Keeping league interesting (1 Viewer)

[Joe Kidd]

I play in a 10 team league, where the top 4 teams make the playoffs.

Every year we have a problem with the teams that get off to a slow start. Some just keep the same line-ups from about half the season on, starting players on bye etc. Amounting to easy wins for other teams that didn;t have to play said teams earlier in the season. Of course this gives an unfair advantage to some.

Does anybody have any ideas to keep these owners competing to the bitter end? I know most would say, find some new owners that will compete, but thats really not an option.

I remember seeing a thread on this topic a while back, but had no luck with the search function.

 

[thesurfshop19]

Interesting.

You could give the top draft pick/position the next season to the first team out of the playoffs. Or you could make it a lottery based system, so the worst team isn't assured of the best pick/position the next year.

You could also have a consolation tourney among the 6 non-playoff teams, where the winner wins their money back that year or something.

 

[citydawg]

I play in a 10 team league, where the top 4 teams make the playoffs.

Every year we have a problem with the teams that get off to a slow start. Some just keep the same line-ups from about half the season on, starting players on bye etc. Amounting to easy wins for other teams that didn;t have to play said teams earlier in the season. Of course this gives an unfair advantage to some.

Does anybody have any ideas to keep these owners competing to the bitter end? I know most would say, find some new owners that will compete, but thats really not an option.

I remember seeing a thread on this topic a while back, but had no luck with the search function.

In my league...the lowest scoring team every week has to fork over $5 bucks and the highest scoring teams gets $5 bucks credited to their account. We also have a Loser's tourney at the end of the season finishing with a "toilet" Bowl complete with a small trophy. Seems to keep things interesting for the underachieving teams.

 

[stugnut]

We charge $3 per player add during the season. The money that this generates goes towards awarding $25/week to the highest scorer. We usually have enough money to cover the entire 13 week season with money left over that goes to the superbowl winner.

 

[Fantasy Strategist]

Have a Toilet Bowl as was mentioned but only the teams finishing 5th-8th get in...the bottom two teams don't get a shot at winning their money back. Should keep the teams interested. Or we have also given a bye week in the Toilet Bowl to the 5th and 6th seeds while the others play each other...winners advance to play the 5th and 6th seed...it keeps teams fighting for the bye week. Both ways worked well for us. Just preference.

Fine teams who are starting injured or players on a bye week.

Kick teams like that out of the league. I know you said this was not an option but you may threaten it...if they at least think you might kick them out it will keep them trying.

We also have it in the rules if a team is not paying attention the commish takes over the team and starts his players based on footballguys cheatsheets for that week and until we can find a new owner. No refunds for the loser who is unhappy with his slow start.

That's all I got off the top of my head, MJ

 

[Raider Z]

I have several "contests" going on THROUGHOUT the year and it keeps most guys interested right to the end.

1. Weekly High Point Scorer(s) - The Top Scorer wins 20 bones. 2nd Highest wins 20 also IF they are within 0-9 pts of Top Scorer. If they are 10 - 19 pts away it's a 30/10 split. 20+ or higher ... Top Scorer takes all 40 bones!

2. Commissioner Cup Champion - Highest Total Points at the End of the Regular Season (Week 13). Lotsa bones and a trophy.

3. Iron Man - Lowest points, still in the running, gets bounced each week until we have a winner. If two owners tie for lowest, they both get bounced. Winner gets to Keep 1 Player and forego the round that he drafted him in at the next years Draft. We ARE a Redraft league.

I also run a Toilet Bowl Playoff for all the Non-Playoff Teams and try to have a small payoff for the 1st and 2nd Place (Captain Floatie) winners.

I have very little turnover and very active owners year after year.

It's a good time had by all!

 

[renesauz]

Three things:

-weekly high score prizes (relatively low)

-yearly single game high score prize (Last year a non-playoff team won this)

-"Bowl" games such as the "Thank God I'm not the Worst" bowl, and the "Just Missed" bowl, with smallish prizes attached to them.

With these in place, I rarely have trouble with inactive member, and 9 of 12 of last years guys are in for this year (the other three all moved to other jobs or states!)

 

[Bulldog96]

As previously stated, we have things in place such as :

- Weekly High Score

- Survivor / Iron Man Challenge

- Total Points Champ

I also post the High/Low Score of the Week...

During the Playoffs, the non-playoff teams fight for First Choice in next year's draft. The "winning" team (and so on..) can choose their position among the Top 6 positions in the draft. The non-playoff teams are ALSO entered into the "Trade Jackpot" which pays out to the Top 3 Non-Playoff Teams. The Trade money goes to the Top 3 Highest Scoring non-playoff teams for the 3 week period. Since the points are accumulated for the entire 3 weeks, even the losing teams have to submit the appropriate line-ups following their elimination from the First Choice Playoffs. All Trade money is balanced to insure that 4th Place OVERALL is ahead of the Trade Jackpot winners. It's more or less a consolation bracket... The True Playoff Winners will always be awarded to stay ahead of the Losers Bracket.

In 2005, a non-playoff team won First Choice and 2/3 of their League Fee was returned in winnings. Not too bad for a consolation prize...