Do you guys do anything with owners that don't even try? (1 Viewer)

[Dentist]

Long time league (we had our 12th draft last week) amongst mostly good friends, but some are friends of friends.

anyway.. 12 man league... 2 of the teams are run by guys who simply don't watch football/don't care.

They draft (badly), they pay, they leave.

They will make 2-4 add-drops the entire year (currently have guys on IR) and won't try to improve their team, often "forget" to switch out a guy on bye week, and don't add really anything to the league at all.

Should I just be happy they participate, pay, and don't try?

These guys are friends and I think they only participate to come to our draft party, which is generally epic.

Should I try to make these guys co-owners of other teams so we can bring in some people that WILL try?

The stakes are such in this league ($80) that the money isn't that big of a deal, but it'd sure be nice to have actual participating members.... what would other commish's do here?

 

[Turtles]

Add a rule that fines an owner $5 or so each time he starts a player on bye, or that is listed as "out" on the injury report.

Maybe it'll get the deadbeat owners to try a little harder (which is the ultimate goal of a rule like that - nobody likes it when teams vying for a playoff spot near the end of the season get an easy win over a non-active team), and if they don't, at least it's more money in the pot.

I'd think a rule like that would get near universal support from the owners in your league that actually try to be competitive.

 

[Dentist]

Add a rule that fines an owner $5 or so each time he starts a player on bye, or that is listed as "out" on the injury report.Maybe it'll get the deadbeat owners to try a little harder (which is the ultimate goal of a rule like that - nobody likes it when teams vying for a playoff spot near the end of the season get an easy win over a non-active team), and if they don't, at least it's more money in the pot.I'd think a rule like that would get near universal support from the owners in your league that actually try to be competitive.

i get the spirit of your idea, but the #1 thing i hate about commissionering is collecting money. So the last thing i'm going to do is create more work for myself.I guess i was hoping there was a good idea for getting people more interested in football... or finding a way to move them out of the league without upsetting them.

 

[nikro]

I would just talk to them and explain them that they ruin the fun for 10 other people in your league. If all they want is to join the draft party than making them co-owners of a team should be fine for them. Making them pay for their lack of interest sounds too hard for me and I can't imagine that this would really motivate them to participate more.

 

[Thorn]

What are you, married to these guys?

 

[footballnerd]

Last place team pays double league fees next year, second to last pays 1.5.

 

[Captain Hook]

1) So the last thing i'm going to do is create more work for myself.2) I guess i was hoping there was a good idea for getting people more interested in football... or finding a way to move them out of the league without upsetting them.

1) YOU are the commissioner - no other way for this to work2) I don't see any chance of that - but the rule might move them in one direction or the otherBUT the bottom line - with friends in a small stakes league - WHY bother?They show up and pay their money - there are lots of leagues where guys don't or are slow or are far more irritating for the league.Have others in the league complained about their lineups? Is so ask them to talk to the guy(s) about it. If not, were back to your perception view of how the league should beI don't see any easy way to solve what I am not sure I perceive as a problem - a lineup rule might help - it might not but it's worth the subtle try if others have also voiced concerns

 

[bulger2holt]

Tell them to run their teams or let their wives take over

 

[glong989]

Get 12 people who you are positive care about football and the fantasy aspect.

If they have done this type of managing in the past and you guys know its probably happening again this season why extend another invite for another year of annoyance? I'd be pissed if I played them week 1 and lost and then their opponent week 8 get's an easy win because they didn't sub out their QB and WR1 on bye.

I have several good friends who have done this one season and are promptly uninvited the next season - I still hang out with them and they ask to join again sometimes but I simply say no..I suggest you do the same.

 

[theoneandonly]

We used to have probs with owners who after there team would fall out of contention would stop doing there lineup. We fixed this problem in my leagues by adding in weekly top points prizes. This keeps people playing for the top points every week of the reg season. In my leagues this has been enough to keep guys active even when out of it.

 

[De Novo]

Co-owners. I have kicked out or forced them to sign up co-owners. Even good friends. It ruins the rest of the league when a team you're fighting for a playoff spot with gets to face a team starting 4 guys on IR and 4 guys who deserve to be on the waiver wire.

If this has gone on for 12 years, you may want to get the support of the rest of the league before acting.

 

[johnadams]

You can hand out awards at each draft party for the previous year. Awarding your two deadbeats a share of the "Biggest D-Bag of the Year replete with the appropriate trophy should do the trick. Since you have an actual draft party, you have a great opportunity to heap loads of scorn on the barely participating so any type of peer pressure should help.

 

[GCP]

Best thing to do is run your league less as a dictatorship, more as a democracy. There is power in numbers. If someone isn't cutting it, we'll get together as a group and make a decision. Takes the pressure off of you to make tough decisions.

 

[Pigskin Fanatic]

Last place team pays double league fees next year, second to last pays 1.5.

not a fan of this, one of the owners in my league is probably the most active, but in the past 15+ years he's been last place multiple times because of injuries. being in a dynasty league without an IR system, it's tough to drop good players who don't pan out in a given year. when it's obvious someone isn't trying, they don't get invited back next year.

 

[Nate]

Contraction.

Expansion back to 12 teams if and when a suitable owner is found.

 

[bigfoamfinger]

We have had sucess sugguesting/forcing teams to merge to create some new blood. We also have put in last place fines to prevent folks from throwing in the towel. Why don't you just talk to them and find out what is going on, they may think they are doing you a favor by participating each year.

 

[Steel Dillo]

We added both of these to our local league:

$5 per loss for the last 4 weeks of the regular season.

Toilet Bowl loser wears a dress to the next years draft.

 

[habsfan]

I issue line-up warnings. After your second one (without extenuating circumstances) your team is locked and you aren't invited back. Works great.

 

[tenaka]

I've had this come up once in one of the dynasties I run, guy in last place (of course) left players on a bye in his lineup. I contacted him and let him know that was unacceptable, to which he responded that it was an "honest mistake" and he'd pay attention from now on. Never happened again.

The standing rule in my leagues is that if you tank you'll lose a draft slot for each game you tank (so if you had the 1.1 and tanked 5 games you'd get the 1.6 instead). But the honest answer is, if this actually happened I'd just not invite the guy back. The only problem that creates is, its probably a ####ty team and finding a new dynasty owner for a team in shambles is rough.

 

[DoubleG]

Toilet Bowl loser wears a dress brings enough beer for all the other owners to the next years draft.

The bolded is what we do. Everyone is active...go figure. As the end of the year nears a poll often goes up with beer preferences (expensive ones motivate even more).

 

[swirvenirvin]

We do a loser bowl for 4 teams that do not make the playoffs lose and you move on to toilet bowl, lose that and you owe an extra $30

 

[Dentist]

We have had sucess sugguesting/forcing teams to merge to create some new blood. We also have put in last place fines to prevent folks from throwing in the towel. Why don't you just talk to them and find out what is going on, they may think they are doing you a favor by participating each year.

This is a good idea. I do think a couple of the guys that truly don't watch football and don't really try feel like if they quit the league that they would lose contact with a lot of people. The league has its way of keeping friends together.I also think you might be one to something with the "they think they are doing you a favor" thing... in the past that might have been true.. but our league is so popular now i think we could add easily.I mean from a truly competitive aspect I suppose i should want these people in my leauge... but it bums me out when one of these guys shows up to the draft, wins the first pick, and looks at his cheat sheet and is like: "Who is this Arian Foster guy anyway... never heard of him" and he's not joking.. and i just sigh and am like.... "good luck this season, bro"

 

[stugnut]

Long time league (we had our 12th draft last week) amongst mostly good friends, but some are friends of friends.anyway.. 12 man league... 2 of the teams are run by guys who simply don't watch football/don't care.They draft (badly), they pay, they leave.They will make 2-4 add-drops the entire year (currently have guys on IR) and won't try to improve their team, often "forget" to switch out a guy on bye week, and don't add really anything to the league at all.Should I just be happy they participate, pay, and don't try?These guys are friends and I think they only participate to come to our draft party, which is generally epic.Should I try to make these guys co-owners of other teams so we can bring in some people that WILL try?The stakes are such in this league ($80) that the money isn't that big of a deal, but it'd sure be nice to have actual participating members.... what would other commish's do here?

Treat them like you do a root fracture; shuck and chuck. As the commish, I spend too much time worrying about the minutiae and I just don't have time to deal with these twits. And make no mistake, they ruin it for everybody. How does the team fighting for a playoff berth feel when his closest opponent gets to play "Tardmonger", the guy who starts 2 guys on IR and one guy on bye, and he misses the playoff because his opponent get a freebie? It hurts the entire league and your job as the commish is to make the league the best that you possibly can. Put it in the rules that submitting a lineup with a player on a bye or ruled "OUT" (an obvious out, like on IR or a broken leg for the last 5 weeks) and they get a warning. Next time, no questions asked but you are out for the remainder of the year and the following year. Sorry, nothing I can do, "It's in the rules".

 

[Dentist]

Get 12 people who you are positive care about football and the fantasy aspect.If they have done this type of managing in the past and you guys know its probably happening again this season why extend another invite for another year of annoyance? I'd be pissed if I played them week 1 and lost and then their opponent week 8 get's an easy win because they didn't sub out their QB and WR1 on bye.I have several good friends who have done this one season and are promptly uninvited the next season - I still hang out with them and they ask to join again sometimes but I simply say no..I suggest you do the same.

So tough. I just don't know how that conversation would go... i mean i've got a guy who's been in for 10 consecutive years... a former champ.. but after he got married he quit watching football.. he doesn't know arian foster from barry foster

 

[hutchins929]

1. Raise the entry fee for the league. From $80 to $100. If it costs more to play they will more than likely pay attention.

2. Keep the Prize amounts the same for winning or being runner up, etc...

3. Add a monitory award, for the team who scores the most points. Only in the weeks after the byes are finished (weeks 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17) Add this stipulation though, Any owner who play's anyone who's team is on a bye. They automatically forfeit being in that, after the bye week, total point contest.

12 teams + $20 each = $240 extra

There will be 6 weeks after the byes are finished (weeks 12-17). That would give an extra $40 a week to the team who scores the most points in each week in that portion of the season.

 

[nikro]

a former champ.. but after he got married he quit watching football

epic fail

 

[[scooter]]

If they are your friends, don't kick them out.

But I like the idea of charging them $$$ for losses and/or empty lineups.

 

[We Tigers]

The punitive stuff--charging money for losses/empty lineups--isn't going to accomplish much. Good luck collecting from these guys.

If they're friends, who cares. Any week they don't submit a lineup or have players on bye, give them a roster by whatever standard you want--highest projected points, lowest projected points, etc. As long as you have a standard for when a team doesn't "show," your league members shouldn't mind too much.

 

[Dr. No]

The punitive stuff--charging money for losses/empty lineups--isn't going to accomplish much. Good luck collecting from these guys.If they're friends, who cares. Any week they don't submit a lineup or have players on bye, give them a roster by whatever standard you want--highest projected points, lowest projected points, etc. As long as you have a standard for when a team doesn't "show," your league members shouldn't mind too much.

good long term friends...this year one of the guys has a team so bad I think it may be the straw that gets him to quit... peyton manning, arian foster, and had also drafted Moeaki and rashad jennings.this is a 2-11 season in the making where he will effectively quit by week 5-6.so far he's cut none of the players who are out for the season and peyton manning is still his starting qb

 

[McJose]

Who cares? Free money for everybody else.

 

[MIMN]

The punitive stuff--charging money for losses/empty lineups--isn't going to accomplish much. Good luck collecting from these guys.If they're friends, who cares. Any week they don't submit a lineup or have players on bye, give them a roster by whatever standard you want--highest projected points, lowest projected points, etc. As long as you have a standard for when a team doesn't "show," your league members shouldn't mind too much.

good long term friends...this year one of the guys has a team so bad I think it may be the straw that gets him to quit... peyton manning, arian foster, and had also drafted Moeaki and rashad jennings.this is a 2-11 season in the making where he will effectively quit by week 5-6.so far he's cut none of the players who are out for the season and peyton manning is still his starting qb

If they are friends can't you ask them if they really like FF? "Just wondering because you don't seem very active during the year. You can still come to the draft party to watch me dominate."

 

[Shutout]

If i want to make money, I find 9 more guys just like these two.

If I care about a league and so do the majority of the owners, I move them out. Like someone said above, there really are few things more frustrating for FF owners who really get into FF than seeing teams lie down at the end of the year and "give" other teams win. Every game is so critical towards making the playoffs/seeding that you want to know that the guy that was all into it in Week 2 when you played them is still trying in week 11.

If you REALLY like your FF (and sounds like you do), you probably won't be happy until you find a full league of participants.

 

[Keith R]

It all depends on what you (collectively) want out of the league. Are you out to test your FF acumen against the very best competition you can find? Do you want an avenue to exchange smack with your buddies? Are you out to make a profit? Your answers to these types of questions will determine your solution. There is no wrong answer, so long as the solution is satisfactory to the majority.

One last thing; if you decide to go with financial sanctions, etc, out of fairness, you can't implement them until the 2012 season.