6/5/10
Everything from seemingly harmless trash-talk to underhanded
collusion can cause hard feelings among owners… and even
divide an entire league. Whether you’ve been the accused,
the betrayed, or just an innocent bystander wondering which side
to take, this column is for you. E-mail
the Devil's Advocate with a description of the controversy
brewing in your league (or a potentially unpopular move you’re
about to make), and I’ll give one of those emails an outsider’s
viewpoint in a future column. Maybe you’re right, maybe
you’re wrong; there are always two sides to a controversy.
Both sides will be explored in hopes of finding some middle ground
that helps you, and that any league can use to bolster its rules
and maintain that rogue ownership that makes fantasy sports all
the more entertaining.
Who Owns Your Team?
Ah, what better way to start laying the foundation for fantasy
ethics than with this apparently simple question: Who owns your
team?
Ask this to most people and you’ll get an odd look, mainly
because they’ve never even questioned it; ask this to the
wrong person and you may get a broken jaw. You own your team,
of course! But there is much more to it than just that. The following
debate was sent by a FFtoday reader:
“A huge controversy in our league lasted
for [a few] years before we finally decided what to do. The basic
argument was…do owners actually own their teams like real
owners in the NFL? Do the owners of fantasy teams have the same
rights as owners in the NFL? Our league has been around now for
[close to 20] years with the same original owners. And the question
was raised, Can I sell my team like an NFL Owner? Like in the
NFL an owner sells his team and then the League approves it with
a vote. Some owners thought you cannot sell a team and if an owner
wants out it's up to the remaining owners to find a new one without
the previous owner having any say or compensation for his team.”
The Guardian Angel
As soon as you’ve been invited into a league, you’ve
been invited to make an investment into that league’s welfare.
Without the league, there is no team for you to own. You should
try to manage your team civilly and smartly, forming good trade
relationships with fellow owners. Making trades that help both
sides sets an example and shows other owners that working on a
deal with you is a worthy endeavor. If you’re going to leave,
leave with dignity. You paid to play, and you made what profit
you could while the team was still yours. Give your team back
to the league, and leave it as you built it for the next owner
to remodel as they see fit.
The Fallen Angel
As soon as you become part of the league, you invest time and
likely money into it. Without its investors, a league does not
exist. You should manage your team to get the most you can from
it, making deals that help your franchise now and in the future.
Making a lopsided trade in your favor can help you immediately;
making one in another’s favor can help you down the road.
If you’re going to leave, you have the right to collect
all that you’ve invested. You paid to play, so make as much
profit as you can before someone else takes over. Sell your team
for what it’s worth, and leave the next owner to rebuild
as they see fit.
Here on Earth…
You invest time, effort, heart, and often a bundle of cash into
your team. You should be able to manage it as you wish. However,
the league exists outside of its individual ownership. It’s
bigger than each owner, and therefore has a right to maintain
itself, no matter who leaves or stays. The league has allowed
you to take part; you should at least pretend to respect it and
each of its owners. By principle: you own your team; the league
owns your team’s slot. Yes, your team is your investment,
and what you have invested is yours. But remember that your fellow
owners have collectively invested more time and money than you
ever will—unless you’re mentally unstable, that is.
Some of the better leagues are laissez-faire; the league
exists merely as a structure and the teams are free to deal as
they please within that structure. The big problem occurs not
when an owner sells his entire team; anyone’s team is worth
what it’s worth and should be allowed to sell for that price.
Issues arise when an owner sells his team piecemeal, knowing that
he no longer has an investment in its future. For one, this can
give owners with more disposable income a clear advantage. Taking
a more malevolent course, it can become collusion when the owner
leaving gives his best buddy his best players…or sets up
his biggest rival by loading up a team in their division. Most
detrimentally, though, it can leave the incoming owner of that
gutted team nothing to work with.
As an owner about to leave, tell the league your intentions, as
soon as you’re sure, so they can determine whether to freeze
your roster—or at least be able to call you out if you make
a sketchy trade. Even the most level-headed of us lose perspective
when the future of their team is no longer theirs. With your future
investment negligible, the league has every right to play the
part of your conscience. You should still be allowed to sell your
team as-is to the highest bidder. And you should fight for that
right. But restrain yourself from corrupting the team for your
own gain. Once you make the decision to leave, the team’s
future no longer belongs to you, though what you have already
invested remains yours until you relinquish it.
If the reason you’re leaving is because you have problems
with the league, you may want to play your cards closer to the
vest—maybe you’ve got a nagging feeling that the league
won’t do the right thing by you. At some point you’ll
still have to tell the commish your intentions to sell—after
all, you don’t want to screw the guy you’re selling
to. It’s your responsibility to make sure it flies with
the league before taking payment. There may be a waiting list
to get into the league, or other logical considerations that are
beyond your knowledge. And the league does have a right to say
who enters…or who gets the boot.
Because of that, be sure to champion your buyer to the league
as someone who knows his stuff and is excited to be a part of
it all—so much so he’s willing to invest up front.
If the owners don’t want someone that willing to spend,
or they won’t allow you the chance to recoup your losses…well,
you did good to get out of there having invested no more—and
you probably don’t want to put an acquaintance in that same
sad situation. Cut your losses, move on, and find a better league.
Shouldn’t be hard.
To quell any lingering curiosity: the league of the reader who
presented this debate went with a sensible and fair solution.
They allowed an owner the option to sell their team, but the buyer
had to pass through a league vote to get in. This protects both
the investment of each owner and the integrity of the league.
I don’t see much down-side here. After all, if a potential
owner is willing to pay extra to be in your league, you probably
want them there. If a potential owner gets voted away, there’s
likely (well, hopefully) a good reason for that.
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