The Good Commissioner
Posted: 9/1/07One of our charter members (Wolfjack) recently asked what makes a good Dynasty League Commissioner. It really got me thinking. As the league commissioner for a Dynasty League over the past five years, I’ve found there are many things you have to be dedicated to when taking on the role of commissioner. In fact, I came up with ten rules to being a successful commissioner. If you can’t commit to all ten of these responsibilities, you should seriously reconsider being a Dynasty League Commissioner.
1. Be dedicated to Fantasy Football
The commissioner’s role in a Dynasty League isn’t something that you try for fun. It’s something you must be prepared to do for the long haul. You must also understand just how much time it takes to be effective. You have to LOVE, not LIKE fantasy football. You shouldn’t take on the role of a commssioner if you haven’t played the game for a couple years as well. There are just too many variables and ins and outs that can have long range effects if the league isn't started up well in the first place. When you’re the commish, it’s not just a hobby anymore. A good commish is constantly in contact with their owners and is prepared to do all the work involved. For example, you will likely have living files with all the following information:
- Draft History
- League Records
- League Rules
- Trade History
- League Rosters
- Historical League Standings
- Future Draft Pick Trades
You’re also in charge of all the administration duties, including the administration of the league site, which could include loading all the rules and rosters each season. It’s a daunting task that requires a lot of time, not just between September and December. Ironically, the actual season is sometimes the easiest to facilitate. After the season, you must set deadlines to lock rosters, facilitate your rookie and free agent draft and update all your historical records. It’s time consuming and a commissioner who lets it slide will immediately begin to lose credibility.
A dynasty league is obviously a different kind of fantasy league. It’s a professional league that’s not for the faint of heart. From the very beginning, your owners need to have a clear understanding of what you expect (not want) the league to become. Some commissioners start their dynasty leagues just because they’re tired of doing draft lists every year and have lots of good keepers. This isn’t someone desirable for a league commissioner. These are the ones who decide they want something “different” again two or three years down the road when their star RB pops an ACL. A good league commissioner will lay out the long-term vision for the league that includes all aspects of function, including the initial draft, the rookie drafts, the off-season, how to facilitate trades, and the entire rulebook. They’re up-front about league fees and any penalties a team would incur for sandbagging games or forgetting to set lineups as well. The time has been spent to set up a league that meets their vision and they don’t change the rules or lineups in the middle of the first year because they’ve overlooked something. Their expectations are crystal clear from the outset. They share the “why” behind the decisions, not just the “what.”
It can’t be stated enough. One bad owner can ruin a league. If you have one person who doesn’t take the time to set their lineup, prepare for the drafts, or keep up on current news, your league is doomed. Two things will likely happen. First, they’ll be taken advantage of in trade opportunities. Second, they’ll begin to feel animosity building from fellow owners. One bad lineup mistake can make the difference in a championship matchup. Most owners who fail in managing their teams fail to recognize its adverse affect on other teams. It’s not uncommon for Dynasty League commissioners to have an interview process for prospective owners.
4. Consider changes carefully
Inevitably, things will change throughout your tenure as commissioner. Eventually, you’re going to get suggestions on how to improve your league from your fellow owners. A good commish doesn’t just ignore these and sweep them under the rug. While all the time and thought was taken from the outset of the league creation in order to create a good league, it doesn’t make it perfect forever. However, if you get a suggestion from an owner, you must make sure all the facts and ramifications of any change are very clear to all owners before making a change. You can’t just say, “OK, Joe has a suggestion. Let’s vote!” You need to understand and lay out all the pros and cons to any change and get some initial feedback from other owners before creating a league vote. There’s nothing worse than making an uneducated change. It’s very common for commissioners to have knee-jerk reactions and make changes in haste, but it’s never a good thing. It’s also not uncommon for a commissioner to get suggestions from owners that are self-serving, such as lineup requirements or scoring changes. For example, a team who drafted Reggie Bush may suddenly see a lot of value in adding PPR to your scoring matrix. Be aware of why you’re getting suggestions. You don’t want to look back on a change and wish you hadn’t implemented it.
5. Remember that you’re only one voice
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard a player say “it wasn’t my decision, that’s what the commissioner wanted,” I’d be rich. Yes, you put in more time on the league than anyone. You spend countless hours maintaining the league and work hard to make sure everyone is up-to-date on every bit of applicable information. It’s a thankless task at times. However, you’re still just one voice. This is also why I am not a fan of the “Commissioner Trade Overrule.” At times, this power can go straight to the head of a bad commissioner. League input should be the determining factor to nullify a trade. If you’ve done a good job in choosing your owners, you shouldn’t have that problem anyway. A good commissioner also never uses their position to push through rule or roster changes. An element of objectivity is important. It’s tough to rule in an unbiased fashion when your own team may not benefit, or even may be hurt in the long haul. If there’s a rule change that makes sense to the majority of your coaches and it’s a rule change that has been laid out in a fashion where all the possible ramifications are understood, it has to be made. You can never say, “Well, I spend more time on this than everyone and I don’t want it.” A commish who exhibits that type of self-serving behavior is one destined to endure a league mutiny.
6. Assume someone doesn’t get it
Even if you’re in the tenth year of a league with all the same owners, you have to remember they don’t spend as much time on the league processes that you do. Make sure they know when the roster lockdowns are, when and how your draft occurs, and when your site is up and ready for business. It’s an easy thing to do, but an easy thing to forget, too. Don’t get yourself in a position where you get an Email from an owner saying they didn’t understand something.
7. Be available
Your fellow owners need to know how to find you. Be prepared for someone to call you from a Mall on Sunday morning to have you help them set their lineup. It just happens and that’s part of your responsibility. Your fellow coaches should have multiple ways to find you, including Email or phone. Get back to them promptly when they have questions. Remember, you’re setting the standard for behavior in your league. If it takes you a week to get back to someone regarding their inquiry, they’ll quickly lose faith in your ability and not feel required to do the same when they’re contacted by fellow owners.
8. Have a backbone
You will find yourself at a crossroads every now and then. There will be times where you have to make tough decisions. This could include asking another owner to leave the league. It could also mean making (or not making) a change to the league. At times, you may be a tie-breaking vote, or you may decide not to put something up for a league vote because there isn’t enough information for the league to make an educated decision. This could mean that you have a minority of coaches who are upset with you over an issue. While these always tend to blow over, you have to make it very clear that decisions made are always for the long-term success of the league. This may mean having to endure some resistance from others. As long as the decisions you’re making are the right ones for the league and not self-serving, you’re doing the right thing. If you always attempt to make 10, 12 or 14 people happy ALL the time, you’re in a world of trouble. You must have the confidence to make tough decisions that will most likely make one group or person happy while upsetting the other. You must also be able to effectively articulate in communicating why the decision is being made.
9. Keep things fresh
When you set up your league, you’re not done! Take advantage of the message boards by constantly posting information, polls, and historical updates. The league is always interested in records that could be broken or events that are important historically. That’s what makes a Dynasty league so unique and entertaining. Going to the same site each week and seeing the same web poll or league message detracts owner’s interest. In some respects, you are really required to constantly market your league within your ownership group.
10. Don’t take advantage of others in tradesSome would say I’ve saved the best for last. So, the question is how. There’s really no easy answer because it’s different for everyone. Here’s what I’ve learned from experience. If you are an effective Dynasty League Commissioner, your owners realize that you are in the know regarding every in and out of fantasy football. When you approach them about a player, they immediately have a suspicion that you know something they don’t. My best piece of advice is to be as honest as possible. It goes the same with any owner. If you constantly attempt to fleece your fellow owners, you’ll soon lose credibility. Nobody likes to trade with a partner who has ripped them off four or five times. Be up front with them. Tell them why you want their player(s) or draft picks. If you have a league of professionals, they should know already. In addition, you never use your position to influence a trade. Don’t put yourself in a position where you’re whining about how much time it takes to run the league and how you’ve worked so hard to make them happy in the past. Guilting someone into trading with you doesn’t help your league. When you contact another coach for a trade, you come at them as ‘Team #5,” not “Commisioner #1,” there’s no arrogance or element of entitlement that’s eluded to.
These guidelines are a roadmap to success for any Dynasty League Commissioner. It’s a position of responsibility, not a position of power. If you remember that golden rule, you’ll find yourself running a successful league everyone can enjoy.