question for long time dynasty commissioners (1 Viewer)

[fsufan]

I am a commish of a 10 team dynasty league that is going into its 11th year, started off as a local league of friends and family, now it is an Internet league. The past 2 years I have had a lot of turn over, 3 owners last year and 4 this year. The owners are dropping out for different reasons - $ issues(league fee is $150), no interest in FF and/or the NFL any more, no enough time, need to cut back on # of leagues playing in or team is bad. The league is very competitive from top to bottom.

How long are you finding a dynasty league can last before you pull the plug on it?

What do you do to keep the league going and going?

 

[Ripleys]

turnover is just part of internet leagues. Fortunately for all of us, this FF hobby is so big now, that each year, you should be able to find guys that want to join a competitive league. But I hear your pain, it is frustrating when good owners pull out due to too many leagues, $, life changes, etc.

 

[Lott's Fingertip]

The main thing we do in our league is replace owners with people that we know. When you have a stranger come into the league, he has no personal stake in it.

You need guys that want to compete, even when their team goes sour.... strangers often just don't care enough to try and turn a team around.

Owner attrition is just part of the dynasty equation. The bigger the league, the more disparity that occurs between teams, the more likely it is that owners leave. Having rules in place to allow for player turnover helps; if you keep your rosters forever or allow very long contracts with lots of cap space and deep rosters, there is little hope for the bad teams to improve. If rebuilding realistically takes 3-4 years, bad teams may look at that as $450-$600 down the drain.

There is no way to combat fantasy burnout, though.

Good luck.

ETA: Trade and message board activity can be important as well. I joined a 12 team dynasty league as one of maybe 4 strangers to a group of 8 or so buddies. There were a few trades, but I had several offers sit on the table for weeks on end, inquiries into what other owners might be looking for go unanswered, and message board posts go unreplied to. Weeks would go by during the season where the only activity would be when guys put in their lineups on Sunday morning and one or two of them would put up some cheesy smack talk in their lineup submission comments. The last year one guy didn't submit a lineup for three straight weeks, I mentioned it on the message board, nothing was said for two more weeks, then the guy came back. That was the last straw for me.

 

[offdee]

One year advanced payment entry fee is a necessity for the life of a Dynasty League built upon owners who are strangers or from the Net.

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G. Entry Fees/Deposits/Disbandment

Entry Fees are paid one full season in advance. The initial fee will be both 2006 and 2007 fees combined ($125 total). After that one initial double payment, all further years will be just the following year’s fees only. (For example, in 2007 you will be paying the 2008 fees, etc..) After week 16 of each season a deposit of $50 towards the following season’s entry fee must be received by the Treasurer before any trades (players and/or picks) can be made. Remaining balance of following season’s entry fee is due one month before our Draft is scheduled.

F. Retirement/Quitting/New Owners

An owner can retire in good standing, but they will not receive a refund. Retirement must be announced one year in advance (before our Draft) to play out final season and not lose any money already paid in advance. If payment for following year’s entry fee is not received by due date, that is informally announcing a Retirement. Once a Retirement is announced, that owner is not allowed to make any trades (players and/or picks) at any time during their final season. Retirement announcement gives the league one full year to find a replacement owner.

Owners who quit on the league unexpectedly will not receive a refund. The moneys paid in advance for that team will be used towards a new incoming owner’s fees to help in finding a replacement owner on short notice.

New Owners taking over a vacated team must, upon induction, pay balance due of present/upcoming season’s entry fee (dependent on if previous owner retired or quit), and also pay following season’s entry fee in full (entry fees are paid one full season in advance).

 

[KellysHeroes]

As a commish of 5 Leagues, I don't want to ask for a security deposit or force the other owners to cough in an extra buck or 2 for the new guy; I hate those rules. Like the avg NFL player, a persons life can, and will change drasticaly over the course of a yr and may be forced to leave; or they may be sick of losing and come up w/ some lame excuse.

Here are some things to watch out for when your creating or looking for leagues.

Dynasty Leagues shouldn't be more than a $100; especially if the league is larger than 12 teams and the player turnout is very little. If your playing in a traditional Dynasty (Everyone roll overs the same roster every yr; draft Rookies), there is no player turnout, you have to beg people to trade you a bone. Honestly, the only way your going to get back into it is if you make some rip off trades or u hit the lottery w/ the draft or waiver. In 12 or less teams.. theres some fish still left in the pond; but in large / competitive leagues... forget it. As stated before, someone isn't going to want to keep pumping 100s of dollars into a team that hasn't gone anywhere in 2 or 3 yrs.

Try to keep Dynasties, especially traditional style / large league dynasties, at low cost. If the league is a Cap League of some kind w/ a good player turnout (Studs quickly become too expensive for managers to retain them, giving everyone a shot) then you can charge a higher cost.

If you want to spend larger amount of $$ on fantasy for good payouts, do it in redraft leagues. This way; you have the same chance everyone else does... at least in the beginning of the yr.

 

[hacman]

This might not be helpful for the OP, but instead of recruiting 11 other guys, bring in 3 passionate guys and give them some ownership in the league by having them name their own divison. Ask each of them to bring in 2 passionate guys they know to fill out the division. This automatically creates rivalries within each division. Then recruit 2 more solid guys to fill out your own division.

 

[Cecil Lammey]

My main auction league, the Colorado Pigskin League, is a dynasty/hybrid that has been going strong since 1993.

We have a good group of guys, but one thing that makes us unique is our minor league system. We've set up another league (re-draft) for people who WANT to play in the CPL. If they can prove themselves in the minors, and we have an opening, then a team gets called up.

This is very helpful because the owner is ecstatic to get the call, and they are already familiar with our scoring system and league rules.

 

[Riffraff]

Here's a quick top 10 list:

1. Fairly low buy in. Dynasty leagues don't have to be big money. Respectable amount, but never free.

2. Spread out the winnings. If only a few take all the coin, you'll lose owners easier. Fun prizes help.

3. Don't open membership to the general public. Have leaguemates suggest potential owners. Vote before invite.

4. Bring in someone that only has a few leagues. League needs meaning. Avoid the 5+ league future dropout.

5. Discourage tanking in the rulebook. Use a lottery, potential points, or all-play record to determine draft order.

6. Flex line-ups instead of rigid position requirements. No cookie-cutter rosters. Don't force someone to trade.

7. Roster size. Too small and people have to give up their gold nuggets. Too large and it's not worth digging.

8. Leadership in the commissioners. Make decisions for the whole league interest, not for individuals. Write articles.

9. Respect the owners. Every owner has their own lives and their own style of play and personality. Let them be.

10. Have fun. Don't take everything too serious. It's a hobby. Owners come back for the friendship, not the paycheck.

14 team internet league, 10 years in existence. Only 2 owners have chosen to leave, 2 more in sadder circumstances.

Commissioner committee of 3 bodies. One person does not run the league (owner's league, not a commissioner's league).

Most owners have never met, but we have had a few travel across country to meet others. Good peeps, each and all.

 

[TBD]

I am a commish of a 10 team dynasty league that is going into its 11th year, started off as a local league of friends and family, now it is an Internet league. The past 2 years I have had a lot of turn over, 3 owners last year and 4 this year. The owners are dropping out for different reasons - $ issues(league fee is $150), no interest in FF and/or the NFL any more, no enough time, need to cut back on # of leagues playing in or team is bad. The league is very competitive from top to bottom.

How long are you finding a dynasty league can last before you pull the plug on it?

What do you do to keep the league going and going?

surprised the owner left this team- solid, young team? is this team still an orphan?http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...howtopic=405239

 

[fsufan]

I am a commish of a 10 team dynasty league that is going into its 11th year, started off as a local league of friends and family, now it is an Internet league. The past 2 years I have had a lot of turn over, 3 owners last year and 4 this year. The owners are dropping out for different reasons - $ issues(league fee is $150), no interest in FF and/or the NFL any more, no enough time, need to cut back on # of leagues playing in or team is bad. The league is very competitive from top to bottom.

How long are you finding a dynasty league can last before you pull the plug on it?

What do you do to keep the league going and going?

surprised the owner left this team- solid, young team? is this team still an orphan?http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...howtopic=405239

still open, that it is still open