Main Character of the Week is a weekly column that tells you the most prominent “main character” online (good or bad). It runs on Fridays in the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. If you want to get this column a day before we publish it, subscribe to web_crawlr, where you’ll get the daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.
The internet is a stage, and someone unwillingly stumbles onto it weekly. This makes them the “main character” online. Sometimes their story is heartwarming, like the Oasis reunion; usually it’s a gaffe. In any case, that main character energy flows through the news cycle and turbo-charges debate for several business days.
Here’s the Trending team’s main character of the week.
It’s the return of football to our online lives. And what that means for American timelines.
This one’s personal. The Daily Dot held its annual fantasy football draft Wednesday night. We use Yahoo. In 2015, the Daily Dot Invitational fantasy football league (then played via ESPN) enjoyed 32 participants. This year participation dwindled and we considered scrapping the ritual altogether.
I’m glad we didn’t because this year’s hateful eight––the so-called Scrappin’ Newsies—are a colorful bunch.
The coworker who dislikes football but gets good advice via his wife. The longtime freelancer, looking for his big break. The “glue guy” newsletter editor who sends the login link. The investigative editor drafting amid a reporting trip. The retired journalist turned developer who lets the computer draft. The SEO editor who reluctantly said she’d be online for the draft but ghosted us. James.
And me, the broken man with a haunted past.
I held the world championship belt in 2014, 2015, and 2016. But I haven’t since—and this year I am on an Uma Thurmanian mission to reclaim my place. But like Coach Taylor said during season 5 of Friday Night Lights, we don’t play for revenge. Negativity in our hearts means sloppy results. We manage with intention, moral clarity (don’t draft Tyreek Hill), always in the flow state.
Football fandom today is thinking you know more about fantasy football above even fandom for your beloved childhood team. If Dak Prescott scores a touchdown but he is rostered by my opponent, I am unhappy despite being an obsessive Cowboys fan.
It is doomscrolling on Sundays. It is writing hot takes on the Notes app and spamming the group chat. It is staring at your phone AT THE STADIUM. It is an emotionally dysfunctional, racist, sexist, all-encompassing passion that EATS YOU ALIVE. All the trending topics become rooted in football culture.
My advice this season is to be mindful and demure. It’s not that serious (even though it is).
Like the Boss said: All men want to be rich. Rich men want to be kings. And a king ain’t satisfied until he rules everything.
🏈 Editor’s Note: Andrew here. I’m the one who stopped Ramon’s reign of terror when I joined the Daily Dot way back in 2017. I’ve won several other championships since then. If he says he’s on a mission, then so am I.
We will keep you all in the loop about how the Daily Dot league is shaping up once a month.
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