A Productive Proposal for Pensive Participants of a Pretend Pastime

The question of morality in fantasy football is a complex and uncomfortable, though largely unavoidable, one.

There are a myriad of reasons of varying significance for which many turn to fantasy football — from the simple desire to enjoy a silly little game to a search for undestructive habitual fulfilment that can be life-saving — almost none of which deal with the kind of difficult ethical dilemmas effected by the potential for reliance on people with whom one might vehemently disagree. The unfortunate reality, however, is that the heinous actions of certain talented NFL players force managers to reconcile those actions with the fantasy production of their perpetrators, a decisional process that is by no means an easy one; there is accordingly no consensus regarding its resolution.

The controversy surrounding this topic may not be inherently necessary, however.

A few years ago, Michael Gehlken had an idea that was — as are so many great ideas — at once simple and brilliant: fantasy managers who benefit — especially in a distinctly monetary sense — from players whose on-field prowess significantly contributed to league victories should donate to the charitable organizations of those players, as a small gesture of acknowledgement and gratitude. As the end of fantasy football neatly coincides with the most charitable month of the year, the suggestion seemed superbly seamless, and proved exceptionally effective.

Years after Gehlken’s tweet, Pete Davidson posited his own charity-centric solution to an entirely separate issue:

It is in the marriage of these two thoughts that a widely acceptable solution might be found.

While it may be unrealistic to ask fantasy managers to wrestle with moral quandaries that could negatively affect the realization of their championship aspirations, the propensity of the fantasy football community for charitable action has been on display for the past four years. As long as there are NFL players who both inflict harm on others and perform successfully, there will be fantasy managers who draft them.

The solution, then, lies in constructive productivity and future prevention: any fantasy manager who profits due at any point to a player who has attacked or abused others should donate to a charity that concomitantly aids those who have survived the type of suffering effected by that player and works to end that manner of torment moving forward.

The following is a list of NFL players who fit the aforementioned profile, and the corresponding charities that fight against those players’ transgressions.

Jameis Winston — National Alliance to End Sexual Violence

Dalvin Cook — Animal Welfare Institute

Joe Mixon — Futures Without Violence

Kareem Hunt — Futures Without Violence

Tyreek Hill — National Network to End Domestic Violence

Preston Williams — National Network to End Domestic Violence

Adrian Peterson — Prevent Child Abuse America

Titans D/ST — Futures Without Violence

Cardinals D/ST (until Week 15) — National Network to End Domestic Violence

Chiefs D/ST — National Network to End Domestic Violence

All charities listed were extensively researched to ensure that all donations are effectively utilized for the intended cause.