Fantasy Football Leagues Advice
Every good Fantasy Football league requires a good commissioner. We typically see leagues fall apart when there are issues, all in which can easily be avoided with some type of direction. So why might a Fantasy Football league end up falling apart?
Lack of Organization
Say what you want, but a live draft is exceedingly more enjoyable than an online draft. Having all the members of your league at the same location on draft day is the best way to do it. However, this does have to be planned out weeks in advance and requires some effort. Working around a group of people’s late-summer schedules can be difficult. People get busy on weekends and even weeknights with work and everything else.
It has to get to a point where a date is set, and then the commish figures out a time that is going to work best in order to get full participation. If the commish loses track of time and cannot figure out a day that works for everyone, a league can easily fall apart. Organization is key, and this leads us right into our next reason.
Poor Communication
Going hand in hand with the organization of your league, communicating poorly can also force a league to dissolve. Over-communicating is never a bad thing. If you have to send out emails and texts months before the draft, do it. Though it’ll more than likely annoy some of the people in your league, you can never communicate enough as a commissioner. All of the maintenance of the league, such as voting on rules, or figuring out a date, should be communicated as early as possible. That way if something goes wrong, there is time to adjust.
A commissioner holding back details, or failing to communicate accordingly can lead to a great deal of problems. Poor communication alone, has the power to destroy a Fantasy Football league. Everyone wants to know what is going on, so make sure to communicate everything you need to more than once. Be specific, repeat yourself, and make sure everyone in your league in on the same page. It will only help in the long run.
Failure to Collect League Fees in a Timely Manner
The drive for a majority of Fantasy Football leagues is the money. Everyone is chasing the cash prize that is awarded to the winner of their respected league. Some want to play for high stakes, some want to play for a marginal amount, or even nothing. It all depends on what a leagues intentions are. While playing for money makes Fantasy Football much more intriguing, it has to be done the right way.
Issues often arise when it comes time to pay the winner. On some occasions, not all league fees have been collected by seasons end. This can cause lots of stress and frustration to both league-mates, and the commissioner. However, there is an easy way to eliminate this. Make it common practice for the commish to collect league fees either at the draft (if live) or prior to the draft (if online). The fee should act almost as a ticket to get into the league (or draft). Payouts should be made timely, and without question.
Waiver Wire Settings
Similar to trades, questions can also emerge in regards to how a league’s waiver wire might operate. This is a spot that allows you to get creative. The most common type of waiver wire is the rolling list, where transactions are pushed through on a specific day of the week (typically Tuesday’s). Each owner prioritizes which player they covet the most, and put them at the top of their list. Other options include no waivers, and FAAB (Free Agent Acquisition Budget). It seems like FAAB is becoming much more popular, but everyone has their own preference, which can cause some dispute.
No waivers probably cause the most problems. If an elite player suffers a major injury during a game, it is first come first serve to add his replacement. This can come at a disadvantage to owners in the league who either are not watching the games that closely, or don’t have access to that type of information on the spot. It is important to have a waiver wire in place that a majority of the league has agreed upon.
Opposing Scoring/Settings Preferences
Over the last few years, scoring and setting have become a much more debatable topic. With PPR taking over the Fantasy Football world, there are, in fact, still some leagues that use standard scoring. No matter what you say, everyone has their own personal preference on their ideal scoring system. A change in such a leagues fantasy scoring format might force some owners to lose interest. When a league is so accustomed to a certain type of scoring, a change should be voted on prior to the draft.
Essentially, it is the commissioner’s decision in terms of what the scoring and setting are going to be. A vote should occur at some point before the draft if there are differences or complaints about the leagues current settings. Being easy to work with as a commissioner will go a long way when trying to make everyone in the league happy. No need to go overboard and vote on every single setting, but in general, it can help to bounce ideas off of members in the league to see what they prefer.
Bad Trades
Everyone has their own opinion on whether trades should be allowed or not. While most leagues do allow trades, there are different ways to manage them in your Fantasy Football league. Often times, we see a veto system, which typically leads to the trade not going through. One person might not want another team to get a certain player, or views the trade as unfair. This can be a very common occurrence. Another option is to let every trade be decided by the commissioner. If your league has a trustworthy commish that can filter out the lopsided trades, this can be an effective method. However, neither of these tactics need to be used. If you choose to let every trade go through, be sure that they do not get out of hand or cause any type of collusion. It is also in the best interest of the league to have a trade deadline.
Though not many chose to go down this road, trades may also be turned off. Sure, it might take the “fun” out of it, but if you are in a redraft league, this can work. It completely eliminates what can be one of the bigger issues that causes Fantasy Football leagues to fall apart. We’ve all been in (or heard of) a scenario in which a bad trade has went through and ruined everything. It typically leads to a few members pulling out of the league, eventually forcing the league to fall apart.
Keeper/Dynasty Fallout
Starting up a league that allows you to keep players from the prior season can be very dangerous, depending on how it is set up. Choosing the right people to join the league is key. Having a few people who are not fully committed can tear down a keeper or dynasty league. One bad season, draining a person’s confidence could easily lead to their departure. Believe it or not, some people do have the mindset that they cannot win with a certain team that they have built from the ground up. So if these people do decide to leave your league, then what?
They will need to be replaced but proceed with caution. When seeking new members to take over these teams, it is important to have a process to determine who gets to take over which team. If there is a dynasty team with a very strong roster, who gets first dibs? That is what makes it difficult. As it was stated above, make sure you are starting keeper or dynasty leagues with people you trust, or else it has the chance to be short-lived.
People Grow Apart
Truth be told, eventually, people do grow apart. As time passes by, we see friends and family move away, making it a challenge to keep in touch and continue old traditions. Then the realization sets in that it’s just not as easy as it used to be. League size eventually shrinks and before you know it, everyone loses interest.
However, it doesn’t need to be like that. If one or two people who have always been a part of the league go their own way, adjust. So your 12 team league turns into a 10 team league. Roll with what you have, and experiment with different settings. As big as Fantasy Football has become in our world today, there are always people in search of joining different leagues. The departure of a few people should not make a league collapse, but make it stronger than it was before.
Continuous Defeat
Let’s be honest, nobody likes to lose. Especially when it comes to Fantasy Football. Taking last place, or missing the playoffs year after year can get tiring. While it’s not a valid reason to up and quit, it can still get to someone. What’s going to motivate that person who just can’t figure it out to come right back and look for a different outcome? A winning season, sure, but when confidence is lacking, enough is enough.
Fantasy Football is much more enjoyable when you can compete to some extent. Defeat can also lead to a person not setting their team’s lineup from week to week. In a head to head, this can ruin other people’s chances to win or even make the playoffs. Keep everyone’s interest level up, make a rule to ensure the competitiveness stays at a high level until the end.
There are many variables that can cause a Fantasy Football League to fall apart, but there are also many solutions. Be organized, work with people, and FIGURE IT OUT.
