The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments of Running a Fantasy League

1. Thou Shalt not Cheat

      This seems like a pretty obvious one, but we've all heard the horror stories.  We've either been in a league, or know someone who was in a league where the commissioner was found to be cheating in some way shape or form.  It ruins the whole thing.  And worse, it will change the relationship you have with the commissioner.  Cheating can happen in a variety of different ways and when you are the commissioner with all the power (and in most cases, access to change rules, rosters and scores without recourse from league owners) in the league, it can be tempting, especially if there is money involved.  But it's not worth it.  Most of us play with friends, co-workers, or at the very least acquaintances.  If you get busted cheating, that relationship is going to get very uncomfortable.  Forget ever running a league with those owners again.  In most cases, forget getting an invite to a league with any of those owners.  If they are people you have to see frequently (think co-workers), have fun getting them to trust you again.  It's just not worth it and it makes the league no fun for anyone.  I mean, if you aren't good enough at the game to play fair, why are you playing at all?  If you need the extra advantage, get into a league where the stakes aren't high enough to tempt you to cheat.

2. Thou Shalt use a Constitution

     The only thing that can be as big of a strain on league relations as cheating, is having a major dispute over the rules.  Avoid all the hastle, confusion and bickering by setting up a league constitution with bylaws governing every aspect of the league before you get started.  There are plenty of places you can find templates (including our own site) and input on how to draft one.  It doesn't take much time and will be well worth it the first time someone gets upset because they can't keep the guy they were planning to build their franchise around. 

3. Thou Shalt be Consistent

     Once you have your constitution drafted, stick to it.  No matter what.  If something in the constitution needs to be changed, there should be something in the bylaws about how to make the change.  Just follow the rules.  As the commissioner, it's your responsibility to ensure those rules are applied fairly and consistently to all league owner, including yourself.  This gets back to #1, but you will 100% lose the trust of your owners if you try to apply the rules differently to your own team (say, for example, pushing your own trade through before the league review period is passed).  I personally like to run the league as a sort of democracy, letting most issues (like proposed  rule changes) go to a vote.  But there will inevitably be a situation that calls for your executive decision.  You have to make it obectively and make it the same way every time (you can't shoot down the idea of adding another keeper when your roster is terrible, but then be all for it the following year when you found a diamond in the rough).

4. Thou Shalt Share all Available Information

      Again, this one ties in with rule #1.  As the commissioner, you will almost certainly have access to information that other owners will not be able to see.  If it is information that would impact a decision for you as an owner, you MUST share it with the league if you hope to maintain any integrity at all.  Say, for example, you can see who everyone has selected as their keepers for the upcoming year, even though the deadline has not yet passed to select your keepers.  That can be some pretty valuable intel that most owners would like to have.  If you look at it, you have a moral obligation to share the info with the entire league.  My suggestion is to either tell the owners not to select them until a certain date, don't view the page yourself, or just post it openly in a league forum.  Oftentimes the commissioner needs to review such information (for example, to make any necessary adjustments to keeper salaries) so the best option may be to just view the needed info and share it with everyone.  Be up front with the owners and you will earn their trust.  If they find out later that you have access to info they don't, well, refer to #1.

5. Thou Shalt Pay Attention at all Times
     We've all seen it.  Most of us are even guilty of it.  But nobody really likes the guy who doesn't pay attention do they?  So maybe your league isn't that serious and most owners only check in once a week to make a roster move.  That's great.  But you are the commissioner.  You have to check in frequently.  You never know when something will come up that needs your approval or attention.  You should be accessible (easy if you are playing with friends or co-workers) to everyone.  The owners should at a minimum have your e-mail address.  You, at a minimum, should check that e-mail address every day.  I would also recommend you check the league site every day.  If you have consructed a solid constitution and bylaws, issues should be minimal, but you never know when something will come up.  If you don't have the time to check in frequently, or don't have the desire, you should reconsider being a commissioner.  Some people are just more comfortable being in a league as opposed to running it.  That's perfectly fine.  But you have to be able to admit that before you hold your league hostage to your other time commitments.

6. Thou Shalt be Open to Suggestions
     If you want your league to run smoothly, you have to be open to suggestions from the owner.  Sure, we all want to think we have put together the perfect league (and let's be honest, this site is dedicated to helping you get close), but every league is different.  In fact, every owner is different.  Listen to the league's wants and desires.  People will lose interest and will likely leave the league if their opinions aren't heard.  As I mentioned above, I like to run my league as more of a democracy, letting owners vote on issues.  While people don't always like the outcome, they at least can see how a decision was made and know their voice was heard.  Encourage your owners to suggest new ideas or rule changes.  It is infinitely more fun to play in a league where you can have a say in how it is played than if you are in a league where the commissioner refuses to change anything.

7. Thou Shalt Collect League Fees Prior to the Draft
     The deadline to submit any fees for playing in the league should be clearly stated in the constitution.  The date HAS TO BE BEFORE THE DRAFT.  If you don't collect fees before the draft, there is always that chance an owner will just ignore you and the league once their draft is a bust.  Remember that guy your buddy vouched for as "totally cool and 100% reliable"?  Yeah, he's not paying you if he misses the draft and the draft software hoses him with three kickers.  Don't deal with the hassle, just make everyone pay up before the draft or they can't draft.  My suggestion is to require payment a couple weeks before the draft so you have time to find a replacement owner if someone drops out.  If you have owners from all over the country, consider using an online service such as PayPal or Serve to collect the fees.  You will save everyone a few pennies on postage and won't have to hear the excuses when payments show up a week after the deadline.

8. Thou Shalt Pay League Prizes As Soon As Possible    

     Everybody likes winning.  Nobody likes waiting.  If your league collects fees and promises a payout (remember to specifiy exactly what will be paid out and for what in the constitution), be sure to pay out the prizes as soon as possible.  The longer you wait, the more you raise doubt from the league owners.  You are all friends until the guy living 2,000 miles away waits for six weeks to get his winnings.  At that point, he's probably thinking about just skipping the whole thing next year.  You require the owners to pay in promptly and you should pay out promptly.  As mentioned above, I would suggest using an online service to avoid having to mail out money.  It takes less time and you avoid the possibility of it being "lost in the mail."  Another thing to consider, both for convenience and prompt payment, is to set up a separate checking/savings account for the league.  You can find a free acount at almost any bank and this will allow you to pay out immediately, without impacting your personal finances.  Add to that the additional trust this should buy you with your owners for not mixing finances and there's not much of a down side.

9. Thou Shalt Attempt to Make the League Fun for all Owners

     The first eight rules listed above all lead to this.  Individually, they deal with making things equitable and fair for all.  But what that really does, is make the league fun for the owners.  If you don't follow the first eight, inevitably something will happen to make the league not fun for at least one owner.  Do the first eight, and you can avoid the major issues and focus on doing the fun things to keep the league exciting.  Start some random message board discussions.  Talk some smack in the league forum.  Post a video of the guy you beat last week acting like an idiot the last time you went out together.  Like I said before, chances are you are playing with friends or co-workers.  Keep the level of professionalism in accordance with your relationship, but do your best to make things entertaining.  If it's not, people won't be back.

10. Thou Shalt Attempt to Have Fun Him/Herself

     Just like #9, all the rest lead to #10.  You aren't running a league to make money or to bolster your resume.  No, you are running a league because someone's gotta do it, you think you can do a decent job at it, and most of all, it's fun to put it together and make it your own.  So don't be afraid to put your own spin on it.  You can always join a more basic league.  This one is yours.  If you are up front about any quirks (like funny scoring or different roster slots), the owners that join should have fun with it as well.  If you find the work involved to be too much, or you are getting hassled too frequently for how things are run, quit while you are behind.  It's OK to decide it isn't for you and just enjoy playing in someone else's league.  If you do enjoy it, try to keep it fresh by making some minor changes or doing fun things with the league (like getting together for Monday Night Football, or getting a ridiculous travelling trophy for the league winner). If it's not fun for you, you will find it difficult to make it fun for everyone else.  It is all for fun (and maybe some cash) afterall.