Power Players: Meet Liz Loza, Fantasy Football Expert
You’ll want to be friends with her… but not in the same Fantasy league
Power Players is a content series by The Relish profiling the #girlbosses of the sports world. Today, meet Liz Loza.
On the spectrum of fans, I fall more on the watercooler side of things with a handy Minor in Fandom Studies thanks to experiences in my personal and professional lives, related to sports and not. Since joining The Relish, a very cool job perk has been learning. A lot. About sports. Just last week I learned that when you Google “kickass women who also happen to be fantasy football experts” after a particularly dark losing streak, the Internet will serve up Liz Loza to you. And you’ll be, all — thanks, Internet, this is exactly who I was looking for.
Since starting her own site nearly seven seasons ago, this week’s Relish Power Player Liz Loza has become a household name in the Fantasy Sports world. She currently works as an analyst for Yahoo! Sports, co-hosts the popular X’s and Y’s Podcast, is an active member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, and agreed to let us tag along for it all during an especially jet set day.
Take us through a day in the (work) life for you…
6am: The hotel wake-up call jolts me from my sleep. I fumble for the landline, hang it up, and check my cell alarm. Ten more minutes before I need to get up.
6:10am: My back-up alarm goes off, I sit up, and start checking e-mails.
6:20am: I brush my teeth. Strategically secure my shower cap (have to preserve yesterday’s blowout). And hop in the shower.
6:45am: The ablutions begin.
7:15am: Makeup done. Hair done.
7:30am: Bags packed. Wardrobe in hand.
7:35am: Check out of hotel. Grab a complimentary cup of joe. Hop into car. Head to Yahoo.
7:45am: Thank the driver. Head into the studio.
7:50am: Check in with my producer. Sit down for last touches.
8:05am: Get mic-ed up by audio crew.
8:15am: Butts in seats. Start reviewing last-minute inactives. Discuss show lead with producer and castmates.
8:16am: Answer fantasy questions via Facebook Live.
8:29am: Tweak fantasy lineups
8:30am: Fantasy Football Live is LIVE!
10am: Show wraps. Time for more coffee.
10:05am: Grab laptop and notepad. Top off coffee. Scarf down Kind Bar (Black Truffle Almond & Sea Salt). Head to bullpen to watch football and take notes.
10:15am: Begin pitching, crafting, and shooting #RapidReaction videos (Is Kendall Wright back? LeSean McCoy is unstoppable… and Chip Kelly should know better! Can Vernon Davis serve as Captain Kirk’s security blanket while Jordan Reed is out? JUST GIVE IT TO JORDAN HOWARD! Time to push the panic button on Mark Ingram.)
noon: Pizza and Twitter break!
12:05pm: Check in on phone for afternoon flight.
1:10pm: Morning slate of games finishes up.
1:20pm: Wrap vids.
1:40pm: Check fantasy scores (leading in six of nine).
1:45pm: Grab gear, fill 14 oz. Lifefactory water bottle, swallow a prenatal and some Vitamin C, chug in prep for afternoon flight and head to San Jose airport.
2:10pm: Arrive at SJC.
2:15pm: Hustle my way through security. Stop at Menchie’s (because they have the game on, it’s directly across from my gate, and I’m 32 weeks pregnant).
3:00pm: Board flight to Burbank, CA.
3:05pm: Check scores. Engage on Twitter. Dig into Jamaal Charles usage in his first solid start back.
3:15pm: Get scolded by flight attendant to turn off and put away my mobile device. I (finally) put away my mobile device…
4:20pm: Wheels down!
4:40pm: Grab Lyft. Head HOME!
5pm: Walk in the front door. Survey the mess that my husband, toddler, and two dogs have made. Drop my bags just in time to scoop my 3-year-old up and receive wonderfully aggressive snuggles.
5:15pm: Head outside to play Buzz Lightyear and Peter Pan.
6:15pm: Warm up toddler dinner. Feed dogs. Covet my husband’s beer (don’t take a sip though).
6:30pm: Record Yahoo Fantasy Freak Show Podcast from home office.
7:15pm: Dry off freshly bathed toddler (thanks, hubby!). Attempt to harness
the tornado that I birthed whilst attempting some semblance of bedtime routine.
7:45pm: After three books, many sips of water, two extra trips to the potty, and a rousing rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Traffic Light”… the toddler is down.
7:50pm: Turn on Cubs game (I mean, it’s been 108 years). Shovel salad into my mouth. Check Twitter. Tell my husband I love and appreciate him.
8:05pm: Cubs lose (but I have tix to the game on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium). Mope for a minute.
8:07pm: Turn on Sunday Night Football. Delight in Lamar Miller’s touchdowns (called ’em!). Tweet while reviewing data from earlier games (C.J. Spiller led the Seahawks in targets. He’s carving out a role for himself in this offense with C.J. Prosise and Tyler Lockett battling injuries).
9:07pm: Texans stun the Colts in overtime. Brock Osweiler is still terrible. I wonder if Chuck Pagano will be fired before or after the Colts’ Week 10 bye.
9:15pm: That’s a wrap for the day. I have an hour to decompress and hang out with my hubby on the sofa before collapsing into bed.
What are your essential apps?
The new, improved, and completely kick a** Yahoo Fantasy app that lets users do everything from draft their team(s), manage their lineup(s), check fantasy scores, and even talk smack with other leaguemates.
RotoWorld’s NFL news app that allows me to stay on top of injury updates, practice reports, and late-breaking news items.
theScore’s real-time scores app that helps me track matchups from across the NFL (and over a variety of different sports) so I can see who’s winning and losing while I’m on the road.
GIPHY because some of my most effective Twitter takes are best accompanied by a boomerang of an angry cat.
I’m having a Super Bowl party! What are you bringing?
Bluetooth headphones so that I can actually listen to the game. And a giant combo bowl of butter popcorn and peanut M&M’s, which is the ultimate junk food, discovered by my childhood bestie circa the seventh grade.
If you could brunch with people from the sports world, history or present day, who would be on your dream team:
Katherine Switzer — The first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry in 1967. Her grit, courage, and ingenuity have always inspired me.
Virginia Halas McCaskey — Daughter of legendary Bears coach, George “Papa Bear” Halas. She inherited the team after her father died and was the owner of the team when the Bears won Super Bowl XX. She is currently the oldest team owner in the NFL.
Katarina Witt — I was a competitive figure skater growing up. Witt’s artistry, fiery confidence, and womanly physique helped remind me that there’s nothing more gorgeous than kicking ass on my own terms.
Drew Rosenhaus — Powerhouse NFL agent and author of A Shark Never Sleeps: Wheeling and Dealing with the NFL’s Most Ruthless Agent. I’m fascinated about the business of pigskin and believe that understanding all of football’s nuances will only make me more successful within the space.
Name someone who needs to be permanently benched:
Greg Hardy and his many enablers. For those who haven’t had the pleasure… Hardy is accused of throwing his ex-girlfriend on a couch covered in loaded guns, assaulting her, and threatening her life. After way too many “second” chances in the NFL, the POS finally washed out. Now, however, he’s reportedly making a play to become an MMA fighter… and facing little resistance.
What advice would you give to a young woman who wants to work in sports?
Jump in. Make mistakes. Ask for help. Create your own thing. Don’t try to be anyone else. Be polite, but not quiet. Hang with the boys and network, but don’t drink too much… ever. Have strong opinions and stronger facts/stats to back them up. Set boundaries. Know your shit. Never read the comments.
Give props to a fellow #girlboss power player in the sports world:
The fierce and brilliant Amy Trask has been a wonderful source of advice and inspiration. Last fall we both recorded (Amy contributes as an analyst on the CBS morning NFL pre-show and I was shooting Fantasy Football Live remotely at the time) out of the same studio in Culver City. I was in the makeup chair when she walked in and I totally lost my cool. I mean how in the world was I sharing studio space with the “Princess of Darkness!??!” We’d see each other every Sunday and shortly thereafter set up lunch and dinner dates. She is as generous as she is intelligent. I highly recommend her freshly penned You Negotiate Like a Girl: Reflections on a Career in National Football.
I also have to give props to my undaunted producer Jackie Pepper. A go-getting diva who knows how to manage personalities and bring out the best in her talent, Jackie makes every day seem less like work and more like fun. Her passion for quality in the workplace and justice beyond it lift the standards of all those toiling beside her. Plus, she’s a hoot. Be sure to check out her podcast: The Pepper on Sports Podcast.
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