When you need this
Football conversations in the U.S. go well beyond the game itself. On a Monday morning in an office in Seattle or Chicago, people talk about their fantasy team, a rivalry game, a player's injury, or the ads from last night. You'll hear these topics even from people who rarely watch a full game.
Fantasy football is the big one. Friends or coworkers form a league online, each person drafts real players onto an imaginary team, and you score points based on how those players do each week. It's why a person in Mumbai or London can care deeply about an American game at two in the morning.
The rest of the talk is about loyalty and pain. People support a college team for life, they can't stand a rival, and they worry about injuries. The language is emotional, and people exaggerate on purpose, so don't take "This is the worst day of my life" literally on a Monday in November.
Phrases
an online game where you pick real players for a pretend team
choose a player for your team, in turns
use a player this week, or leave him out
a long, heated competition between two teams
games between university teams, huge in the U.S.
get hurt, and the harm itself
can't play again until next year
winning after being far behind
the games after the season that decide the champion
the TV ads, famous during the big game
friendly insults between fans or players
cautious hope
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say one natural line for each situation.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.