theJagZone

I've been involved in Fantasy Football since the early eighties.. the days of manually tabulating scores on a Monday or Tuesday following each weeks games. Using whatever Newspaper available that posted consistent statistics for us. We began to use the USA Today paper on a regular basis until the computer age provided a much easier mode of handling that. I began as most did then, basic scoring leagues with buddies. Then there came the Yahoo, CBS, ESPN, etc Leagues. Over time I began to study the game a little more and subsequently get involved in the deeper Dynasty formats during the early 2000's. One of the online competitors that I talked football with mentioned to me about the set up at Zealots Field Dynasty Leagues and asked if I would be interested in checking it out. I Filled out an application and joined a league. It was an incredibly enjoyable fantasy football experience. As times evolved I've played free leagues, $25-$50 /person leagues, as well as competed in high stakes Championship Leagues at several levels. Different Leagues with Media members in the Midwestern United States as well as Sportswriters, Reporters, News Editors, and of course with random Owners all over the country. Things evolve for us all and over time it didn't take me long to realize that Dynasty League success had pretty much become the “be all to end all” for me. Winning money wasn’t the goal and to this point really has very little to do with it. I’ve backed off of the deep ca$h leagues in recent years because I found that the biggest "rush" for me personally was from either starting a team from scratch via the initial Draft and creating a consistent winner or even taking a team that a previous owner may have basically destroyed and in two or three seasons turning that franchise into something solid.

I remained a part of Zealots Field Dynasty League Football ( http://www.zealotsfield.com/ ) after joining their leadership team in the approximately 2004. They had been in existence for about a year or so at that point. In the mid 2000’s (maybe 2005) Zealots Field began to expand. A new and larger community Message Board was set up via Invision Boards that would be able to handle the traffic. Since that time constant work has been done by many to consistently work to improve the Zealots Field Dynasty Football experience. Although I may be biased I have no problem telling anyone interested in playing simply for pride and/or because they love the competition that in my opinion Zealots Field has been the ultimate in a “play for the love of Dynasty Football” type experience. Zealots Field has a number of different options as far as league types. From old school Classic, Auction Contract, and Collegiate to newer PPR, Relegation, Developmental, and Superflex leagues there is a wide variety of options for players that simply enjoy playing the game. A couple of years ago I stepped away from my leadership position at Zealots Field. Not because I didn’t enjoy being a part of it. It was a very difficult choice however- 1) I felt it was time for me to step out and encourage the involvement and growth of other younger and fresher minds when it comes to Dynasty Football in general and the Zealots venue and 2) from a greedy stand point on my part and considering the number of leagues that I participate in I wanted to focus on making certain I fully enjoyed my own teams more.

The bottom line for me is that I really just enjoy playing against competitive, dedicated, yet also level headed owners in varying Dynasty League formats. I completely understand and appreciate that as owners none of us has the same opinion regarding different leagues, player values, etc.. Over the years I've competed in as many as 30 leagues in various seasons and currently I’ve dialed it back to 23 active and well run Leagues. At this point, I just prefer established leagues yet I’m not opposed to newly formed Dynasty Leagues of experimental form although my days of doing auction/contract leagues are definitely behind me. I was fortunate to enjoy some great success in the leagues of that type despite how time consuming I allowed them to be for me. It’s mostly a matter of my personal enjoyment of the interaction and competition the leagues I’m a part of give me. I love competing against the many different strategies that various owners bring to the table as well as just conversing about football and the many aspects of the game that come with it. I’m married with two grown children (one played the game through his collegiate years and now coaches it). Obviously despite my love of the game of football itself I’m still very much a a “family first” individual.
As I said, I do love talking football so if you care to please feel free to message me anytime..
I’ll respond as I am able to!
#Cheers
Contact me: [email protected]
http://www.zealotsfield.com
@MarkClapper

"Lack of preparation on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
Never argue with idiots, they drag you down to their level and beat you with experience"
"I found Jesus on the golf course. Well at least I heard his name several times"
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