There’s a reason everyone boos Roger Goodell every time he steps up to a mic. As commissioner, he’s guaranteed to make decisions that some people will hate. Make enough decisions over enough time, and everyone will find a reason to resent you.
The same goes for your league’s commissioner. But don’t boo them. Try to be supportive instead.
Saying that being a commissioner is a thankless job is literally accurate in most cases. How often does a fantasy player (or an entire league) actually thank their commissioner for the work they do? Over time, most folks would say their job has gotten easier. After all, doesn’t the website do everything?
Well, yes and no. The website does put into motion whatever the league decides to make the format, and executes whatever input it gets from the human in charge. But, as they say, garbage in/garbage out (GIGO). If the desired rules aren’t perfectly expressed in the league options, or if something is overlooked, the end result will be imperfect. And somebody will inevitably be affected by it, and get angry. And at that point, are they going to blame the uncaring website, or a human being?
Blaming the commish for a league-wide failure, or a website they don’t control, is unfair. Pointing to everything you don’t like about the league to the one person who cares enough to help make it run smoothly is short-sighted. And there’s a good chance that the league will have more reasons to complain than usual.
A longer NFL season means potential changes to your league. Maybe a longer fantasy season, or maybe more teams in the playoffs. Maybe some COVID-related rules that include IR spots or a bigger bench. You might find that the league settings, for whatever reason, don’t match what everyone agreed to implement this year. And the commissioner will have to decide how to handle it.
But even if all that gets worked out, issues during the season can cause more dilemmas. Games might get rescheduled, or forfeited. Suppose a virus outbreak occurs that affects a Monday night game, after the other games have been played? Suppose bye weeks are switched with little notice, or a player in a rescheduled game is a late scratch? What if something else happens that we aren’t considering before the season starts?
While we’d like to believe that every single contingency is covered in the league rules, commissioners often have to make judgment calls. And like in the real world, whatever decisions they make will please some folks and anger others. They might not get much praise when a decision is popular, but you’d better believe they’ll hear plenty when it’s unpopular.
As we get ready for the regular season, I’d just like to remind everyone to cut the commissioner some slack during the season. In addition to everything I mentioned, they have their own teams to consider, and their own draft or auction strategies to prepare. And while your commissioner likely does their job happily and enjoys helping run the league, it would probably boost their morale if they know that other players appreciate their efforts and won’t consider every decision a personal attack or nefarious plot to ruin another fantasy team.
Yes, there are commissioners who will use their power to take advantage of situations or mishandle their role. But the odds are very slim that your league has one of them. The vast majority of them (and almost all who run established leagues) do their very best to make the experience as fun, and as fair, as possible.
This season doesn’t appear to be quite as restrictive as last year, but things can change quickly. If that happens, your commissioner will do what they can to make sure your league isn’t affected. So when challenges come up, please don’t contribute to the negativity and the noise. And if you’re the commissioner, hats off to you. Most of your league really does appreciate the work you do, even if you don’t hear it as often as you should. Good luck this season.
Commissioners, has this season posed any special challenges? Is your league supportive of your decisions generally? And non-commissioners, do you trust your commissioner to do the right thing? Has the league encountered drama as a result of a decision that wasn’t popular? Share your thoughts below.