Fantasy League perspective (1 Viewer)

[Agent575]

Alright, so for the last few years some friends and I have discussed many facets to our leagues and seem to find so few folks who are like-minded in terms of what they want from their leagues or put into em and whatnot. We are of the mindset and practice that the more, the better and prefer to have 1-3 leagues that everyone devotes a ton of time to versus having many leagues and just setting lineups. Becoming friends, trash talk that is clearly in jest and not to offend, chatting and being very active (daily or better) and just trying to do one's part to make the league better/more fun versus trying to find loopholes in rules, constantly complain or berate other owners. We play for money but feel that is not the true motivation in our leagues because everyone is so "in tune" that simply winning amongst that sort of group is the real reward. Several of us do graphics and pride ourselves with the appearance of our leagues and are always looking to add to the experience (trophies, logos, team pages etc etc etc) and are constantly tinkering with our sites. Saying that we are fantasy footballers 24/7/365 feels like an understatement most of the time is really what it boils down to for us.

(ok, sorry for that long description which leads to my questions)

Are we really alone in feeling that way about it all? There are so many people who enjoy this hobby but it seems 99.9% of people either barely can manage to get a lineup done weekly or prefer to play in a ton of leagues vs what I described above.

THIS IS NOT A TOPIC ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT OR WRONG as obviously to each their own and everything is in the eye of the beholder.

We are just wondering if we really are that much of an oddity or are some of the folks who play in tons of leagues just compensating for basically the same desire?

Thanks in advance to anyone who throws us an opinion which isn't snarky like so many have gotten around here. We appreciate it.

 

[stuckinthemuck]

It's perfectly normal for people who read FBG and post here frequently. A dude like me who'd been playing fantasy/rotisserie sports for ~25 years can't ever get enough out of the relationships that get built through fun trash-talking. It's also how I stay in touch with old high school buddies so it really transcends sports or data analysis.

It's an oddity for people who are happy to enter a Yahoo league with a few friends, go on autodraft, and passively manage their mini-lineups allowing random fluctuations and injuries to determine winners. Most of the folks I work with don't understand why I'm slaving over Dimitri Nance/James Starks minutiae and prefer to gloat over their brilliance in passively getting an autodraft pick of Calvin Johnson. That's just not for me; I get out of fantasy sports only as much as I put into it.

 

[Agent575]

yea, that is another aspect to it is the depth of the league and it's design to be an all year long endeavor...we want to run our teams and not be stifled by mere 15-20 player rosters and the like.

This board especially references the luck factor so often and yet deeper rosters/lineups from my experience eliminate it to such a degree that it is never even brought up in rational conversations about standings and seeding. Lucky things and some unlucky things happen of course but it is rarely the determining factors in deeper leagues.

My post above stems from conversations about when you have a couple "once-a-week" sort of people in a league with folks like us, it doesn't take long for the standings to reflect it and thats natural but we keep thinking, "what if we had an entire league with no weak links"...........yet with so many people playing ff it feels next to impossible to assemble such a group.

 

[I was in the pool]

Agree. I just got started on keeper leagues this year and I already care more this one year than the previous ten years of yahoo stuff combined. Can't wait for another league or two next year (dynasty?) And to get some relationships going...

 

[Dave Stauff]

Been playing for about 23 years now . . . a few years back went to all dynasty teams - like the prospect of being able to benefit from good decisions over the long haul - and now play in seven (down from a max of 9). I truly enjoy the sport, but this year has been very disappointing from one facet: In one 12 teamer I'm 4th in scoring but will not make the six team playoffs because of divisional rules and how i did head to head; in another I was 5th in scoring in a 12 teamer and 1-10 going into last week (this a team that won the entire league the year before); in a third I'm in a division with three other teams - three of us are 8-4 and the other 7-5 - and we play each other twice each season - but only one of us is guaranteed a playoff spot going into the final week. I'm considering dropping a couple of my current teams to find dynasty leagues that run an "all play" format each week - that seems to me the only way to avoid these "wrong place, wriong time" seasons I'm experiencing. And before you ask: No, I can't remember ever benefitting as a lower scoring team - at least not in terms of making it into the playoffs. Two of my leagues (MOX leagues) take the top three from each division and then the two highest remaining point scorers into the playoffs - i've made it into those playoffs on points scored merit and I do like the format; I believe most of the other owners do as well. So that's my only grumble, but I'll tell you what - this activity has brought me so much pleasure over the past 23 years that a little misfortune isn't going to have lasting impact . . .

 

[Agent575]

mine have gone to 3 division winners, followed by 2 best teams based on record and points and the 6th seed is the highest points of the remaining teams and that is easily best way for us. It is the "justice" seed IMO for that scenario and leaves no grumblings because after that, who could say they "should have" gotten in? Thanks for the replies so far folks.

 

[faulkfan]

I'm in my 21st year and I like them all. I have one that has been ongoing into its 21st year this year and that is my favorite. The core guys are still in it and we do the whole trash talking, give each other grief. Every week we have Genius of the Week and Knee to the Groin awards. Genius of the Week goes to the owner who made the worst lineup call costing them the game and Knee to the Groin goes to the owner with the highest losing score. It is a blast and the history we all share makes it more than just football, but a sense of community. I know that sounds hokey, but 21 years with a group of guys will do that. We play for money, but as stated above, it is certainly not the primary motivation, it is just an excuse to take up an offering that will be spent on beer for the draft party.

That said, I still love my seasonal leagues with dudes I don't know and a few of the ongoing, casual leagues I run. It is fun to not really think, to have a lineup where you go "aw crap" when you lose rather than WTF!

I have auction and draft, seasonal and keeper and I like them all because it all centers on football.

For the record I have also really gotten into college fantasy football over the last 5 years.

Suffice it so say, if the folks you are in a league with are solid, upstanding, engaged folks then it is hard to think of a hobby I like more than Fantasy Football.

 

[Agent575]

awesome...exactly what I feel it should be...21 years too, thats great. Your awards are exactly the sort of thing we do with our league. My one league has I believe 38 separate awards/titles/trophies that are done graphics to just add to what we do....it is fun and the guys dig it a lot.

What site does the college ff? I wish MFL did it.

 

[Dizzy]

I'm with ya... I'm a Commish for a small redraft league and this is our 18th season, all original members. Over the years we've all become good friends, watching each others kids grow up, and love to compete with one another. We do live drafts (war room and all), and have occasional get together's as well as the Post Season Banquet/Winter Meeting.

I've dipped into other leagues over the years - various sizes, formats, $$$ values, etc. - but nothing comes remotely close to what I've gotten out of our league over the years. I've been a "1 league" guy for a couple years now and I don't see that ever changing.

 

[Game Time]

Good thread Agent ..... Always looking for ways to get the maximum participation /excitement of the people in my league.....