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Jeremy Maclin, ESPN’s Matthew Berry beef over fantasy football

By Cody Williams

Aug 28, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) is tackled by Tennessee Titans cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (24) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 28, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) is tackled by Tennessee Titans cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (24) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and ESPN Fantasy Analyst Matthew Berry got into a heated debate over fantasy football fans

Fantasy football’s popularity in the modern NFL culture has completely changed the way many fans watch the game. As opposed to being a die-hard supporter of a single team, there are a multitude of fans whose primary concern is whether the players on “Le’Veon A Prayer” can outperform the players on “MarShawn of the Dead.” Apparently that type of fan irks Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.

Maclin took to Twitter on Saturday morning to express his frustration with fans who are only concerned with their fantasy teams, saying, “It amazes me how ‘Fantasy Football’ is the only football that some of you know. It’s sad. News flash for yall: I don’t give a damn about ur ‘Fantasy’ football team.”

That could have been the end of it with an NFL player expressing his thoughts, but that tweet instead ignited a response from ESPN Senior Fantasy Analyst Matthew Berry, who took to the defense of fantasy players:

Berry wasn’t done with just saying that as he elaborated on why he believes Maclin shouldn’t have said what he did about fantasy players:

Berry’s tweets sparked somewhat of a beef between the two, as Maclin then took to defending what he said and responding to Berry’s criticisms:

The ESPN analyst then tried to squash the beef that his reply started:

However, Maclin got the last word in, reaffirming his stance and effectively ending the conversation:

There’s logic on both sides of the argument here. From Maclin’s perspective, he’s a professional player whose primary focus is winning football games. Moreover, he probably sees thousands of tweets daily regarding fantasy football, which has to get under his skin. Him wanting fans to be loyal to a team rather than certain players makes sense.

In Berry’s defense, though, there are many fans who have vested interests in both teams and their fantasy teams. Moreover, fantasy football offers people new to watching the NFL a way to get invested in the league, which can then open the door to a more die-hard level of fandom in the future.

With understandable arguments on both sides of the debate, this isn’t going to be something that’s every definitively settled. However, you might want to think twice before you say something to Maclin about fantasy football.

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