Dez Bryant was too emotional to do it after the Cowboys lost to the Packers. Sometimes coaches can't bring themselves to do it, but that's pretty rare. Politicians almost have to do it, although sometimes they can't quite get there, either. It's tough, but it has to be done -- even in your fantasy league.
You need to congratulate the winner.
Every league starts out with eight, ten, 12, 14 or more teams, but just one can claim the title of champion. You can work hard at building a team, preparing for a draft or auction, working the waiver wire, fielding trade offers and making tough lineup decisions. But in many cases, it's someone else who gets rewarded with a trophy, a few dollars and a lot of bragging rights.
Maybe it was a fluke play that denied you a title. Maybe it was an untimely injury that cost you a playoff spot, or maybe you were out of it halfway through the season. Sometimes the strategy doesn't work out, or bad luck takes a bite out of your lineup or the stars simply align for someone else. But whether you finished 12-2 and lost in the first round of the playoffs, or ended up 3-11 and ran out the clock on a tough year, you need to acknowledge your league's champion.
I know people realize it's the classy thing to do, but I think it's more than that. It's almost an obligation, and one that reflects poorly on you if you skip it. Your league's champ is probably one of the good owners, the ones who stay active, put effort into their team and really try to win. They're the reason the league is fun. If everyone was an apathetic owner who didn't care or try, you'd probably drop out and spend your time elsewhere. The reason you spent energy trying to win is because of solid owners like the one who came out on top. You should take a moment and acknowledge their victory.
And let's be clear about what "acknowledge" means in late 2013. It doesn't mean typing a quick "congrats" on the league website. It doesn't mean tweeting or texting. If you actually know the person in real life, make a phone call. That means actually speaking to them with your voice. Congratulate them, talk about the season a little bit, let them tell you how nervous they were or how lucky they got with a certain player or how awesome it is to finally win a championship. A long time ago, fantasy owners used to talk about fantasy football together. Do that for a couple of minutes. And if you don't really know them (maybe they're just a faceless Internet team) send them a private e-mail and congratulate them on their victory. Use real sentences, don't limit yourself to 140 characters and let them know their title was recognized.
There are several reasons why you'd want to do this, but let me rattle off just a few: Winning a league is an accomplishment, and you should recognize it. You'd want them to recognize you when you win. Communicating with your league mates is good for the league. It only takes a few minutes and provides a bit of closure on the last few months of fun. Not doing it makes you look like a sore loser, a bitter loser or just a loser in general. Professional football players do it. Pee Wee football players do it. Even hockey players line up and do it during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
How about one more: Most of your league mates won't do it. You'll stand out as someone who took a little time to acknowledge a victory. That's reason enough, but could that help you next year when you're trying to get a trade done? Might that person remember who took the time to say congratulations, and could that be the reason you get the player you want instead of another owner who ignored them? Maybe. I know this: It definitely won't hurt.
Lastly, if you're the league champ this year, I offer my congratulations. But please, don't be a jerk about it. The time for trash-talking is over. You won; that's better than any witty brag you can create in your head. And if someone takes the time to offer real congratulations, be humble about it and take note. The owner who takes a moment to do that is also a good owner, and the kind of person who makes winning the league worthwhile. Plenty of folks will ignore you or offer some half-sentence that might be construed as a positive message. Remember the ones who did a little more. They deserve your respect just as much as you deserve their congratulations.
Any particularly sore winners or gracious losers in your league? How do you handle winning or losing. Share your thoughts below.