Commissioner Responsibilities

          Don’t be fooled into thinking that being commissioner of your fantasy football league is as simple as just having to set a draft date and collect fees from everyone. Being “commish” comes with a lot more responsibility than just that. It’s a process all season long. The league runs through you and it is important that you do things the right way.

          There are a few specific things you absolutely have to do as commissioner. Your very first and most basic task is to define the specifics of your league. How many teams are in the league? What is the scoring system and roster format? How much is the league fee? How will the prize money be distributed? What is up for debate and what is set in stone? Define these things clearly so that people can make an informed decision when deciding whether they want to join your league.

          When deciding on these things, keep in mind, that you want to make everything equal, and fair. And, always defer against yourself. Make sure that each division has an equal amount of “talent” in it, with the experienced teams being spread out and not lopped into one division. Put yourself in the more difficult division. If you’re selecting the draft order manually, make sure you have two to three witnesses with you, or just have other leaguemates do it without you altogether. You don’t want to give anyone any reasons to think you may be using your power as commissioner to enhance your positioning. It’s important that people can trust you.

          Once you’ve defined your league, you need to fill your league. You can’t do anything else until your league is full. You can’t plan a draft date or vote on anything until your league is full. Make filling your league priority number one.

          Once your league is full, plan a draft date that works for everyone. It’s no fun if you plan your draft at a time that not everyone will be able to make. Drafting is one of the most enjoyable aspects of fantasy football and you are doing it wrong if you are not accommodating each and every one of your league mates. Set your draft at 11:45 pm on a Tuesday night if that’s what it takes. It’s better to force people to stay up late one night if it means everyone will be able to draft.

          Before the draft, be sure to send out a reminder of the rules to everyone, and, when possible, allow league members to vote on any possible rule changes. Everyone wants to play in a league where the commissioner cares. Even if everybody already knows the rules, it’s important that you show them that you care enough give them simple reminders each year. It’s also important for you to be flexible. There may be some rules or settings that you don’t want to change, but if there’s overwhelming support for a change, you ought to be willing to put it to a vote. People are going to involve themselves more in a league where they feel as if they have some say. You will keep people happy and create a more competitive environment by allowing the majority to rule.

          Throwing a Draft Party is another way to keep people involved and competitive, plus, it’s just fun. Your ultimate purpose as your league’s commissioner is to make your league as fun as possible. If you aren’t doing that, you aren’t doing your job. Most people out there will tell you that their favorite leagues are the ones that have a Live Draft. On top of being a fun night, it just makes the whole experience throughout the entire year more competitive and enjoyable. It’s not always possible to get your entire league together. People have obligations and some people just live in different parts of the country. But, even if you are unable to get your entire league together, you should get as many of your leaguemates together as possible, even if everyone has to bring their own tablets to electronically draft on. It’s another opportunity to get friends together and have a good time. Just be sure that, once the Draft finishes, you get the picks uploaded immediately instead of falling asleep in a drunken slumber (it happens!) Hosting Draft parties is what separates the great commissioners from the good ones. You’ll never regret having one.

          If you really want to have fun, you and your leaguemates can pitch in to get a small trophy or a WWE-style belt to pass around from Champion to Champion. Some leagues even up the ante by “awarding” a last place “prize,” where the last place team is punished. It doesn’t have to be as serious as those leagues where the last place team is forced to get a unicorn tattoo on their ass or stand on the side of the highway in a ballerina dress. Just doing something simple and silly like allowing the League Champion to pick the last place team’s name the next year will make the whole league that much more fun. There really is an endless list of ways to make your league more enjoyable. Have fun! Be creative!

          Once the Draft is over, don’t be one of those commissioners who fades into oblivion until it’s time for cash payouts. There’s still a lot more that you are responsible for.

          As the season carries on, its your job to keep an eye on teams that start to show signs of inactivity. Nobody likes playing with “ghost” players. If a team owner starts leaving players in their lineup who are hurt or on byes, it’s your job to reach out to them. Is there something wrong? Is that league member unhappy with another league member? Is there some sort of spat that you, as commissioner, can try to help resolve? Or is the person just disinterested? If they have simply just lost interest, would they be willing to relinquish control of the team to an interested owner? You shouldn’t just turn a blind eye to prolonged inactivity in your league. It’s not conducive to a competitive and enjoyable atmosphere, and you should do everything in your power to alleviate any issues that may arise. If there are any issues between owners, always remain neutral. Unless someone is breaking the rules, it’s not your job to pick sides in any arguments. The rest of your league will do that for you. Your league needs someone who can suppress their own personal biases and remain committed to finding a common ground. If you aren’t doing that as commissioner you can’t expect any of your leaguemates to either.

         

          Once you begin to near midseason, make sure you are aware of your league’s trade deadline. Give everyone a reminder one week ahead of time. Everyone will appreciate you for looking out for them and for not allowing the deadline to sneak up on them and pass without them noticing. You should also thank and congratulate your leaguemates at the beginning of the fantasy playoffs. Be sure to give your condolences and support to the teams who struggled throughout the year and failed to make the playoffs.

          Once the playoffs finish, be sure to congratulate your league Champion and thank everyone else one more time for playing in your league. Be sure to get payments out immediately. If you are still waiting on payments from any league members when the time for payouts comes around, the right thing to do really is to pay out of your own pocket to cover that person’s share, knowing that it is on you to recoup that money from that unpaid person at a later time. If you choose to be commissioner, you are putting the responsibility on yourself to be the money collector. You have nobody else to blame if you haven’t completed your duty of collecting fees, and it’s really not right to ask the winners to take less just because one of the league members hasn’t paid up yet.

          As Commish, you’ll learn quickly that you can never please everyone. But, if you follow this list as a guideline, you will maximize your chances at having a competitive and enjoyable league, and you will leave people with very little to be upset with.