Are you running a fantasy league or are you looking to run one? It can definitely be a fun task, but done poorly, you could end up with a lot of headaches, both for you and the people in the league. Don’t be like pro sports commissioners who get booed on draft day! Here are a few tips on helping you to run a successful league as a fantasy commissioner.

Set Expectations Early

A key tip to being a good parent, teacher, boss, or manager is to set clear expectations as early as possible. I’ve seen commissioners change rules after people have joined the league or ask the entire league what they want the rules to be. This will likely lead to disagreements, arguments, and frustrated members. Here are some things you should clarify before people join the league:

Checklist

• Platform (Yahoo, ESPN, Sleeper, etc.)
• Number of people in the league
• Scoring settings (as close to default is usually preferable)
• Roster settings (including bench and IL/IR spots)
• Payment (quantity and method)
• Prize (including the breakdown for different rankings)
• Draft method and draft order selection (if it’s random, it can be good to do it publicly so people can’t accuse you of rigging it)
• Waiver methods (including the number of roster moves each week)
• Trade rules (including the trade deadline)
• Veto rules (more on this later)
• Reasons for removal (more on this later)

Be Upfront

If you’re going to post an invite to your fantasy league, try to make sure you list all of these things beforehand so people know what they’re getting into. If someone complains later, you can also say that they would have seen these settings before joining. Realistically though, people don’t always read everything they should.

One thing I didn’t include is the draft date. It may be alright to set a tentative date, but trying to communicate to make sure everyone can attend the draft is best. If you’re doing a slow draft, then it doesn’t matter as much.

Trades and Vetoes

Veto rules is probably the most controversial one. In my opinion, vetos should only be for collusion or tanking. If both managers sincerely believe the trade benefits them, then the trade should be allowed. Leagues who are too involved in each other’s trades can lead to a lot of bitterness between managers. If you’re worried about eliminated teams making bad trades, then make sure you have a reasonable trade deadline. That should be about two-thirds of the way through the regular season). This way the deadline should hit before any team is statistically eliminated. What we do in my league is that the commissioner is the only one who can veto a trade. However, it takes two-thirds of the league to vote against it for me to veto it.

In order to keep trades moving, what I usually do is that when a trade is made, as soon as someone else in the league says they’re ok with it, I push the trade through. It’s highly unlikely a third-party would be ok with a trade if obvious collusion or tanking was involved. This also keeps me accountable and unbiased as a commissioner.

(Bonus tip: Since tanking was brought up, try to install safeguards against that. A punishment for the worst team can be on idea. For keeper and dynasty leagues, a draft lottery or a challenge for the bottom teams can also discourage tanking.

Know If and When to Boot Someone

Hopefully, you’ll never need to do this, but a league’s success isn’t just about the commissioner, it’s also about the members. If you have people that purposely mess up the league or don’t participate, you need to remove them. You might think an absent manager doesn’t hurt the league, but if people no longer find the league competitive or feel like teams who play the absent manager have an unfair advantage, then you’ve got a problem. Here are the requirements I set to make someone eligible for removal:

• 2 consecutive weeks without setting a lineup
• Constantly not drafting in time (auto-drafting everything when there is no excuse for it)
• 2 vetoed trades in a season (this would show a pattern of tanking or collusion)
• At least two-thirds of the teams vote for someone’s removal

If it is a cash league, I’d state upfront that removed managers do not get a refund. This is to entice new managers to replace the team. Of course, giving them warnings before booting them would be ideal, but don’t be afraid to remove someone if it leads to the betterment of the league.

Chat

A good league has good communication. The chat features in some Fantasy platforms are ok, but I find using Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp allows for more communication as those are apps people are used to chatting on.

Be a Firm Fantasy Commissioner but Listen

I’m going to bring up the role of a parent, teacher, boss, and manager again. You need to be firm. This isn’t about being strict, it’s about people feeling comfortable because they know what to expect. A commissioner who bends to the will of whoever complains will run a league that’s wishy washy and inconsistent.

That being said, it can be fair to listen to the league. Some settings like platforms probably shouldn’t be discussed once the league has started. Other suggestions for relatively minor tweaks in settings like adding a bench spot or increasing the number of acquisitions per week can be entertained, especially during a global pandemic. If I don’t like a suggestion, I explain why and remind them that it was communicated before they joined the league. If I’m indifferent, I’ll put it to a vote with the league. So far, when I’ve done this, they’ve always left it as-is. You may have a squeaky wheel who likes to change things up, but odds are, the majority of league likes the status quo.

Wrap Up

Hopefully this article helps you to run a smooth and fun fantasy league. Being a fantasy commissioner can come with stresses, but ultimately, I find it to be an enjoyable experience, and from what I’ve heard, the people in my league do too.

If you found this article helpful, check out other Belly Up Fantasy Sports articles at Belly Up Fantasy and you can follow me at @liuac.