Tim Brown: Tackle UTX

It's only June, but already the major sports news Web sites and blogs are gearing up for fantasy football. While fantasy leagues definitely give the hardcore fans even more reason to follow more games even more closely and draw casual fans closer to the action, the promotion of such leagues this early may be premature.

After all, the regular season doesn't start for months. No team's roster is 100% set yet and there are many free agents or veterans that may find themselves on a new team come week 1. Then there are injuries, which play a major role in fantasy leagues. Like real teams, those that can adjust to the loss of a key player are the ones who succeed.

It's true that unless they are injured you can count on Peyton Manning being on the Colts and Tom Brady quarterbacking the Patriots. Those guys are staples of their teams and fantasy league all-stars. There are few like them.

So what's fantasy football have to do with investing? Well, there are a lot of similarities actually. Each stock is selected based on its own merit and often placed into a diverse portfolio with other companies that have little to nothing to do with their line of business. In fantasy football players are selected from different teams in different leagues and put on an electronic roster for fans.

Fantasy football eliminates the concept of team play for many fans. Instead, it focuses solely on the numerical statistics of the individual players. The best fantasy player could be on the worst team, yet rack up great numbers.

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At the time of publication, Brown had no positions in stocks mentioned, although positions may change at any time.

Tim Brown played 16 seasons in the NFL, where he made nine Pro Bowls. After a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004, Brown retired as an Oakland Raider. He was a Heisman Trophy winner in college for Notre Dame.