Football is one of the great American pastimes, with the Super Bowl each year drawing record numbers of spectators from all over the world. Of course, for most people, watching their favorite football players on NFL Sunday ticket is as close as they ever come to actually managing a team or being involved in the sport.

However, if you are really desperate to test out your football knowledge, you can always set up a fantasy team and see how many points you get at the end of the season. Following team members and individual players is a key aspect of this activity, and, luckily, there are a number of ways you can track your fantasy football players to see how many points they are getting each week.

1. Draft Analyzer

This is an award-winning piece of PC software that allows you to track the performance of football players and make sure your fantasy team is racking up as many points as possible. The product is sold by ESPN and CBS.Sportsline.com to ensure accuracy and even comes with recommendations for upcoming key players and teams.

The software also comes complete with rankings for each player which get updated as the season goes on – all you need to do is click a simple button and you get the most recent results and predictions for all the key football players. This is certainly a useful tool when you are picking a fantasy football team!

2. PCDrafter

This is another piece of computer software that can be downloaded onto your desktop or laptop. The tool works by using a complex mathematical algorithm to work out which players are performing well and which are struggling.

What’s more, the tool comes with a discussion forum where you can talk to other like-minded individuals about the season and who your key picks are. Who knows, you might even meet some new competition online who thinks they can predict the season better than you can!

3. Fantasy Draft Assistant

Another online tool that is becoming more and more popular with fantasy football players is Fantasy Draft Assistant. This Windows application allows you to rank draft players depending on how their season is going.

You can also use the in-built draft tracking technology without having to constantly switch back and forth between two different screens. Users can also print various cheat sheets and study a player’s rankings in depth with the use of this service.

4. TundraBall

Of course, you don’t have to rely simply on applications and programs to pick your fantasy team—there are plenty of good websites out there as well. This site provides users with a range of features, such as team accounts and in-league betting, while those who want to get to know other people on the site can use the dedicated chat rooms to set up their own football discussions.

The live statistics function is useful for those who want to make sure they are on the cutting edge of football news. It makes sure you never miss an announcement or decision in the big leagues.

5. Fandora’s Box

Sometimes, you may want to get updates sent directly to you wherever you are. With Fandora’s dedicated SMS text service, you can do just that! The service will regularly send you text message updates of all the big news and events in the football arena, including milestone alerts from individual games.

Wherever you are, you can be sure you will receive the most recent information that will help you pick and modify your perfect fantasy team.

6. Pro Football

One important aspect of fantasy football is keeping up with the latest news even when games are not being played. Pro Football offers an iPhone app to let users do just that.

The latest stats, predictions, injury assessments and lots more will be delivered directly to your mobile phone at regular intervals, and although you will most likely have to pay for the app, it is a small price to pay to know that you are getting the key pieces of information before anyone else in your league does!

7. MyFantasyTeams

Luckily, mobile phone apps are not limited to Apple devices like the iPhone. MyFantasyTeams is a useful application that can be downloaded onto a Blackberry to help you make changes to your team on the move. The app allows users to alter line-ups and read the latest news wherever they have a mobile connection.

8. American Football Trivia

After a long hard day of altering teams and analyzing stats to make sure your fantasy team is performing at its best, why not take a break and simply enjoy the great sport of football? This app (available on the Blackberry) offers fans the chance to relax and unwind by testing their knowledge of the sport and helping them keep on their toes regarding every aspect of football.

Although it is not primarily designed to help you manage your fantasy teams, the knowledge you gain from answering the football trivia questions should stand you in good stead when it comes to making that all important line-up change!

Conclusion

One of the most important aspects of managing a fantasy football team is making sure you have the most up to date information at hand and that you are able to alter your team as and when you see fit. Luckily, any of the above apps and devices will help you keep a close eye on your team and beat the competitors in your fantasy league.

Football season is also on the way — both college and professional. The preseason polls for the college teams — the Associated Press Poll, Sports Illustrated and ESPN — have all been released and the discussion and debates about team performances are actively brewing. The professional football season has finally just started — well at least the preseason has started. For the football-starved among us, preseason football is a welcome distraction from the dog days of summer. Fantasy football leagues for both college and professional football are available to give the fan another opportunity to participate in the sport. Even people who like the other version of football — i.e. soccer — can watch some matches in both the U.S. and Europe.

For people who don’t like team sports, there are golf tournaments. The Ryder Cup, which is a golf competition between teams from the United States and Europe, is selecting players and gearing up for early October. Tennis is working its way to the final major of the year, the U.S. Open, with the indoor season. Racing fans have NASCAR and the Sprint Cup to enjoy.

Although it is really hot outside, there is plenty of sport action to watch both indoors and out — with fantasy leagues for added entertainment.

Another sports lovers delight was the recent release of NCAA football 11, featuring former Florida Quarterback, Tim Tebow, as the 360 games coverman.

If the 360 games of football aren’t your choice, hundreds of thousands of 360 games users from across the world can be found nightly playing one of the 360 games most successful versions, Halo 3. Halo 3 is another of the 360 games that capitalizes on extraordinary graphics, transforming players into an alternate world of mystery, war and combat.
Halo 3 is the concluding chapter in the halo series of 360 games. The games are an award-winning action series that has sold more than 14-million copies worldwide.

Halo lovers are eagerly awaiting the expected October release of Halo Reach. The fall release is expected to satiate the worldwide cauldron of Halo lovers with another 360 game of epic proportions. Some 360 games users are calling Halo Reach the biggest release of 2010.

Other 360 games that are rated extremely high are Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Red Dead Redemption, Bio Shock 2 and Dragon Age: Origins.

Whether it’s the high-flying combat of the NFL or the reformed outlaw, John Marston shooting his way through the old west in Red Dead Redemption, the 360 games available are certain to offer something special to today’s gamers. Users of 360 games rave about the quality of graphics and the affordability of ‘their’ games.

For more information on 360 games or upcoming releases, visit your local 360 games dealer, or type 360 games into your favorite search engine.

With sports viewing, comes the inevitable need for home entertainment. Husbands from around the country will do countless household chores hoping to charm their spouse into agreeing to those ‘necessary’ home purchases. Whether it be a big-screen television or custom poker tables, taking out the trash during a blizzard or fixing that leaky faucet are only afterthoughts, if doing those chores ensures the purchase that will complete one’s home entertainment offerings.

Sports are the great unifier! They bring people together on cold winters days to root for their favorite team, despite inclement weather conditions. Sports make people sit outside for hours in sub-zero weather conditions, even though the game is being televised locally. Sports remind us that every season is a new season and keeping hope alive might really help your favorite team win the big game. Sports makes a husband fire up the grill in January or get up at 4 a.m. for work, so watching the big-game that night is a possibility.

Football in particular, is the sport that ushers in the fall season. When the kids go back to school, it can only mean that college and NFL sports are just around the corner. When the leaves turn yellow and red, it’s a sure sign that Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are leading their teams into battle.

Sports give friends a reason to stay in touch, because seeing your college roommates favorite team lose a heartbreaker of get drilled by Notre Dame is oh so worthy of a late-night phone call.

Make sure you look to find a good, state licensed lender when you’re looking for payday loans. Flexibility in terms is another mark of a good lender. Will they work with you if you need a couple extra days to make that last payment? Make sure you know what you’re up against before getting into a loan you don’t think you can afford. The best payday lenders will help ensure you’re getting the right loan. After all, they want to paid back in full.

You don’t have to wait, though. Cash loans can give you the flexibility to pick up tickets on your schedule and then pay it back as soon as you have the money. Cash loans can give you as much as $700 by next day. That’s plenty of green to buy tickets for you and a friend or two. Then you get to be the hero who got everyone in, not the guy trying to haggle with scalpers for overpriced tickets the day of the game.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship celebrates a monumental landmark tonight with UFC 100. To celebrate the 100th Pay Per View show for the Mixed-Martial Arts company, the UFC has put together a stacked feature card headlined by three main-event caliber fights. Overall the main card has five fights, including two championship bouts. The show takes places from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. ET. Here are my predictions for the main card bouts.

Heavyweight Championship (265 pounds): Champion Brock Lesnar (3-1) vs. Frank Mir (12-3) – This fight is tough to call. Mir one the previous meeting at UFC 81 in February of 2008, but since, both fighters have vastly improved. Lesnar has been over-powering and shown solid boxing in his wins over Heath Herring and Randy Couture. Mir has been on a tear in his last three fights, picking up quick wins over Antoni Hardonk, Lesnar, and Minotaro Nogueira. Mir became the first to stop Nogueria back at UFC 92, which set up the rematch with Lesnar. In this fight, I think Mir’s improved boxing will play a big factor. In the first meeting, Lesnar landed big punches early and pounced on Mir, nearly stopping the fight before Mir pulled of a knee-bar submission. In this fight I think Mir will be able to dictate where the fight goes more than he did in the first meeting. With Mir’s composure and elite level submission ability, I see Mir surviving Lesnar’s early onslaught and then successfully pulling off a submission. I take Mir by submission in round three.

Welterweight Championship (170 pounds): Georges St. Pierre (18-2) vs. Thiago Alves (15-3): This fight really to me is the best fight on the card and should be the most competitive and best display of all-around athleticism. St. Pierre has been on a tear, winning his last five in very convincing fashion. St. Pierre is thought to be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but is facing a very tough test in Alves. Alves presents some new challenges that St. Pierre has never faced. First, Alves will be the larger fighter. Though weighing in at 170 pounds, by fight time, Alves is believed to weigh at least 190 pounds. Will the size advantage hurt GSP’s chances to take Alves down? Second, Alves has tremendous leg kicks, which GSP has never dealt with in a fight. If Alves is able to land a series of kicks to GSP’s lead leg, it could severely hurt St. Pierre’s ability to use all of his weapons. St. Pierre is known for being light on his feet and quick, but with an injured leg, that speed and agility will be much slower. Overall, I think that Alves’ weight cut will be a factor. He looked very depleted at the weigh ins and I don’t suspect that he can fight five full rounds. He will need to end the fight early, and GSP possess the ability to avoid the big strike and fight out of tough positions. I think St. Pierre’s championship pedigree carries him to a win by TKO in the fifth and final round.

Middleweight fight (185 pounds): Dan Henderson (24-7) vs. Michael Bisping (18-1): This is the battle between the Ultimate Fighter coaches from season nine with the winner likely getting a title shot against champion Anderson Silva in the future. Bisping is unbeaten at middleweight, having beaten Charles McCarthy, Jason Day, and Chris Leben, while Henderson is coming off wins over Rousimar Palhares and Rich Franklin. Bisping is a game fighter, but his biggest weakness has been takedown defense. In his only loss to Rashad Evans, Evans scored takedowns at will. Henderson is an Olympic caliber wrestler and should be able to score the takedowns when he needs them. I don’t see this being a classic slugfest, but more of a control fight by Henderson. I will take Hendo by decision.

Welterweight fight (170 pounds): Jon Fitch (18-3) vs. Paulo Thiago (11-0): Thiago scored an unlikely knockout win over Josh Koscheck at UFC 95 and now gets a chance to push himself even higher up the UFC ranks with a win over Fitch. Thiago was losing to Koscheck prior to his knockout, and his likelihood of another upset is not good. Fitch has not been stopped in the UFC and Thiago can’t hit harder than some of the men that have already hit Fitch. I see Fitch using his wrestling to keep the fight on the ground where he will either score late submission or ride out the decision win. To keep with his track record, I will take Fitch by decision.

Middleweight fight (185 pounds): Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1) vs. Alan Belcher (14-5): Akiyama is making his UFC debut against Belcher. One of the keys in this fight is how Akiyama handles his first fight in the UFC. Many fighters that have established themselves outside of the UFC and stepped into the octagon have struggled, including Dennis Kang, who lost his UFC debut to none other than Belcher. Belcher is riding a mild winning streak of two fights. Belcher shows great potential and talent, yet has lost convincingly to lower-grade fighters like Kendall Grove and Jason Day. Belcher has the ability to win, but I think this fight is where his streak fizzles out. I see Akiyama outclassing him for a submission victory in the second round.

–Written by TSR MMA contributor Drew Ellis