Читать книгу Fantasy Football For Dummies - Martin A. Schulman - Страница 68

Throughout the season, you’ll need to remain fair and balanced when making decisions on league issues. You’ll definitely have to deal with controversies in your league, and even if the answers and solutions are clear in your mind, you have to be democratic and hold the interests of the league above your own.

The following is a rundown of some of the ways you can use your commish powers for good:

 Accept feedback from fellow coaches — privately and in writing. A leader should have trusted advisers, but don’t turn coaches against one another by having them air their dirty laundry in public.

 Consider holding votes on league matters, but do so only on your terms (as specified by league rules). Don’t vote at the drop of a hat or on every last detail. Mob rule doesn’t work, but neither does a dictatorship. Use email to ask for opinions, but you must still make the final call.

 Don’t be swayed by message-board banter. Let coaches know when their smack talk crosses the line in terms of tone, language, or lack of respect for other league members. Even if a coach writes a strong message in support of a rule change, make sure it works for the rest of the league before acting on it.

 You can choose a deputy commissioner to evaluate all trades that you’re involved in. Pick another experienced coach who you think will be unbiased when making rulings.

 Collect the membership fees (if applicable) before the season starts. After all, quitters don’t pay.

The following list presents some of the ways you can ruin your league by making bad commissioner decisions:

 Let the whiners and barkers run the league. The most opinionated coaches aren’t always right. Seek out other opinions from the coaches who don’t use the message boards before making rulings.

 Change basic rules/scoring settings after the season has started or after your draft has taken place. Your league’s parameters affect coaching and draft strategy, so tweaking rules after the fact is inherently unfair.

 Assume the worst or jump to conclusions when a coach is accused of cheating or tanking. Always make sure that you can’t pinpoint a valid reason for the unfriendly behavior in question. You’re playing a game, after all, and as passionate as you can be about your hobby, fantasy should always take a back seat to matters of family, friends, and health.

 Drag out the decision-making process. If you allow a two-day window for trade protests, make your ruling as soon as possible after the 48 hours have elapsed.

 Jeopardize friendships and take things too personally in the heat of the moment. The commish must remain above the league fray.

 Overreact to coaches who love to troll the league. The “squeaky” wheel shouldn’t always get the grease in fantasy football.