CommishRx: Act in Good Faith – Don’t Be a Shady Commissioner

We all want our fantasy commissioners to be accountable for their actions and to act in good faith in everything that they do. 

We don’t want our leagues run by a shady Fantasy Commissioner, do we? No, we do not.

You don’t want to be a shady commissioner, do you? No, you do not.

Do you know the best way to avoid being a shady commissioner?

Follow the third of five rules that can help commissioners have a happy and prosperous fantasy life.

Rule #3: Be Transparent

It’s a pretty simple rule to follow.

• You will communicate fully and openly with the members of your league.
• Be sure that the league knows ahead of time about any official moves or decisions you’re planning.

You do that, and you can’t be accused of being shady, right? Wrong. Actually, you can. Nothing can stop someone from wrongly accusing you of doing something unfair.

However, if you endeavor to deliberately make it a point to fully and honestly communicate with the members of your league, those false accusations will likely have little effect.

Fantasy Commissioner – Put it in Writing

Remember Rule #1? That’s the very first step in transparency.

Rule #1 calls for you to make sure all additional rules (outside the confines of your chosen platform) are in writing.

When a particular issue comes up, the league knows exactly what you’re going to do because you told them ahead of time. When you have to enforce a specific rule, you follow it to the letter.

You won’t drop any surprise spur-of-the-moment decisions on your league. This is a common complaint by fantasy players – that their commissioner created and applied a new rule that didn’t exist the day before.

Don’t fall prey to making exceptions for anyone in your league. This can cause problems if other league members find out. You want to avoid taking any actions that can be seen as biased or self-serving.

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League Emails

All league correspondence should be cc’ed for all to see. At the head of every official email I send to my league I write:Fantasy Commissioner – 

“The following has been sent to all league members:”

This protects you from claims that someone didn’t get your email. All can see that the whole league got the message.

The same applies when dealing with a dispute between league members. If you are trying to mediate via email. You want to make sure you cc the parties involved.

Again, this can protect you from unfair accusations of favoritism.

Blurred Lines

You’re not just the commissioner, you’re also a league member.

The email you send to the league should distinctly reflect each role. Be wary of sending email that mix informal communications with official league business. 

Social banter like trash-talking and sharing stories about your cat doing your draft should be reserved for your league message board.

Set a High Bar

If you’re just starting out as commissioner with a new or young league, you may want to set a high level of expectations. Keep a greater sense of decorum with your language and your actions.

The longer you and your league mates play together, the more freedom you’ll have. Your familiarity with each other will lessen your sense of formality. Your official communications will  evolve to reflect that. 

Even if you start out playing with close family and friends, you may still need time to let interpersonal dynamics play out.

Competition (especially for money) can bring out sides in people you never knew existed.

Be the Example

Ultimately, commissioners have to decide what works best for them. Every fantasy league is different, made up of an almost limitless combination of personalities and sensibilities. 

If you’re operating with the best intentions, it will show in the things you do. Normally, most league members will have no problem recognizing this and will reciprocate with respectable behavior themselves.

Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all the latest DFS news and analysis and all your Fantasy Football coverage leading up to the start of the NFL season!