Is fantasy football part of the good life, is it just a colossal waste of time – or worse? This is the question Professor Christopher Wong Michaelson asks himself every fantasy football season.

While the podcast is ordinarily about work, the newest episode, “Fantasy Football and the Good Life,” is about play, and whether any redeeming consequences come from the work that a $30 billion industry of analysts, podcasters, pundits, gamers, and other fantasy nerds put into it.

“In fall 2024, 11 honors students at the University of St. Thomas and I formed a fantasy football league for a class called Fantasy Football and the Good Life. While we played fantasy football against each other, we discussed ethical questions in fantasy sports: from fairness to conflicts of interest, racism to sexism in sports, collusion and punishment, and more,” Michaelson said.

The students and Michaelson were also joined by a special guest judge, St. Thomas football head coach Glenn Caruso.

“I had strong opinions coming into the class that shifted in the last 30 minutes and you guys made me think about both sides, or in one case, three sides of the argument, so thank you for that,” Caruso said. “And I think the way that this discourse that happened is what this whole world needs more of right now; it’s a respectful and thoughtful way to at least acknowledge and see the other side even if you don’t agree with it – to see someone else’s point of view and stand in their shoes for a minute, so absolutely the highlight of my day to be able to come to your class.”

Who won and who lost each debate doesn’t matter any more than who won and lost on the fantasy football field.

“The point is that these are topics worth thinking about deeply in pursuit of the good life,” Michaelson said.