By Paul Anthony Arco
Rockford (Ill.) Register Star

ROCKFORD, Ill. - Five years ago, Karen Peterson Nalewanski of Rockford attended a holiday party where her husband, Lee, and another man were absorbed in a conversation about football. But Lee was stumped when the man asked him to name the quarterback for the New York Jets.

"You should ask my wife," Lee said.

Karen knows her football.

She'd better since she's commissioner of a fantasy football league. For 11 years (seven as commissioner), the 47-year-old has played in a local 12-team league that started with a group of co-workers. Over time, many of the participants left the company, but the league has stayed intact and now includes four women - Peterson Nalewanski, her twin sister Kathy Velasco, and co-workers Jennifer Crain and Mary Simons.

The assumption could be made that fantasy football is just for beer-guzzling, sports-crazed men, but that's simply not the case. A recent Harris Interactive Poll estimates that 30 million Americans play fantasy sports, with 6.5 million of those being women. A study done by Ipsos, a market research company, estimates that 25 percent of fantasy football players are women.

The reasons vary. Some are rabid fans - like many men - who treat fantasy football as one more excuse to watch the pro game, including Linda Decker of Belvidere who's been in as many as five fantasy leagues at one time.

Others couldn't break down the intricacies of the West Coast offense, but they enjoy the social aspect fantasy football offers - treating the preseason draft as a housewarming party and, during the season, commiserating around the water cooler about the lack of depth at the running back position.

Regardless of the motives, nothing gets competitive juices - male or female - flowing more than spending a Sunday afternoon in front of the big screen watching their fantasy quarterback throw three touchdowns or their kicker boot a 50-yard field goal.

Don't believe it? Just ask Velasco.

"I have yet to win a championship," she said, "and I'm ticked about it."

Fantasy football and true love

It was fantasy football that led Rockford native Robin Schuster to find true love.

Schuster, 27, started playing during her college days at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where she met her husband-to-be, Brad. Eight years later, the league is going strong despite the fact that the former college classmates are now scattered in various cities. Schuster lives in Kenosha, Wis. and is still the only female in the league.

Schuster and her husband pondered co-owning a team but thought better of it.

"We've developed a rivalry," she said. "We look forward to the football season. We know what we'll be doing together every Sunday."

It was an invitation from her husband, Shannon, who was creating a new league, comprised of family and friends, that got Jennifer Crain hooked on fantasy football. And it didn't take the 32-year-old Rockford resident long to make an impact. In just her third year, Crain captured the league's title last season. In fact, she's made the playoffs every year.

"Before, I thought fantasy football was annoying," Crain said. "I thought it took up too much time and that it took the fun out of watching football. But then I realized it made it fun to watch the different games."

That's not to say that all husbands share in their wives' hobby.

"He just rolls his eyes at me," said Velasco of her husband Albert, who does not play fantasy football. "We're both Bears fans, but when the game is over, he goes out to work in the yard, and I stay in the house. I have three more games to watch."

The 47-year-old Velasco, who lives in Woodstock, has found that fantasy football offers other perks as well. The owner of a Rockford-based advertising firm, Velasco and Associates, Velasco says fantasy football has improved her business relationships with men.

"There are some guys who aren't interested in working with women," she said. "This gives me an entry into a group where I can contribute to a conversation that maybe I couldn't have before. It always gives my printer reps and me something to talk about whenever they come in."

But it's a whole new ballgame when the genders do battle on the make-believe gridiron.

"One guy in our league said 'I'm not playing with girls,' " Crain said. "The first time we played each other, I beat him. Now he says he doesn't remember saying that."

It's even trickier when the opponent is your boss. Earlier this season, Mary Simons was down by 19 points going into the Monday night game pitting Indianapolis against Tampa Bay. She had only Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison left to play, so her boss felt confident in predicting a victory over his employee. But Harrison tallied 20 points and Simons' Bulldogs team rallied for a one-point victory.

"I don't like beating my boss," the 58-year-old Simons said, laughing. "But I do like beating the other guys."

Surfing for an edge

It's easy to see why some women would be reluctant to spend precious time chasing down stats of every kicker in the National Football League while juggling a career, a home and chauffeuring kids to soccer practice. But that's not the case for Decker, a single woman who's played fantasy football for more than a decade.

Decker, 42, spends up to three hours a day surfing the Internet, looking for ways to improve her four fantasy teams.

"I get up early in the morning and spend an hour before work," she said. "When I come home, I spend another two hours on it. Sometimes I completely miss eating dinner. It's crazy, I know."

Some women, however, get a taste of fantasy football and decide it's not for them. That was the case for Danita Tillmon, 34, who participated in the inaugural season of the Register Star's News Tower League last year.

"I liked it but there was too much stress," said the Rockford resident. "I always had to worry about who got what (points) and what players I needed. Plus, I'm too competitive and I lost too much."

Tillmon, however, doesn't rule out a return to the action someday. As only a woman could, Tillmon explains it this way: "It's like having another baby," she said. "You think about the pain and say 'I'll never do that again.' But a few years down the road, you forget about (the pain) and remember how much fun it was."

Fantasy Football Tips

"Don't draft quarterbacks in the first round." - Kathy Velasco, who made that mistake eight years ago with Jeff Blake.

"Don't underestimate the importance of a kicker." - Jennifer Crain, who always drafts Philadelphia kicker David Akers.

"Try to draft running backs, the most important position in fantasy football, in the first two rounds." - Karen Peterson Nalewanski.

"Pay close attention to bye weeks during the draft." - Mary Simons, who made the mistake of drafting two quarterbacks who were both off the same week.

"Enjoy your fantasy team, especially if you're a Bears fan." - Robin Schuster.

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