It's officially draft month! Dynasty rookie and home league drafts are swiftly approaching, keeping the football fever alive year-round. Imagine, it's the day of the draft, and the Raiders decide they're just not going to participate this year and would prefer to auto-draft. On one hand, it wouldn’t be as crazy as drafting JaMarcus Russell. On the other, they might actually end up with a decent draft. This leads us into the delicate topic of kicking people out of your fantasy football leagues. This is important to help maintain the integrity of your league, you can't afford to have inactive members.
We've all experienced the frustration of someone bailing at the last minute because their in-laws are having a BBQ, opting for auto-draft, and then placing high in the league, despite it being planned months in advance. Little girls dream about their weddings; men dream about draft day. Your attendance is not just expected; it's essential. A major pet peeve for commissioners is league members who don't treat draft day with the seriousness it deserves. As we watch the auto draft make its selection, we also know this is the same guy who is going to forget to set his lineup and probably wont pay his league fees. Guys like this need to be removed from the league as fast as possible.
Here are my six strategic approaches to removing someone from your league while preserving its integrity:
-
Vote, let the league decide, blame it on democracy, you would really like to keep them in the league but they have been voted out. There is nothing you can do.
-
Group Call, more confrontational, but helps create a United front. “Hey we all agree, you missed the draft we all would have kicked you out that second if we could have found someone. End if with, its not you, its us. Even remind them that its an election year.
-
Performance Review, I looked at the numbers you just aren’t performing. Recommend a best ball league to them. Tell them to head over to UnderDog and use promocode: Dudes and they will be matched up to $100. They wont have to set a lineup. Its perfect for them. They will win money on Sports, and they can draft remotely.
-
Ask his wife if he’s spending too much time on his phone. If the answer is yes, just brag about how he is always on the ball adding and dropping players. That is amazing how he gets anything done with how involved he is in the group text and waiver transactions. She already convinced him to miss the draft, she can probably convivence/force him to leave the league too. This is diabolical but might just force him to take a season off.
-
League Rules: Just as our Founding Fathers established the nation with the Declaration of Independence, your league should also have a set of bylaws/rules. These rules could include obligations such as attending the draft, setting your lineup, and paying league dues. If a member violates a certain number of these rules, they may be removed from the league. Having a signed contract to fall back on always simplifies matters.
-
Text Message: Opting for the "rip the band-aid off" approach, this method is less personal but direct and efficient. While your grandfather might view it as the coward's way out, it can save you time and be equally effective. End the message with “its not you, its me.”
I hope this helps you navigate through this awkward situation smoothly and without discomfort. If you found this useful, make sure to tune into our weekly Fantasy Football podcast. We recently covered the rookie quarterback class, now available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. At the end of the show Trent breaks down the best things from the 2000s.
