I get the title is a bit strong, but in most situations, trades should not be vetoed. I’m in a few groups where people often post trades and ask if they’re vetoable. My opinion is that it doesn’t matter what we think or what they think. Don’t veto trades.

There are three main types of veto options. One is a league veto. In this situation, once a trade is agreed upon by two managers, there is a period of time when the league has the option to vote to veto a trade. If a set amount of managers vote to veto the trade (ex. two-thirds of the league), then the trade is cancelled. Otherwise, the trade goes through after that set period of time. A commissioner veto is another method that works like a league veto, except the commissioner is the only one who can veto it. In these situations, the commissioner can either wait out the set time period, when the trade would go through, or they can force it through. The third method is a no veto process, which just immediately processes all accepted trades. However, a commissioner can still reverse a trade afterwards.

Why?

So what are vetoes for? Vetoes should only be for collusion or absolute tanking. Collusion is when two players trade to only benefit one team. This can be tough to judge, but when collusion is suspected, it can often be revealed when asking the managers about why they made the trades. What is absolute tanking? First of all, it’s not strategic tanking, which is trading stud vets for future draft picks to improve one’s odds of winning in the future. Rather, it’s when someone just wants to make their team as bad as possible. This may occur when someone is rage quitting on a league.

So what’s the issue with vetoes? Often when leagues have a league veto option, people vote against trades that they don’t deem as fair. However, it doesn’t matter if they think it’s fair. It only matters if the managers involved in the trade think they win. Fantasy leagues don’t need babysitters. The managers should get to make their own decisions as to what they think is best for their team. And it’s not like fantasy sports are a science. Trades that may seem to favour one side one day may look to favour the other side another day.

League vetoes lead to bad blood between managers. Just let the managers manage their own teams. People should not be making decisions for others. That includes the commissioner as well. The commissioner should be the only one who is allowed to veto trades but should only use it if there is collusion or absolute tanking.

Wrap-Up

I’ll keep this wrap-up short and sweet. Don’t veto trades.

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