Fantasy leagues not just for sports junkies any more

I've been playing Fantasy Hockey for a couple of years now. If you don't know what Fantasy Sports are, click HERE. Bottom line: It's a fun way to waste time, although some leagues opt to make friendly wagers on the side.

For a long time, I've been noticing different types of "fantasy" leagues cropping up. There's Fantasy Congress. I tried it out for a short time, but I think the "season" lasted entire terms, so I lost interest. It looks like they've changed it up quite a bit, so it might be worth another look. Perfect for the political junkie-filled office leagues.

There is also Fafarazzi, which is a celebrity fantasy league. The "seasons" are shorter than other leagues, but so funny. You basically draft a team of celebrities and you score points when they make the headlines. I thought I was sweet because Eva's Merry Band of Bawdy Jades drafted Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Then, my buddy drafted Britney Spears and cleaned house. Suffice to say she and I broke from the pack, yet, Britney still helped her crush me by like 200 points in the end. Another great office league selection, but with a far lighter feel.

And just the other day I found that you can now do "fantasy" trading in a similar kind of league. From http://www.thestreet.com/:

Play Beat the Street, the all-new edition of the fantasy trading game from TheStreet.com. When you do, you could be the big winner every week — up to $60,000 in cash prizes. Hurry and register now so you're sure to be in the game when it begins. Play Beat the Street!

What a great way to get your feet wet with the stock market and with no risk! I couldn't find anything that says it costs anything to join, but it seems interesting and you could win some dough.

With social networking's growing popularity, it's no surprise that one of its oldest relatives is branching into all kinds of areas. Good times.