by Erik M. Dell

Created on: July 13, 2010

There are tons of things you can do by yourself but playing fantasy football is not one of them.  A fun season is usually marked with great chats about your teams and even a little trash talk to liven things up.  You can laugh, you can cry, you can make fun of that guy who keeps on drafting LT in hopes he’ll return to form.  Let’s face it fantasy football is as fun as you and your league mates make it, being in a great league is hard to beat and having a good time is essential to get folks to want to play in your league next year.

Being part of a league is one thing while organizing and running a league is something completely different.  There are a few simple rules you’ll need to spell out and adhere to entice players to join your league and then staying there for next season.  Proclaiming yourself commissioner is easy to do because pretty much any person can start their own league.  Attracting quality players is another story all together.  Follow these rules and you’ll be enjoying the same league mates for years to come.

1) Be Fair – If anyone gets so much as a whiff that things are not fair they will bolt and never look back.  That being said you should be upfront about rules right away instead of letting people “discover” them as the season progresses.  Another good move is to start your league on a well known site such as Yahoo or ESPN.  Remember the more legit you look the better people feel about competing with you.

2) Communicate – Not only should you spell out the rules but you should keep an open door policy for emails and questions.  By being accessible you are reiterating your commitment to fairness and ensuring everyone is treated equally.

3) Manage Money – OK the bottom line is this:  fantasy football is legalized gambling.  You may operate a free league and that’s wonderful but the majority of leagues are money leagues and office pools.  There is no greater way to piss people off or offend them if they don’t know where their money is.  Keep the dough stashed in a safe neutral location if possible, heck you can even open a bank account for safe keeping.  Winners are to be paid immediately after the last playoff game, show your good sportsmanship and present the prize with gratitude.

4) Mediation – This one word encompasses a lot of stuff

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