So, you want to participate in a fantasy game and you are thinking, “Why not football?” Fantasy football is one of the biggest and most participated fantasy sports game today. So, you can be assured of enjoyment and meeting fantasy football games enthusiast, and meeting interesting characters along the way.

However, before participating in fantasy football games, it is good to get a basic grasp of what professional American football is all about. Winning in fantasy football games, or any fantasy sports games, is about being knowledgeable about the game you have chosen. After all, real life statistics is the basic foundation in determining the winning team in fantasy football.

So, here's a brief discussion of American football 101. Learn well because the key to winning in fantasy sports (and in anything in life actually) is to be knowledgeable.

The National Football League, or what is popularly dubbed as the NFL, is America's professional football league. It is one of America's most beloved pop-culture sports and it could perhaps be your favorite sports game.

According to US statistics, the National Football League games are the the most participated and attended sport in America today.

There are thirty-two teams in the National Football League. There are two conferences which make up the American football league and these are the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC).

The conferences are further divided into four divisions. Each of these divisions have four teams. The sum of all these teams equal sixteen.

A regular NFL season is scheduled to run for seventeen weeks. The winners of the regular NFL season will play in the National Football League playoff. This is a single-elimination tourney for the twelve-team participants.

The two winners of the playoffs from each conference will compete against each other in the National Football League's biggest event – the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is highly anticipated and one city has the honor of hosting this huge event every year.

Who are teams in the National Football League?

For the American Football Conference:

Well, in the East there are the: New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots.
The West have the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas Chief and the Oakland Raiders.
The North cities: Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns.
South cities: Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars.

The list for the National Football Conference Team:

East: Washington Redskins, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles
West cities include: Seattle Seahawks, San Fran 49ers, St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals
North cities: Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions
South cities: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons

You may be hearing the buzz about it about it, but what exactly is fantasy football?

Well, fantasy football is basically a fantasy sports game where participating players are called owners. These owners belong to a particular arranged competing league. Each of these leagues earn what is dubbed as fantasy points based on existing data and statistics from the real life game of American football; known as the National Football League. The real life data which the professional athletes of the National Football League rack up is important in determining the winner of a fantasy football game.

The players or owners of the league use real life American footballers and they draft these players. The sources of this are the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Both the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association are sources of the fantasy players for the owner of a fantasy football team.

The positions to be filled by the owner of a fantasy football team include a running back, a wide receiver, the quarterback, the kicker, the defense and the tight end; a set up similar to real life National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association teams.

Based on real life stats and dependent on the performance of the players, a fantasy football team can garner fantasy points which would reflect to the other football fantasy owners.

For example, a player in the form of a running back gets the much anticipated touchdown, then that running back will earn, in the world of fantasy football, a determined number of points for the owner of the player.

When the season ends, there will be a win-loss tally or record which will set out the league qualifications or fantasy football rankings and this will turn into a playoff bracket.

Just how huge has fantasy football become? Well, most of the football leagues do put aside the weekend of the month of the regular football season for a fantasy football playoff. This playoff will be determinant of the fantasy football league's winner or champion for the season.

The amazing popularity of fantasy football is reflected in the fact that in 2009, twenty seven million players of these enjoyable fantasy football league games rack up nine hours in a week to play! Twenty seven million people enjoy the same fantasy football passion as you!