Fantasy Life by Matthew Berry
Fantasy Life: The Outrageous, Uplifting, and Heartbreaking World of Fantasy Sports from the Guy Who's Lived It by Matthew Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years - like many folks Matthew Berry profiles in his book, it's a passion (obsession, at times) for me. In fact, about ten years ago I sent in a column to a small but emerging website called TalentedMrRoto.com and found myself as a writer for the site. I wrote for the site for a few years, and later for Sports Illustrated, AOL Fanhouse and RotoExperts, among others (though always as a hobby). It was a very fun few years and a great experience I didn't properly appreciate at the time, and it was because Berry himself had gotten a foot in the door through a similar experience (detailed in the book). Many of my peers at TMR now are full-time writers in the sports and fantasy industry (something I try not to abuse when I want or need advice), and many if not all owe that first break to Matthew Berry. So, I can't pretend to be a completely unbiased reviewer here.
That said, I read this book as a fan of fantasy sports -- which I still very much am. The book is both a story of the emergence of fantasy sports into an accepted, mainstream hobby (which still shocks me, remembering where it started) and of Berry's life.
The latter could be shaky territory. After all, even as a former screenwriter for movies and TV, I think Matthew Berry would be the first to say that his life isn't particularly so earth-shakingly unique that it warrants a memoir - though it is, of course, a compelling story. But he couples it with stories from fantasy players that add a LOT of humor and often, poignant stories. (The sheer number of players who died during a season and how their leagues reacted to it was something I thankfully never had thought of.) When talking about setbacks he had professionally, he pairs that with stories of bad losses in fantasy leagues. When he achieves successes, there's a chapter about unique fantasy trophies (complete with photos).
Some of the material will be familiar to listeners of his podcast or readers of his columns, but these are not reposts of previous work. I gobbled this book up in two days, and I think most readers will devour it similarly quickly. (I also was included in the Acknowledgments section, which was a nice surprise and worth adding as a final caveat.)
Fantasy Life is a great read about Matthew Berry and his journey, as well as about all of us who love fantasy sports and all that it comes with. I'd add more, but I need to start ranking players for my fantasy football draft (that's three months away.)
Rating: 9.0/10.0