League Rules – NOW is the Time for Change

Super Bowl LIX crowned the Eagles as champions. The NFL season has concluded and fantasy football is over until next season. League rule changes will wait until August.

Not so fast.

For many, fantasy football hibernation began Monday—if not sooner. In redraft leagues, General Managers and Commissioners will disappear for months before any mention of the new season. Conversations cease, notifications on apps are silenced, and performances are forgotten. For dynasty, however, the new season has already commenced. An integral priority for dynasty leagues is review of league rules and the presentation of proposals for potential changes.

Known Rules Help Support Strategy

Astute GMs are anxiously following the NFL calendar. This includes Combine, free agency, the Draft and the May schedule release. Each stop potentially triggers trade offers as GMs posture for the league’s rookie draft. As dynasty enthusiasts are weighing their options, knowledge of the league’s parameters is imperative. Formulating a strategy for the rookie draft, and the upcoming season, is already a feat for GMs who endeavor for success. These are the proactive measures GMs implement to cultivate a winning roster. Strategy is almost impossible if GMs are unaware of how the league regulatory foundation may shift below their feet.

Imagine a GM in a super-flex league trading significant draft capital for a QB to shore up the stable of signal-callers. Subsequent the trade, the league votes to switch to 1QB. The GM may recover by moving a QB and conducting additional transactions. This is reactive rather than proactive – not ideal.

This is why the time for league rule proposals, and voting, is NOW.

Leagues that strive to provide franchises with a stable and controlled environment tend to promote fairness, encourage participation and cultivate trust. This sets the stage for less drama and even less turn-over. Developing and/or maintaining a process for rule changes early in the year helps ensure minimal disruption to GMs’ analyses and strategies for the upcoming year.

Many leagues have methods for addressing rule changes. Ideally, rules themselves incorporate these methods. There are myriad approaches, however, most afford GMs input how the league is governed. One process for league rule changes may include five steps: Preliminary proposal, preliminary discussion, formal proposal, formal discussion and formal vote.

Five Phases for Rules Changes

Preliminary proposal: This is the stage when GMs (or the Commissioner) present their rules concerns or desires to the league. These may be generic or they may have some specificity. The goal is not to present entire terms of the proposal.

Preliminary discussion: GMs should thoroughly discuss and debate the merits and parameters of the preliminary proposal in this stage. This is the time for negotiations and compromises. This discussion will shape the formal proposal. Preferably, the Commissioner will facilitate, mediate and document this discussion.

Formal proposal: The preliminary proposal and preliminary discussion develop the formal proposal. In this stage, the Commissioner should prepare the formal proposal based on the documentation of the preliminary discussion. The formal proposal will explicitly state the proposed rule change(s) and should, if possible, provide reference to the section(s) to be impacted. Once prepared, the formal proposal will be presented to the league.

Formal discussion: In this stage, proposals are not altered. The Commissioner will provide guidance on the proposal’s impact on the league—including the options available for voting. Discussions focus on questions about ramifications of the proposal, announcing and debating support or opposition for the proposal, and attempting to sway other GMs.

Formal Vote: GMs will cast their votes on the proposal as directed by the proposal and the Commissioner.

It is crucial for Commissioners to fully document all “formal” steps. This will mitigate risk of future debates regarding changes, support your oversight of the league, and provide guidance when updating the league constitution.

Rule Concerns Throughout Season

Most proposals for rule changes do not materialize out of mid-air. At some point during the prior season, one or more GMs have alluded to a desire, or need, for an adjustment to the bylaws. As these arise, discussions ensue that may prompt the Commissioner to document a potential proposal for the off-season. While this is not necessary for the league to have a successful offseason rule change process, presenting these as preliminary proposals will help stimulate recollection of issues faced the previous season and encourage preliminary discussion. This will help avoid that annual complaint about the same topic year after year because the league did not address the problem.

There is no greater contributing factor to the success of a league than a well-devised, oft-reviewed and franchise-involved set of league rules. GMs enjoy a stress-free environment empowered to focus on success rather than uncertainty. This is especially important in dynasty…

…because there is no hibernation in dynasty.