Fantasy Sports: The Commish

Pulling the shortest straw, getting conned, or realizing that you need to take control in order to enjoy the season. These are the reasons why you are, or may become, a commissioner of a fantasy sports league.

It is a lot of responsibility, and as much as some of us love it, it may be one of the most unrewarding tasks some one can undertake.

Sure you feel important, sure you're the boss; but let's get real, you're a glutton for punishment. Statistics are not updated, your fault. Trade is not reflected on the website, your fault. Oh yeah, best of all, you are doing this for free.

Here is a quick background. I have been a commissioner for baseball, basketball and football leagues for the past six years. Each league has between 12 and 14 teams in them, with about nine or 10 of those teams competing in all three leagues.

Of all of the teams, I am probably the least capable of taking on the chore. I am married, have one child, work full time, and am currently pursuing an MBA in Marketing.

Why do I do it, you ask? I love it, and I know that if I weren't running it, there wouldn't be a league amongst my friends. I am just the only one willing to put up with all of it. That is my personality.

Arguing, lack of respect, and lying -- I am not talking of a political debate, but rather the things that a commissioner will most likely deal with throughout the season. As a veteran, I feel obligated to share with my fantasy sports brethren, advice about cutting down on the shenanigans, and running a smooth league.

In this case, smooth is being defined, as everyone will continue to speak after the season. Think I am crazy?

Many friendships can be lost in fantasy sports. Remember, most of us playing are doing so for money. And, we all know what money can do when friends are involved.

Number one on the commissioner's agenda is to find a good statistical service. The days of going through the newspaper and checking the box scores are over. There are many options out there. Statistical websites, commissioner websites, and software programs are all viable options. There are so many places to choose from, but your owner's budget will probably dictate the decision. These services can run from free to almost a hundred dollars per team. A good place to start is www.fantasysportsguide.com. I have found this site to be a great index for all of your fantasy sports needs.

Next, finalize who is in and who is not. Oftentimes, you can find out that a friend is wavering on whether or not to play. Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines -- this will be a very important word for any commissioner. Create them and enforce them! Don't let one person ruin the league, set a deadline for an answer and then pursue your other options. You will be surprised how many people you can get to join if an anticipated owner decides not to partake. Once you have your league, you must get all contact information, team names, and start working on the rules.

When dealing with a group the size of one of these leagues, you will rarely have agreement from everyone on any matter. Your best bet is to devise the rules yourself, using guidelines from websites or other leagues you may know of.

Then, have the league vote on a number of items that have troublesome decisions. Such things may include: trade deadlines, transaction deadlines, certain statistics to be used, etc.

Use a "majority rules" standard, and give all owners a few days to get back to you. However, I do encourage you put a deadline on this. (There is that word again.)

Those who don't respond don't get counted. My feeling on the whole thing is that if people are committed to spend money, and spend an entire season of setting line-ups and making transactions, they can take five minutes to vote on something. It isn't rocket science, although, we like to think it is as important.

Rules, however, may be the toughest part of the league. You will find that from year-to-year, you will make minor changes to account for everything that may come up. In the meantime, you should put a sentence in your rules stating, "if anything, not covered in these rules occurs, a vote, won by a majority of the league, will be instituted." This catchall should help.

Be organized. Get yourself a folder or clipboard that you can constantly reference. Set up a dedicated e-mail account with one of the free services, such as Yahoo. It will be much easier to sort through messages, when they are all about the same thing. Advise your league participants to use e-mail as well. This is the 21st century. If for some crazy reason, someone in your league doesn't have access to a computer, tell them to obtain a library card, and they can get access that way. E-mail is the best means of submitting line-ups, asking questions and communicating to all participants.

There are other options. Your statistics service may provide a message board if, like most, they are online. The other option is to take your transactions and other correspondence by phone, but, you must make sure that you have a time-stamp on your messages. I have had my fun with that in the past. Would you believe that on more than one occasion, I have had people call me after games have started to put their line-ups in? I still have a message from a basketball league where the team owner told me it was 7:30 p.m., but it was actually 1:00 a.m., and the player he wanted to put in already had a huge game. He now knows never to try that again. I was close to kicking him out, but he was too close a friend. You have to realize that people will do whatever they can to win. You just have to make sure that they stay within the rules.

The last thing I will implore future and current commissioners to do may be the most important, if you are playing for money, and that is -- GET FEES IN ADVANCE!

You are a commissioner, not a bill collector. There, of course, will always be a few that have valid reasons, but you should walk away, on draft day, with no less than 90 percent of the fees for the league.

Currently, my motto is "No pay, No play." My friends know this, and respect it. If someone can't afford it, they shouldn't participate. It is better for all involved. I have, in the past, had votes to lower fees in order to get more people in, but, once an amount is decided, refer to my motto.

If you don't use this policy, you may want to set a deadline whereby, if a team is not paid up, that roster will be frozen. (There is that "deadline" word again.) I don't like this approach because it takes away from the league because now certain players that you may have wanted to trade for are off limits. Do your best to get all money in advance. Make sure you put the money in a safe place, such as a safety deposit box.

With all of this said, the season hasn't even started yet. This is when the fun begins. Just remember, the league looks to you for answers. Be firm with your decisions, and don't be afraid to seek advice from others. Try to be fair as possible to all parties, and remember that you will never be able to please everyone, and that it is just a game.

The best advice I have saved for last, and it is one sentence that will always get those in your league to adhere to your decisions. Here it is -- If you don't like (what I'm doing), you can have my job.

Then sit back and watch them run for the doors.