Offseason Point Task - 25th Anniversary Special

[Cincyfan96]

I've got to say, when I joined this league back at the start of S23, I did not think it would be something that I would connect with. My buddy was involved and I was bored at work one day so I asked him to help me get something set up just to see what he was talking about and what I found was a bunch of people who love football (or, at least, fake football) and are genuinely fun to talk to and be around! The first day that got me starting to feel hooked was DSFL draft day. I had already gotten kind of excited when 10 people messaged me on Discord asking about me and about my plans for my player (which I had no idea what they were) but that day I realized that this was something I would actually want to invest into. Getting drafted by Tijuana let me spend my first couple seasons in the best (and most secret) locker room in all of this league (in my opinion) and that was the best and easiest way to truly get hooked. I met tons of people who I considered friends, chief of all my fellow draftee Tonzy, and spent hours each day connecting with them and talking about life - both real and fictional - which was just a ton of fun. To be honest, I got a bit carried away with it all and began to forfeit the quality of real life in order to bolster this one. While it was fun in here, I definitely didn't handle things the best in my family and ended up having to take a real step back from it all, which stunk because I missed it like crazy. Yet in all things, a bit of sacrifice tends to lead to something even greater, which I've found in being fully invested in the life of my wife and baby daughter. I have this league to thank for helping me to kill some quarantine time, make some new friends, grow closer to an old friend, and eventually evaluate my lifestyle and make positive changes for the future. I'm happy to say that I'm now back to being active in this league, though certainly less so than I once was, and enjoying the good things here while also giving appropriate time to my real life and family. Thank you all for creating a great platform for fun and friends, and I can't wait to see where it goes from here!

[Tylus]

It has been a long road for myself and for Tychondrius Hood since he first joined the league in season twenty two. My journey began with a reddit post that I clicked on on a whim. I had apparently already created an account when the league was first created, but had never gotten around to actually joining and creating my player. Second time was the charm, as I created my player, I was bombarded by helpful people willing to show me the ropes. Some of my most fond memories are of the time before I was drafted by the Grey Ducks, spent hanging out with my season 23 brethren, speculating who would draft us, where we would go, trash talking, and just generally having fun. When I was finally drafted I went to the team I had hoped I would go to, Minnesota being such a fun locker room, and having great GMs and teammates. I’ll never forget the good times spent with my old DSFL team and my teammates, many of which I am still friends with to this day. While that team didn’t win an Ultimini, I would do it again if given the choice. I did manage to win wide receiver of the year and offensive rookie of the year, which are also fond memories for me. Being drafted to San Jose was also an amazing memory, going sixth overall was more than I dreamt of, and I remember being so blown away and excited that the great Sabercat GMs saw me as such a valuable asset. Now comes the best memories of all. Through long and hard seasons full of tough games and struggles, we managed to win the Ultimus in season 24, which was an amazing accomplishment that nobody saw coming. Creating such chaos in the league and derpcat going meow meow was so much fun and a great memory. Then you know what we did? WE WENT AND DID IT AGAIN! Can something be one of your favorite memories if it just happened? If not it will be soon. Winning our second Ultimus in two years is an amazing accomplishment that will be with me throughout my career and time in the league, even if we don’t win another game until I retire. I have had so many good times and fond memories, and I’m sure I will have more as my career in this league continues. With so many great people and great teams, I’m positive there is more to come.

[Datboi489]

I am new here

[GuitarMaster116]

What does this league mean to me? Well that is easy, this league means everything to me. Back a couple months ago, I saw a post in the r/nfl subreddit that mentions a simulation league where you could create a player, join a team, talk to people, and just join a community. I had never tried something like this before in the past, so at first, I was skeptical. But at that time in my life, I was extremely depressed and lost. The whole Covid thing was going on, I was getting killed by school, and most of my friends were always busy so I was basically just stuck in a rut, where I felt like I had no one at all to talk to and hang out with. So, I decide to say screw it, and joined in the ISFL. Immediately I was greeted to an awesome and friendly community, who really helped me out when creating my character. It was for sure a struggle at first creating, but thanks to how friendly and helpful most people were I decided to keep going and stick around a bit longer.

I still was a bit skeptical about the league even after all of this, as I was not very active since it was all so overwhelming, being invited to a bunch or LRs and servers, talking to scouts, and all of that. But I became hooked to the league during the draft, when Tijuana took me and I became apart of their cult. That is when I found my new home, and I got to hang out with all of the great people from Tijuana, as well as talk with a bunch of the other rookies that were drafted a long side me. I have met some amazing people that I would consider friends, even if they live all around the world. Now, I am super active, I have become a rookie mentor to help out new rookies just like me, I have become an HO, and I also one day want to become a GM. This league came in my life at a time where I was really struggling to find some type of escape and solace from everyday life, and I will always forever be grateful for it, and I want to try and make it a better place. I do not know how long I will stick around in this league for, but I do hope I get to see S50 and watch the league grow and change. I hope I will play a part in that growth.

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[AL_GRINGO]

Man 25 seasons of a sim league is a long time. I have only been in this league since season 21 but I already feel like it is a home for me. I first heard about the then National Simulation Football League when I joined the Professional Baseball Experience a little over a year ago. I had never been in or heard of a simulation league before joining the Professional Baseball Experience. I instantly fell in love with that league and not much longer created and entered the National Simulation Football League or what it is now called the International Simulation Football League. I knew some users already who I had met in the Professional Baseball Experience but tried to meet as many new people as possible during the draft process. After talking to multiple scouts and general managers the Development Simulation Football League draft came and I truly did not know where I was going to be drafted. My player George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher was drafted to the Tijuana Luchadores in the 6th round and my journey in this league began.

My first experience with the team was amazing. the group of guys they have there are great from the general managers down to the players on the field. I loved it there so much that I continue to be a big part of their team and locker room to this day even though I do not play there anymore. I had a ok year stat wise in my single season in the Development Simulation Football League and it was then on to the big time draft. Once again I talked with many scouts and general managers but still didn't know where I was going to be drafted at all. I ended up getting drafted by the san jose sabercats and have loved it there as well. I had been teammates with their general manager in the professional baseball experience and it was good to be with a familiar face.

My career on the field took off from there and the Sabercats also excelled. I not only made it to a pro bowl but also consistently lead the team in tackles. We made it to two Ulitmus games and won both of the Mutha F'ers. I don't see me ever leaving this team until corpsegrinder retires. The Sabercats have one of the best locker rooms in the league and Derp cat go MEOW!

[ForSucksFake]

Man, this league came right at the perfect time for me. My state had just shut down, meaning that I wasn’t going to be able to hang out with my friends for a while. That’s some thing I wish I knew it was coming, cause I hadn’t hung out with my friend since my previous birthday. But I’ve made plenty of new friends here, which is not some thing I thought that I would do. At first I was here for a football career simulation that was more rewarding than madden. What I found was a place where I belong, a place where I could make a difference, and the place where I could feel safe. My first season was really confusing for me, not knowing how to update, and barely knowing how to earn. But once I got the hang of it, I felt like this was my new favorite thing to be a part of. When I first joined the league, my initial priority was winning championships and winning in general. But after I got to know some of the player base, it became all about having fun. I’ve encountered some of the funniest people here. I’ve made what I believe to be true friendships during my time here. Obviously TheCC and I are close. But I really enjoy interacting with my fellow DSFL alumni and ISFL teammates and GMs. I have had so much of my off-work time go into the league and talking with my new friends that my wife briefly thought I was having an extramarital affair. Every Saturday morning she’ll see me working on my laptop and ask “is that your football thing?” She’s been super supportive of my ISFL involvement and has gone so far as to join the team voice chat servers with me and listen to my funnier media articles. As far as real-world skills go, I’ve been learning a lot of new things such as spreadsheets, interview skills, and digital art like editing and photo manipulation. I’m super glad I found the ISFL to take my mind off the real world and to fill my empty social life with some great people and wonderful times. I honestly don’t care if I never win an Ultimus because I’m just here for the people. It’s a privilege to enjoy their company and I view PTs, activity checks, and updating as the dues I pay for said privilege. I enjoy each off-season when it’s time to meet new prospects and leave an impression on them and teach the prospects that we draft. 10/10.

[Southie]

What does the league mean to me? That's an interesting question. I signed up for this league back in August and essentially left immediately after I got drafted.  I just wasn't in the right headspace at the time. I had lot of personal issues going on then and so I flaked out. I feel bad about it. I feel like I missed a chance to do something cool. So I guess you could say what the league means to me is regret. That's a bit dark but it's a fair assement of how I feel about the league. It's interesting because the ISFL has been a league I've paid a lot of attention to  by listening to podcast and stuff even though I haven't been a real player here for any signifctant amount of time. It's weird because I'm in this strange situation where I'm not technically a rookie but I feel like a rookie because I have very little experience here as an actual player. It's also weird because I'm not the biggest fan of profesional football in real life. I played a lot of Madden as a kid and I was a huge Steelers fan when I was thirteen or fourteen but I haven't watched football seriously since like 2011. Whenever that Steelers superbowl against the Packers was and even then I wasn't the most hardcore fan in the world. I don't know why. Pro Football  has just never been my sport. I've had my moments with Baseball and Hockey but never Football.  There's just something about the sport that doesn't appeal to me.

I know I kind of  got off topic there for a bit but to bring it back to the league, I think it's interesting. I like sim leagues, I like watching my player do well and crafting a story around them.  I don't have any strong feelings when it comes to the ISFL. I like it and I want to succeded but I'm too inexperienced to have any real feelings about the league.

As for what the league will look like in twenty-five seasons, It'll probably be huge. This is the largest Sim League I know of and it seems to be growing so it'll probably be ungodly massive twenty-five seasons from now if it continues down the path it's been going down recently.  I just hope that I have a good career in the future and finally live up to my potential. I think I can be an excellent player if i stay dedicated to my craft.

423 Words

[Sutj]

When I first found out about this league through reddit, I was immediately interested. I was part of what I believe was the biggest recruiting class for the ISFL (formerly NSFL). It was a very interesting concept, but when I joined back in February, I had no idea that I'd still be a loyal and committed member even today in November. As a Kiwi, I obviously don't have much involvement at all in football aside from being watching the games online. There is practically no football whatsoever in New Zealand, as rugby is our main sport, leaving little to no room for the possibility of football. However, this league gave me the opportunity to be a part of a league, whether or not I was actually physically on the field. Not only that, but it allowed me to join an incredible, warm, and welcoming community full of football enthusiasts like me. First being drafted to the Tijuana Luchadores, I was welcomed to what I still believe is one of the best locker rooms in either the DSFL or ISFL. Being able to spend all four of my eligible seasons with them was honestly great, and the feeling of being able to be a key contributor to an Ultimini was an amazing feeling. After being drafted to the Arizona Outlaws, I later signed with the Austin Copperheads, never taking the field with an Outlaws uniform. Joining with Austin was another one of my more memorable experiences. After exploring many options in free agency following my departure from Arizona, it was a great and fun experience navigating free agency and figuring out what I was looking for and what team would be the best fit for me. It really felt great negotiating with teams, and discussing with people what team I would be best for and which teams I should be joining for whatever reason. In 25 seasons, I think the league will still have the same systems and the same friendly, loyal community, but definitely with even more players and probably even more teams as well. Recently, we have added four more teams in the past few seasons, and there is no reason for that to expand even more as we gain even more members in the league. Currently, we have 14 teams in the league, and with even more members as each season goes by, I could easily see this league expanding to possibly even 20 teams which would be amazing to see and be a part of. All in all, this sim league has been a great experience for me, and I don't have any plans on leaving.

[iseedoug]

I like these point tasks, as they give a nice chance to reflect on the league. I have been in the league since March 2018, just insane. I have made lots of friends and had tons of fun with some really historical teams and moments. I wish I had the time to be as involved in the LR and forums as much as I used to be, but I am still having fun. And the plan is to recreate again after Dougie Smalls hits the 11 or 12 season mark. I may be a Hall of Very Good player creator forever, but again, I still have a ton of fun.

As always, these types of tasks are my chance to shout out @nunccoepi, we did lots of cool stuff, turned teams from losers to championships in literal single seasons. I hope we can go into the HOF together. I know there are lots of cool kids GMing now-a-days, but I really feel like Nunc and I did things that had not been done before and made more blockbuster trades than anyone. Also as always, shout out to the OGs in the SJS franchise (@ckroyal92 and the gang), the S11, S12, S13 seasons and LRs were the best. Also shoutout to my partner @mabb, who I need to get to recreate again (she has all her updater money still!). It was fun to have you in the league!

Switching gears a bit; in real life, I am a professor who does work on social networks, online communities, etc. And this league always pops up in my mind as the rare, great example of a solid, supportive, and healthy online community. I, and others in my research community, often see the many, many harms from online social networks and communities. Manuscript after manuscript describing the progression of hate speech, conspiracy theories, and disinformation, all due to the structure of current social networks and online communities (mostly due to the business model of running ads, but I won’t get into that). Yet, this league is not that. In fact, it's what social networks promised to be, but failed. It is organically ran and moderated (and does a great job doing so), supportive of members from all walks of life, and provides a real community. Sure we have had our ups and downs, but we have created a sustainable and health community. A community that can deal with problems and improve. And it always amazes me that this thing still runs. One day I will include the ISFL as an example in an academic paper for this reason.

[mee]

The ISFL. Sounds like fun. That was basically my first thought about this league. Right now it has grown into a nice league that I have been enjoying. The locker rooms, the gameplay everything really. Now the time difference between the two is pretty small, I only just signed up. But I do have to say that this league has been great. I missed out on the fun of being drafted into the DSFL, but the experience of the ISFL draft has been a good one so far. Meeting the GMs, popping into public locker rooms, it's been enjoyable. I joined this league primarily to avoid SHL PTs that I didn't like, but I have come to enjoy it more than I expected. I really hope that I am able to enjoy my ISFL locker room and my player can find some nice place to succeed in this league.
To join the league and jump right in to a championship team was incredible. I can't be happier with the in-game play of my team and my player than what happened in Tijuana this season.
One thing I feel like the player creation is a bit limited with the play style you have to match. If a sim exists that allows more customization that would be cool. Also one where speed isn't the be all end all.
I don't have much more to say about this league, other than a thank you to all the people who run this.

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