Some people go on exotic vacations for their wedding anniversaries. We go to The Fantasy Football Expo in Canton, Ohio.
Bob Lung has created the ultimate experience for Fantasy Football folks. He has turned the Expo into a major event, welcoming experts and fans from everywhere. We appreciate the endless hours he works to make this happen. We’ve known Bob since his first Fantasy Football Experience at the Pro Football Hall of Fame back in 2016, and now it seems like he is family.
We’ve gone to every Expo and have watched it grow bigger and better every year. There are multiple live drafts, Friday and Saturday night parties, corn hole, a poker tournament, flag football leading up to Sunday’s expert panels and over fifty exhibitors.
All the happenings are exciting and loads of fun, but our favorite is all the relationships we have formed, the friendships that keep getting stronger, and the new friends we meet.
This year was made more special by Rachel’s creation of the Unwind group for women who love fantasy football. Now in its tenth month, Unwind is a zoom meeting for women to get together, talk fantasy and life, and to grow lasting friendships. We’ve talked for nearly a year, so it was wonderful to finally meet in person. Instantly it felt like we were all old friends – thank you, Rachel for the positive environment you’ve established for the ladies.
We met up with some friends from Don’s division in the first Draft Night Out. Rightfully so, it was the “Friend’s” division, which has held up through the years. These are forever friends, made possible by The Fantasy Football Expo.
I was so excited to get to see two friends from the Sonic division of last year’s Scott Fish Bowl! John Hesterman (yep, he’s the same guy from Draft Night Out!) and Mike Hicks are fellow lovers of all things Sonic and we’ve kept in touch via our twitter chat. There’s nothing like seeing someone in person, and realizing they are just as genuine as they seem during the Fantasy Football season. The goal of the Scott Fish Bowl is to raise money for charity, but one of the other payoffs is the friendships that come from being in the league.
It is always an honor to get to talk to Jim Coventry, Darren “Fantasy Mojo” Armani, Brian Drake and Scott Fish as well as countless others. We had a great visit with Ryan Kennedy, or was it Tony Romo? We aren’t sure and perhaps we will never know. Jim Coventry correctly compared the Expo to speed dating – we get to talk to someone for a few minutes before they are whisked into their next conversation.
This post wouldn’t be complete without a shoutout to Bob Harris for always putting up with our crazy driving, endless questions, and lack of sense of direction. Bob is a great friend, gives the best hugs, and doesn’t seem to ever forget anyone he’s ever met.
Every year we look forward to the Expo, and before we know it, it’s over. On the way home, there is a sense of sadness from already missing our friends. Thank goodness for social media so we can keep in contact until we see everyone next year at The Fantasy Football Expo 2025.