| 20 November 2009
The fantasy season is winding down. Unfortunately, there's only three weeks left before playoffs start for most leagues. Now's the time where every matchup is critical and everyone needs to make the perfect lineup configurations. That's great and all, but there's some more important things that commissioners have to do then to worry all about their teams and the playoffs coming up. You need to make sure that the losers of the league still feel apart of the league during the playoff season.
There's nothing worse then not making the playoffs. Your season is cut short and you don't get a shot at the money and more importantly the championship. Some people, if they're not fantasy junkies like us, may feel that the season was a waste and their money went down the drain. You need to make sure they don't feel that way and that their season was fulfilling, just doesn't have the same upside as others. Make sure to put in place some sort of loser's bracket tournament that actually means something. I don't care if you give them a toilet paper roll with their name on it if they win, but make them want to play the final three weeks. Get a trophy, get a prize, give them a better draft pick; I don't care, just do it. The satisfaction they receive from the gesture will be worth it to them and worth it to you in the future.
It's worth it to you for a couple reasons. You know that you were still a great commissioner during the playoff season when all you basically care about is your team winning. Those teams will be satisfied and it will pay off in the future. Next year when the league rolls around they'll want to join the league again, be excited to do so, and be ready to try their best even more. I know everyone has been in leagues or is in one where there are a few people who just don't seem like they know what they're doing. Maybe it's their first year or maybe they just haven't gotten the correct advice. People dropping from your league is the worst thing. It's always nice to maintain the same teams and to build a perpetual league no matter if you do keeper or fresh draft every year. The simple things go along way, even in fantasy football.
