Braille is No Fantasy in Football
After the first weekend of the football season, I am saying to myself, I should have used braille and not the computer. Yes, my fantasy football team took a beating this week. This year, I let the computer draft for me. I usually prepare for the draft by brailling out my top 180 players by position. I am not a prolific braille reader, but in the fantasy sports draft world, I think braille over the computer will win every time.
I have great memories of the first time twelve of my friends got together to draft. The trash talk was bountiful and the excitement was high. Half the guys had their laptops, a few had print rosters, and one of my other blind friends and I had our picks embossed in braille.
As the draft went along, I scratched out the players off my “braille board.” This was a great way for me to keep track of who got drafted. It beats using Excel and Jaws since paging up and down in a spreadsheet is a challenge when you have 90 seconds or less to make your picks. The ability to manage who is the best player available and whether you need that position, in a short period of time, is critical to your chances of winning. You had better be ready when your 8th, 12th, or 15th round picks come up. Every roster spot counts.
As I leafed through my braille sheets, I was amused when the guys using laptops ran into problems with their Internet connection, or when their computer was too slow because of the heat in the room. They had to ask, "Is so and so still available?” Either I or my blind competitor would give them the answer before those using print or computers could.
Using braille for my fantasy football league gives me more control over my selections and I tend to do well. When I use Excel or let the computer draft for me, I have not fared as well. I have learned my lesson: braille is more efficient, faster and a great way to manage your fantasy football team. Oh, and it’s a pretty good tool for managing other things like work and school, too!