Quitting as commish (1 Viewer)

[Beau Tocks]

I've been doing Fantasy football for over 20 years and ran this particular league currently for the last 14 years (before the innernets). It's been just recently I'm thinking of stepping down as commish and maybe from ffl completely. It has been some great times and some tenuous times with league ruling arguments and trying to fill league spots with quality guys as owners can come and go over the years. I'm really seriously debating this for the first time because this year I just don't seem to have the enthusiasm I've had in the past. No it's not because I'm in last place or my team is riddled with injuries, I just can't put my finger on it. Oh well, I think at first I might miss the draft process and all come next August but for the most part I think I'm actually getting bored with it and perhaps a break would be a healthy thing to do. Have any of you long timers gone through this and maybe returned with a new sense of purpose or just plain flat out missed it?

Just Curious

 

[george]

Dropped out of my $$$ League that I commished for 6 years (played for 10). It was getting to be a hassle. I liked the guys but got tired of refereeing the disputes. No way to really gracefully step down as commish and still play in the league as I know I would have been the default commish even if someone else stepped up. I have 3 sons in sports so just told them I couldn't play this year.

I did volunteer to come to the draft and draft for one of the guys that couldn't come. I had a blast and glad I did it. No regrets at this point. I have only been to the league website 3-4 times since draft day. Buddy was over for the UFC fights the other night and told me the team I drafted is in first place

 

[whitem0nkey]

I though of stepping down as commish and just run a team with out all of the headaches. but I feel like others may not run it "properly" and I'm afraid to see a league I worked hard to build up fall apart.

maybe, just take a break from the leadership role and just be a team.

 

[zed2283]

Sometimes you just get tired of being commissioner and want to hand the duties off to someone else. For 9 years I was commissioner of a league I started with friends. The last couple of years I just wasn't as enthusiastic about it, so I told the league that it would be my last year as commish and was looking for volunteers. One of the other guys stepped up and has been doing it the last 5 years.

 

[Steady Mooobin]

Dropped out of my $$$ League that I commished for 6 years (played for 10). It was getting to be a hassle. I liked the guys but got tired of refereeing the disputes. No way to really gracefully step down as commish and still play in the league as I know I would have been the default commish even if someone else stepped up. I have 3 sons in sports so just told them I couldn't play this year.

I did volunteer to come to the draft and draft for one of the guys that couldn't come. I had a blast and glad I did it. No regrets at this point. I have only been to the league website 3-4 times since draft day. Buddy was over for the UFC fights the other night and told me the team I drafted is in first place

This happened to me as well. 18 rounds, 16 team redraft. Dude left in the 10th round and I got to finished his team. I played for 8 year, took a year off, then got persuaded to come back last year. I was done. I love the draft, but that's it. I don't miss making sure I have all my starters in or worry about putting in my waiver wire pick ups. It just isn't fun to me anymore. I could draft 10 teams a week, just don't want to micromanage them anymore.

Love the drafts though, and (At least I think) I'm really good at them.

 

[Wreckincrew]

I started a league & ran it for 4 seasons, handed it to another owner for 3 seasons, who handed it to another for 3 seasons & I am now 2 years into my 2nd stint. I was an owner throughout & both the other commishes did a great job. I would recommend taking a break from the commish position and try a season as just an owner.

 

[5Rings]

I don't think you are alone, OP. Most guys I play with are feeling the same way...maybe FFB is on the downturn?

 

[Black]

I have been wondering this, as guys with auto-draft teams are winning the league, etc. It seems harder to really pick a quality team, with so many role players in the NFL.

This year, with so many doormat teams in the NFL, I think it's much more matchup dependent. You can pick up a scrub vs. KC, STL, DET, CLE, OAK, whatever and get a bunch of points over quality players in tougher matchups.

 

[mlball77]

I started a league & ran it for 4 seasons, handed it to another owner for 3 seasons, who handed it to another for 3 seasons & I am now 2 years into my 2nd stint. I was an owner throughout & both the other commishes did a great job. I would recommend taking a break from the commish position and try a season as just an owner.

This sounds pretty close to ideal, imho. In one league that I really enjoy, I am thinking of stepping down as commish in the next year or two in order to free up time, but remaining as an owner… and this is the sort of thing I'd like to hope my league would do. Several people stepping up to serve a 3-5 year term. If you have a good group of active and bright owners, it shouldn't be a problem. Although, many people just don't want the added hassle of being commish (understandbly).

 

[The Kansas Comet]

I started a league & ran it for 4 seasons, handed it to another owner for 3 seasons, who handed it to another for 3 seasons & I am now 2 years into my 2nd stint. I was an owner throughout & both the other commishes did a great job. I would recommend taking a break from the commish position and try a season as just an owner.

I took a break last season after commishing for about 7 years and it was a good thing. It was nice not to have to deal with the headaches and #####ing for a year, and it did recharge my batteries to take on the commish role again this year. I spent some of my non-commish year working on the league rules to cut down on complaints and disputes before they arose, and that has helped as well.

 

[billjohnson]

 

[Adebisi]

Dropped out of my $$$ League that I commished for 6 years (played for 10). It was getting to be a hassle. I liked the guys but got tired of refereeing the disputes. No way to really gracefully step down as commish and still play in the league as I know I would have been the default commish even if someone else stepped up. I have 3 sons in sports so just told them I couldn't play this year.

I did volunteer to come to the draft and draft for one of the guys that couldn't come. I had a blast and glad I did it. No regrets at this point. I have only been to the league website 3-4 times since draft day. Buddy was over for the UFC fights the other night and told me the team I drafted is in first place

This happened to me as well. 18 rounds, 16 team redraft. Dude left in the 10th round and I got to finished his team. I played for 8 year, took a year off, then got persuaded to come back last year. I was done. I love the draft, but that's it. I don't miss making sure I have all my starters in or worry about putting in my waiver wire pick ups. It just isn't fun to me anymore. I could draft 10 teams a week, just don't want to micromanage them anymore.

Love the drafts though, and (At least I think) I'm really good at them.

Same thing for me... love the drafting process and making trades and all that, but the day-to-day stuff just got to be more hassle than it was worth. I don't miss it at all.

 

[shredhead]

Dropped out of my $$$ League that I commished for 6 years (played for 10). It was getting to be a hassle. I liked the guys but got tired of refereeing the disputes. No way to really gracefully step down as commish and still play in the league as I know I would have been the default commish even if someone else stepped up. I have 3 sons in sports so just told them I couldn't play this year.

I did volunteer to come to the draft and draft for one of the guys that couldn't come. I had a blast and glad I did it. No regrets at this point. I have only been to the league website 3-4 times since draft day. Buddy was over for the UFC fights the other night and told me the team I drafted is in first place

This happened to me as well. 18 rounds, 16 team redraft. Dude left in the 10th round and I got to finished his team. I played for 8 year, took a year off, then got persuaded to come back last year. I was done. I love the draft, but that's it. I don't miss making sure I have all my starters in or worry about putting in my waiver wire pick ups. It just isn't fun to me anymore. I could draft 10 teams a week, just don't want to micromanage them anymore.

Love the drafts though, and (At least I think) I'm really good at them.

I'm with ya here. I love the draft, but I am starting to not enjoy the in season team management as much. Part of it is none of my leagues use a bidding system for free agents. For example, I am a Leon Washington owner in 2 leagues, and know I have no shot of getting Shon Greene to replace him because I'm not the worst team. I have been able to make some good pickups by being ahead of the curve, (Sidney Rice, Mike Sims-Walker) and that's always a good feeling, but overall, I don't get as much satisfaction from fantasy football as I used to.

 

[noneother]

In my primary league I have seen the commish be tortured over the last 15 years. I know he has thought about shuttering the league many times. Some of us hav vowed to pick it up should that be his choice. It's a dynasty league and many owners are deeply vested in their squads.

I built and commish a league using the above as a template. One thing I did do was add a COcommish as well as a committee of three other teams to vote on real time rulings or penalty consensus.

Commishing sux. Having other teams involved helps a great deal.

DelegatE some pieces.

 

[waveman]

Yeah, I don't have the enthusiasm I once did, but still do a couple of online free leagues. No disputes to settle, and you get what you get. Still competitive, but I put in 30 minutes a week for team tops...sometimes, just enough to set a line and I'm gone. Taking the money out of it means less stress and more time for more active hobbies than keeping up-to-the-second tabs on my teams.

 

[two_dollars]

My commish has said the same things for 2 years. 2 of us have both expressed interest in taking over and letting him be an owner until he feels up to it again if ever. Maybe a long time owner would like to spell you for a few years?

 

[belljr]

I must be really lucky. We've had the same group for so long now and the same rules for so long that we barely have any disputes.

My only duties now are to enter the rosters and process the waivers.

It's pretty smooth sailing. I did drop down to 3 leagues this year and haven't been happier.

Another difference for me is I just check my scores one or twice on Sundays now. I don't sit in front of the computer anymore.

 

[whitem0nkey]

Another difference for me is I just check my scores one or twice on Sundays now. I don't sit in front of the computer anymore.

I would love to see some poll about this here. on how often do people check the score on sunday.I am the total opposite, have the stat tracker going, red zone on and get updates on my phone. I'm not sure if its the healthiest way of watching. I do try to compartmentalize and watch games both from a fantasy perspective and a real football perspective. because before that I had weeks where on Monday I had no idea what was the score to any of the game but I know just about all the top players from fantasy perspective.

 

[salmonstud]

I share many of the thoughts already expressed. I was in 7 money leagues a few years ago, commissioning 2 of them for more than a decade. I stepped down in one league a few years ago but the guy that stepped in did a subpar job and everyone asked me to take back over. The 1 year break was nice. I cut back from 7 leagues to 6 last year to 5 this year. I might cut back to 4 next year. I still enjoy fantasy football and interacting with other NFL/FF enthusiasts, but my time has gotten more strapped due to other responsibilities & hobbies.

A few suggestions for those getting burned out that still want to commish - make your rules extremely detailed - try to anticipate any potential problem (trades, waiver wire, etc.). Have rules in place spelling out the process of settling disputes and make it a league issue, not just a commissioner issue. My league rules are 6 pages long and are painfully detailed....but they take away allot of the headaches. If the rules are iron clad - less issues arise. I also would suggest cutting back the number of leagues that you are in and delegate some of your commish duties if possible.

 

[Red Apples]

dont quit...

get a co-commish.

take a step back is all.

 

[elcohiba]

Everybody has to commish on a rotating basis (put it in the rules)....the exception to the rule is the guy who is in charge of finances and transactions every year, he never has to commish

 

[belljr]

Another difference for me is I just check my scores one or twice on Sundays now. I don't sit in front of the computer anymore.

I would love to see some poll about this here. on how often do people check the score on sunday.I am the total opposite, have the stat tracker going, red zone on and get updates on my phone. I'm not sure if its the healthiest way of watching. I do try to compartmentalize and watch games both from a fantasy perspective and a real football perspective. because before that I had weeks where on Monday I had no idea what was the score to any of the game but I know just about all the top players from fantasy perspective.

I still Redzone channel it and check but not like I used too. I feel more relaxed now. I mean Sunday night and Monday I'll keep complete tabs on it, but now I feel less consumed and let things play out.

I share many of the thoughts already expressed. I was in 7 money leagues a few years ago, commissioning 2 of them for more than a decade. I stepped down in one league a few years ago but the guy that stepped in did a subpar job and everyone asked me to take back over. The 1 year break was nice. I cut back from 7 leagues to 6 last year to 5 this year. I might cut back to 4 next year. I still enjoy fantasy football and interacting with other NFL/FF enthusiasts, but my time has gotten more strapped due to other responsibilities & hobbies.

A few suggestions for those getting burned out that still want to commish - make your rules extremely detailed - try to anticipate any potential problem (trades, waiver wire, etc.). Have rules in place spelling out the process of settling disputes and make it a league issue, not just a commissioner issue. My league rules are 6 pages long and are painfully detailed....but they take away allot of the headaches. If the rules are iron clad - less issues arise. I also would suggest cutting back the number of leagues that you are in and delegate some of your commish duties if possible.

I think that we have every rule detailed that it helps, I don't have the hard copy anymore but it used to be typed out and everyone had a copy.We've been doing it for so long that nothing really comes up anymore, no shady trades, just bad drafts and injuries One way I "fixed" the waiver order is after week 1, it's priority based on usage. Meaning week 1 is set and if you use a waiver claim you move to the end, if you don't you hold your spot. If multiple guys make claims they move to the end and flip positions. It's balanced out a lot of the waivers and guys are more careful about dumping guys. At it doesn't allow the worst team to always get the "best guy" all the time. It's only $100 a person so it's friendly but we've reached the point where I just make the decisions if I think it's best for the league.

Less leagues was my saving grace.

I now have a redraft (1 keeper), dynasty, and one redraft auction

 

[switz]

I've been doing Fantasy football for over 20 years and ran this particular league currently for the last 14 years (before the innernets). It's been just recently I'm thinking of stepping down as commish and maybe from ffl completely. It has been some great times and some tenuous times with league ruling arguments and trying to fill league spots with quality guys as owners can come and go over the years. I'm really seriously debating this for the first time because this year I just don't seem to have the enthusiasm I've had in the past. No it's not because I'm in last place or my team is riddled with injuries, I just can't put my finger on it. Oh well, I think at first I might miss the draft process and all come next August but for the most part I think I'm actually getting bored with it and perhaps a break would be a healthy thing to do. Have any of you long timers gone through this and maybe returned with a new sense of purpose or just plain flat out missed it?

Last year with my dynasty league I commish, I started feeling this way, then during the offseason, thought I'd be renewed and eager to commish again this year. But honestly, I'm not. It's not that I'm tired of the league or don't like FF, or that my team is bad (5-2), like you... just... no... desire... to... go... on.I'm already planning on this being my last FF season. Too busy with other more important things. Tired of all the work that goes into commissioning, and at times sacrificing my team for what keeps the league happy. I might stay in the league if someone else is commissioner, but even then I'm not sure.

 

[CravenM]

We've made a policy in our dynasty league to change commish every 2 years and to have 2 helpers: one for our odd Free Agent method (blind bids), and 2nd for maintaining finances on the web site.

We also got rid of one deadbeat 4 years ago and another pain in the ### owner and have had virtually no arguments since - it's actually been pretty calm for a while - almost sleepy.

 

[RudeDog]

I've been doing Fantasy football for over 20 years and ran this particular league currently for the last 14 years (before the innernets). It's been just recently I'm thinking of stepping down as commish and maybe from ffl completely. It has been some great times and some tenuous times with league ruling arguments and trying to fill league spots with quality guys as owners can come and go over the years. I'm really seriously debating this for the first time because this year I just don't seem to have the enthusiasm I've had in the past. No it's not because I'm in last place or my team is riddled with injuries, I just can't put my finger on it. Oh well, I think at first I might miss the draft process and all come next August but for the most part I think I'm actually getting bored with it and perhaps a break would be a healthy thing to do. Have any of you long timers gone through this and maybe returned with a new sense of purpose or just plain flat out missed it? Just Curious

Brett, is that you ?