as I said earlier, he was drafted to Portland so that was an issue. We ended up trading over what I think was a 1st round pick for the next season. The trade went through and I began my GMing career. There were a few ups but mostly downs during that time but the community in this league kept me going as I began to meet more and more people. The S15 class was full of amazing folks and many of them are still around today with most having a leadership role at some point. That is where I started and it's been a blast ever since. This league can be rough at times with drama and down seasons but in the end it really is a great league that I have poured countless hours of my time into. As far as individual thanks: I want to thank Fly for sticking it out in the league with me and I'm glad you got as invested as I have and even though we haven't been able to GM together after KCC, it's still been a blast with you in the league. Thank you Griddle for giving me my first GMing job. If I didn't get that, I'm not sure if I would've stuck around this long since GMing was my main goal here. Thank you @ckroyal92 for picking me in the 2nd round of the S15 draft, but also mentoring me with your old man GM wisdom. We've been through a ton of shit in this league and I'm glad we finally made it back not once, but twice to the Ultimus and won. It's been a great however many seasons because I can never remember when I took over as co-GM. Thank you all of the S15 class for being the best draft class without a doubt. I've met a ton of great people. As an extra thank you, thank you to all of the Sabercats who have stuck around and gone through our rough seasons to see that CK and I aren't as bad at our jobs as our past records may show. SJS is indeed not run by idiots though some folks may think otherwise.
Ah, yes, the International Simulation Football League. It's one of four sim leagues I am currently active in, and you know what? I love it. Even though the Pro Baseball Experience is my main priority at the moment, The International Simulation Football League is super cool and it truly has a great community. I joined last week, and now I'm on the Portland Pythons! All of the rookie mentors (and pretty much everyone) has been very welcoming and truly incredible to be around. I'm happy to call myself a member of this community.
I'm a casual football fan. I don't really follow football too much and I can't name too many stars. Hell, I don't even really watch the games. Baseball, Hockey, and Basketball have really been my sports of choice, but a few weeks ago I wanted to join a football sim league. I didn't know where to go, so I asked someone on the Pro Baseball Experience discord server. They told me that the Pro Baseball Experience was affiliated with two leagues: Super Casual Football Sim League and this one. I joined Super Casual because I was mainly devoted to PBE and this league was, to put it bluntly, a lot more effort. But then I realized how fun this league would be and I hopped on. I grinded all of my tasks and ultimately created my player. Gio Bianchi. Then, London came calling. And so did Portland. Both GMs were super cordial and nice and I have nothing but kind words for those two, and I cherish my limited interactions with those in the London Royals Locker Room when I was a prospect. I look forward to building Gio Bianchi up as a player and ultimately killing it in the ISFL when I make it. Shoutout to my PBE friend Dogwood Maple. You're a great guy. As I have stated many times before, this community is truly incredible and I will cherish it forever. Even though I may leave after a while, I plan on having a fruitful Sim Football career. While the International Simulation Football League isn't my top priority at the moment, the community and the kind words have been incredible. Now all I have to do is play some football! Offline
Wow, I can not believe that this league has been around for 25 seasons and I have only been a part of so little of this leagues amazing history. When I sit down and look back I get so upset that I did not find this league sooner. However, in the end it all worked out and I could not be happier to be at the point I am right now. In my short time in the league I have managed to gain a General Manager role at the Portland Pythons. This has to be one of my favorite parts of the league. To be a General Manager in the developmental league means that I get the opportunity to interact with a fresh set of recruits every season. This job has included scouting, and helping players that are brand new to this awesome league. The ability to meet so many new people has been one of the best parts of this league and it is one of those parts that will never stop. New blood is always joining which means that there is always opportunities to meet new people and get plugged in.
I joined this league with my friends and because of this league that friend group has grown significantly. There are so many people that have been there to help me along the way and that have been just so much fun to talk to. For those of you that have been here since the beginning I am very jealous. I just want you to know that I do not take lightly the work that has gone in to getting this league to the point it is at. From my time in the Portland organization I know what the past means to people and I look forward to honoring that for at least 25 more seasons to come! Also, to all the people that are new. Do not take your time in the Developmental league for granted. Some of my best memories are in the DSFL. It is a place where you are all learning together and it lays the framework for your long term success. Take advantage of the people around you and utilize all the resources you can. It is something that you will be so thankful for in the long run. There are going to be very frustrating moments at times. However, do not ever give up because trust me, this league is worth it. Thank you again to all that have made 25 seasons possible and I look forward to seeing what the next 25 will bring! ![[Image: sfuy2ud.png]](https://i.imgur.com/sfuy2ud.png) Offline 
While I haven’t been around the league for very long, this league has already meant a lot more than I ever thought it would to me. I was invited to join by a friend, and my first opinion was that the league might not be anything that I would be interested in. After a few weeks of being badgered, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see what the league was all about. With such a short time under my belt, I can honestly say that this league has been a great distraction from the real-life stresses of a 9 to 5 grind. Not only has the responsibilities of the league given me some distractions, but the camaraderie of the league members has made me look at this experience and group as a large family that all cares about our dot football. While there is some drama and fights, those are all things that happen within any family, which only help to give this league more depth. Hopefully there are many more anniversaries to come.
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