How should a new commissioner be selected every year for fantasy football?

Question

I have the best record overall after three seasons and apparently one of my friends has taken over cause the last one sucked. I want the job and am looking for a rebuttal to give these guys...please help!!!

Answer 1

Good question.

It's funny, in my league, being commissioner is 'rewarded' to the last place team.  It's a lot of work.

Being commissioner is often a thankless, unhappy task.  So we use it as an incentive not to finish in last place.  It keeps all managers playing hard to the end.

At the very least, your league should put it to a vote.  Leagues are supposed to be democratic, not dictatorships.

Force a vote.

Answer 2

yes, as long as its not a short keeper league (>3years).

Answer 3

just rotate it. also, on yahoo, if you do a keeper league with the same people, you can just use the same settings as the last years season if you liked the settings from last year.

Answer 4

Whats up takme2mytrck420,

It's funny because the situation you're describing is usually the opposite of what happens in most fantasy leagues.  In almost every league I've ever been in no one wants the job of commissioner.  Most people would rather be focusing on their own team and not running the league, getting grief from other teams, and spending valuable time ensuring the league runs smoothly.  Personally, I'm like you, but we are a rare breed in fantasy football.

As you have recently discovered, the most important characteristic of a commissioner is reliability.  If the commissioner doesn't stay on his game the entire league suffers, so whatever system you have in place for appointing this position, it should take reliability into account before anything else.

I am in two fantasy leagues, one I created myself back in 2002 and another that I've been a member of since 2000.  In the league that I started, I am ALWAYS the commissioner simply because I know that the league will run smoothly under my control.  I created the rules, the configuration setup, and it wouldn't make sense for anyone else to take the reigns since it is my league.  Things always run smoothly, so no one complains.

In the other league that I'm a member of, we DO rotate commissioner duties, but only those members that are truly reliable agree to take their turn.  If any member expresses a disinterest in the position, we respect that and they don't participate.  It makes no sense to make someone who doesn't want the job perform the duties because that is a recipe for disaster.  As long as 4-5 guys are willing, that should give everyone else a decent break from duties.

One thing that we do, and something that you may want to consider in your league, is to have an assistant commissioner.  The assistance commissioner essentially does the same thing the commissioner does, but does so when the primary commissioner isn't available.  In this way the league has a backup should something need to be done, but the primary commissioner isn't by a computer.  It's a great backup plan and would allow you to share duties.

If your friend absolutely won't give up duties, propose that you help him out and act as the assistance commissioner with the understanding that you'll take over main duties next year.  In this way everyone wins!