The Commish

As mid-summer approaches, leagues are gearing up all across the internet. Every league has to have at least one person perform the thankless duties of the commissioner. The commissioner is more than just a money collector, however; in order to be a quality commissioner you have to pay attention to almost every detail of your league.

There are three concepts the commissioner controls that will create a quality league atmosphere: 1) Developing a Quality Base, 2) Creating Accountability, and 3) Breeding Involvement.

Developing a Quality Base
There are two components to a quality base: a league “concept” and the team owners who embrace it. Every league should have some concept that strings the parts of the league together. A great example of this is the The Flexual Harrassment FFL , a Cafe league. The league concept is based on the idea of having a flexible starting lineup where almost any combination of starters can take the field. League concepts do not have to deal with rules, however. Anything you can think of, from geographic location to the amount of expected trash talk, can be a concept. These ideas keep owners interested by making the league unique.

The quality of team owners also heavily contributes to developing a quality base. If you take chances on owners without knowledge of their reputation, you will reap what you sow. It only takes one lazy owner who doesn’t set his or her lineup every week to affect the standings and playoff races. This in turn has a ripple effect, and when other owners are out of contention they may follow suit. Recruit quality owners for a quality league.

Creating Accountability
Once you have a quality base established, it’s time to create a sense of accountability for the owners. In order to do this, all league rules must be voted on. If an owner has the opportunity to vote on a rule, he or she has contributed to the making of that rule. An owner that has contributed to the making of a rule has in essence “made” that rule, and should not take issue with its effect. Any issues with the rule should be addressed at the time of the vote, and if they are not then the player truly has no room to complain. Once the rules are voted on and established, take the time to type all of the rules out in outline format and send it to all the players. This document will remind the players of what they voted on, and lessen rule violations.

Breeding Involvement
Finally, and most importantly, a good commissioner breeds involvement within his or her league. There are several ways to accomplish this. For free leagues, it may be hard to keep players involved once they have lost a few games. Making your league a keeper or dynasty league can alleviate this problem. Also consider setting up a website for the league, such as the website for the Virtual GM League, a Cafe League. This is generally free and can give a face to the owner’s franchise. Having a website also allows you to award icons to owners for accomplishing certain feats. These icons are valued by league members as all competitors enjoy recognition.

If the league is a pay league, consider setting up weekly prizes for the top score of the week. This way an owner has the opportunity to win a prize every week, and will consistently set his or her lineup in order to do so. Also consider having a consolation bracket where an owner may win his money back. These strategies keep lineups from being ignored and keep owners involved through the end of the fantasy season.

In conclusion, a little effort goes a long way. If you can get a good base for your league, make owners accountable, and keep owners involved, there should be minimal problems for you to deal with as commissioner of your fantasy league.

 
Michael Kaus is one of a growing number of fantasy experts who write for the Cafe. You can catch up with Michael in the Cafe's forums where he posts under the name of The Balanced Man.
 

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