Keeping teams from mailing it in once theyre out of the running (1 Viewer)

[Wingnut]

Offshoot from the toilet bowl thread...Im wondering how your league keeps the weaker teams, who are out of the playoff running early, from mailing it in once theyre out of the running. EdwardCat posted this:

We use positive reinforcement rather than negative to prevent tanking. The teams that don't make playoffs compete in a secondary playoff system. The winner gets $50.

EdwardCat, explain exactly your secondary playoff system. I like this idea and may introduce something like this next year. Right now we have a pro bowl in week 17 where every team picks a starting lineup of any NFL players (rosters are out the window), and the high score for the week gets $50. Problem is is doesnt guarantee that one of the non playoff teams will win, and some guys kinda mail it until week 17 once theyre out of the playoff hunt. Heres a couple of ideas, the first is based on EdwardCats suggestion:In my league, the top 6 seeds make the playoffs (12 team league, week 16 championship). Im thinking that I could have the remaining teams get seeded like the the top 6 do....seeds 7 and 8 get a "bye" in week 13, and have seeds 9 vs 12 and seeds 10 vs 11 in week 14...the winners go on to play seeds 7 and 8 week 15, and the two winners play in a consolation bowl week 16 for cash...This would at least keep everyone trying to win to secure the bottomfeeder bye...problem is theres stil teams that cant even secure the secondary bye by week 9 or 10, the they still tend to stop caring a few weeks early...But I suppose they will get back into it once the secondary playoffs start and they have a clean slate where record doesnt matter...That would be better than not having them participate until week 17 I suppose.Or maybe something like this: The bottom 6 seeds put in a starting lineup each week of the playoffs (weeks 14 thru 16), and the high point total of those 3 weeks combined wins some cash (no head-to-head). The problem here is the same as above...teams can still mail it in until week 14 because they know theyll be in a playoff for some cash regardless of how their team does up until that point, but at least they would all be participating all 3 weeks of the playoffs.What Im really trying to do is keep all the teams trying to win every single week. A simple way would be to award a weekly high score prize, but our league has voted against that 3 times. How does your league keep teams from tanking or mailing it in once theyre out of the running?

 

[harryhood]

100 bucks a week for high score

 

[Ears]

Our league pays 2/3 of the prize pool in weekly prizes, and have never had issues with teams mailing it in.

 

[Magnus_CA]

Offshoot from the toilet bowl thread...Im wondering how your league keeps the weaker teams, who are out of the playoff running early, from mailing it in once theyre out of the running. EdwardCat posted this:

We use positive reinforcement rather than negative to prevent tanking. The teams that don't make playoffs compete in a secondary playoff system. The winner gets $50.

EdwardCat, explain exactly your secondary playoff system. I like this idea and may introduce something like this next year. Right now we have a pro bowl in week 17 where every team picks a starting lineup of any NFL players (rosters are out the window), and the high score for the week gets $50. Problem is is doesnt guarantee that one of the non playoff teams will win, and some guys kinda mail it until week 17 once theyre out of the playoff hunt. Heres a couple of ideas, the first is based on EdwardCats suggestion:In my league, the top 6 seeds make the playoffs (12 team league, week 16 championship). Im thinking that I could have the remaining teams get seeded like the the top 6 do....seeds 7 and 8 get a "bye" in week 13, and have seeds 9 vs 12 and seeds 10 vs 11 in week 14...the winners go on to play seeds 7 and 8 week 15, and the two winners play in a consolation bowl week 16 for cash...This would at least keep everyone trying to win to secure the bottomfeeder bye...problem is theres stil teams that cant even secure the secondary bye by week 9 or 10, the they still tend to stop caring a few weeks early...But I suppose they will get back into it once the secondary playoffs start and they have a clean slate where record doesnt matter...That would be better than not having them participate until week 17 I suppose.Or maybe something like this: The bottom 6 seeds put in a starting lineup each week of the playoffs (weeks 14 thru 16), and the high point total of those 3 weeks combined wins some cash (no head-to-head). The problem here is the same as above...teams that cant secure the bottomfeeder bye can still mail it in until week 14 because they know theyll be in a playoff for some cash regardless of how their team does up until that point, but at least they would all be participating all 3 weeks of the playoffs.What Im really trying to do is keep all the teams trying to win every single week. A simple way would be to award a weekly high score prize, but our league has voted against that 3 times. How does your league keep teams from tanking or mailing it in once theyre out of the running?

Is there a league service out there that allows you to hold 2 simultaneous playoffs? Or would you have to conduct the lower tier playoff off-line?

 

[Warpig]

My 12 team auction league is like that.

I guarantee you we probably have atleast 3 or 4 teams done for the year and there is a glut of teams at 5-3 and 4-4. Only one really bad team. These guys don't respond to emails and never trade and don't try to upgrade via the waiver. Now that I think of it...why am I still in this league?

 

[Gr00vus]

Two words:

Loser Playoffs

Ultimate losers owe more money, collect all fees up front at the beginning of the season, use the payoffs to award the good owners even more. That way the can mail it in if they want - they won't be hurting anyone more than themselves.

 

[Utter Chaos]

We use positive reinforcement rather than negative to prevent tanking. The teams that don't make playoffs compete in a secondary playoff system. The winner gets $50.

We do the same thing. It's a 4 week cumaltive score during weeks 13 to 17 for the non-playoff teams. Highest score after 4 weeks gets $50.00

 

[Wingnut]

Weekly prizes have been shot down more than once. We like the big payouts. $200 entry fee, and it pays 6 places

1st: $1000

2nd: $500

3rd: $300

4th: $200

5th: $100

6th: $100

That leaves about $100 after website fee. Not enough for weekly prizes, as we would have to drastically cut the nice payouts.

I guess Im gonna have to accept a few teams mailing it in the last few weeks of the reg season until week 14. Weekly cash seems like the only way to keep everyone genuinely interested and trying.

I think the secondary playoff system is a great idea though and will at least keep teams involved once the playoffs start. Missing the playoffs sucks because you have no fantasy players playing weeks 14 through 16. This way everyone can still root for their guys and there is cash on the line.

 

[Sabertooth]

When you're dealing with a league like this, they're not supposed to give you any resistance whatsoever. If you get a owner, or an owner's wife, who thinks he's Charles Bronson, take the butt of your gun and smash their nose in. Everybody jumps. He falls down screaming, blood squirts out of his nose, nobody says ####### #### after that. You might get some ##### talk #### to you, but give her a look like you're gonna smash her in the face next, watch her shut the #### up. Now if it's a league commissioner, that's a different story. Commissioners know better than to #### around, so if you get one that you suspect of tanking, he probably thinks he's a real cowboy, so you gotta break that son of a ##### in two. If you think he's tanking and he won't tell you, cut off one of his fingers. The little one. Then tell him his thumb's next. After that he'll tell you if he wears ladies underwear. I'm hungry. Let's get a taco.

 

[GregR_2]

Is there a league service out there that allows you to hold 2 simultaneous playoffs? Or would you have to conduct the lower tier playoff off-line?

MFL has a freeform playoff system. You could have as many different tiers as you want. In fact to implement our playoffs (6 teams in the champ bracket and 6 in the consolation), I create 6 tiers. One for the champ, one for the consolation, and 4 more to hold the consolation game to decide who is #3 and who is #4, who is #5 and who is #6, etc.

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

Last place has to wear a Richard Simmons mask to next year's draft, and for the duration.

 

[Wingnut]

Is there a league service out there that allows you to hold 2 simultaneous playoffs? Or would you have to conduct the lower tier playoff off-line?

I use CBS which lets me edit matchups in the playoffs as they happen. I would just add matchups based on seedings each week. Not much to it. I have to do that for the regular playoffs anyway. It also allows to enter a team without an opponent (scoring only, no head to head) so If we go that route its simple.

 

[Wingnut]

Last place has to wear a Richard Simmons mask to next year's draft, and for the duration.

Bathroom's down the hall to the right.

 

[Sclaffer]

We have weekly payouts as well. We also have an NFL Playoff Survivor Contest where the winner takes all. Rosters are locked down in Week 12 (no waiver wire/trades from Week 12 on), and you take your roster into the NFL Playoffs and get points for those players who have made it to the playoffs. The team who scores the most points through the Super Bowl wins $100. Seems to keep people active, especially right before Week 12, with regards to the waiver wire (we don't trade too much.)

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

Last place has to wear a Richard Simmons mask to next year's draft, and for the duration.

Bathroom's down the hall to the right.

 

[Timmay]

You make them mail the money BEFORE the league/football season starts, if they want to draft they have to have the money.

 

[dgreen]

One word: Dynasty.

 

[Buzzworth]

We get to rename their team if they come in last. It can get nasty too. They also get their name on the toilet bowl trophy for all to remember. The trophy is a pink toilet seat that we use at the draft.