The League Takes Fantasy Football to a Whole New Level

Fantasy football is now an obsession for many and a job for some. Mark Barnes' new novel The League describes a world of Manhattan millionaires in a high stakes game of fantasy football and the perverse effects money has on people who are all to willing to sacrifice their morals for a big payday.

The League centers on the actions of a few friends in New York City who grow tired of the typical fantasy football leagues where some players treat fantasy football as the center of their lives while others pick teams and look at the standings and not much more. These wealthy fanatics decide to start a more competitive league with a much higher purse and recruit other likeminded individuals interested in the competition and the cash reward. 

The story takes place at the end of the league's first decade, as the stakes have been raised to a whole new level and some in the game are willing to cheat, steal, lie and conduct criminal activity for a chance to win the championship.

The story is a quick, entertaining read. The only shortfall is the lack of character development for some of the main characters, including the ultimate antagonist. However, the plot moves quickly and despite the improbable incidents, it is within reality, as high stakes fantasy football leagues either exist or will exist soon, as more younger, wealthier and more competitive people gravitate to the game and insist on upping the ante to maintain and increase the game's excitement. In that sense, maybe The League is a warning about what can happen when a person loses sight of his morals in his play for cash.