Appoint a Commissioner - Starting a Fantasy Football League (Part 4)

In Part 3 of this article series we discussed how to recruit responsible fantasy football owners for your fantasy football league. In this article we'll provide guidelines for choosing a fantasy football commissioner. All owners in a fantasy football league should have a hand in how the league operates, but one individual needs the authorization to rule at the highest-level throughout the fantasy season.

Role of League Commissioner

Every fantasy football league needs a commissioner to handle the day-to-day operation of the league. Specific responsibilities vary from league to league, but the commissioner is generally responsible for:

• Administering the league website
  
  • Initializing Teams
  • Setting up League Rules
  • Document the League Constitution
• Ruling on league disputes that may arise using the League Constitution as a guide.
  
  • Oversee league votes for rule changes
  • Oversee trade vetos
• Sometimes acting as the swing vote during league rule enactments.

The role of the commissioner is critical to the success of your league, so the person filling this role should be responsible and well-versed in the specifics of fantasy football. Below are some options for choosing a league commissioner:

Self-Imposed Rule

If you start your own fantasy football league, then it may make sense for you to act as your own commissioner each and every year. I have run a league since 2002 and no one knows the league better than me. Hence, it is much easier for me to run the league myself than it is for someone else to take the reigns. If you have the time, it could be advantageous to simply be the "all-time commissioner". Assuming you run a fair and even-handed league, no one should object.

Commissioner Rotation

If your league was started as a group with some other owners, it may be a good idea to rotate commissioner duties. By rotating commissioners, each owner gets a taste of the responsibility and will subsequently becomes more familiar with league operation. This system also allows each owner some time off after they have served their time as commissioner. Some owners have no interest in being a commissioner (or aren’t qualified for the position) and that is ok; if you can get a rotation of 4 to 5 owners to assume this role then that should be sufficient.

Assistant Commissioner

Even the most responsible commissioner in the world has a life outside the world of fantasy football. Because of this, it’s advantageous to appoint one league member as the assistant commissioner each year. The assistant commissioner would take over commissioner duties should the primary commissioner be unavailable for some reason. For instance, on NFL game day some owner may not have access to a computer and may need the commissioner to make a roster change for him before the noon games begin. If the primary commissioner is not available, the backup commissioner could be contacted to make the necessary change. The creation of an assistant commissioner is a simple way to make your league more sound and enjoyable for everyone.