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Friday, Feb. 9, 4:00 PM ET
So You Want Your
Own ?.F.L.
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Nothing beats PFL Sundays at Bru's Room
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Each year, as I plan the itinerary for
Nationals Weekend, I've included on the Saturday morning that the games
commence, a presentation on starting your own league. Guys would be excited
and looking forward to the presentation only to have the shceulded alter
for time constraints. Usually it is because we are all up balling until
4:00 or 5:00 AM and no one can get to the arena by 8:00 AM to hear The
Swammi talk about a league, not to mention having to be there by 9:00
AM for the start of the round robins.
Frequently throughout the year I receive
emails asking for advice on starting a league. And there too, I make promises
of sending info, or placing an article at to offer insight
and ideas. Well finally that time has arrived. I have finally taken the
time to share with some aspiring commissioners or league organizers what
I think are the keys to establishing and maintaining a good Madden league.
Feel free to use any of these suggestions and incorporate them into your
plans to fit the needs of your group.
League Philosophy
& Purpose
Every league should clearly define their purpose, and their philosophy.
Ours here in the PFL is "To
establish a forum by which its members may gather and enjoy friendly,
but competitive, competition of electronic video football."
When Deputy Commissioner of the PFL, Tony Womack wrote this statement,
he embodied the essence of what a league is designed to stand for. Notice
several key words.....ENJOY, FRIENDLY and COMPETITIVE. These words are
the foundation of what the PFL is all about. We have fun being very competitive
with each one of our friends in this great game of football simulation.
Every league should have some type of foundation that it rest upon. This
is ours. Although we all want to win, we don't want to do it if it will
jeopardize a friendship, or if will not allow us to as a league to enjoy
playing the game. Everything else we do is built around that premise.
Great
Ballers Don't Always Mean Great League
Be careful that in an effort to build a strong league you only look for
ballers that have great skills on the sticks. While this is important,
great skills on the sticks don't always mean great skills in the area
of sportsmanship, communication, or contributions to the comradarie of
the league. One or two ballers not able to coexist in the same environment
can ruin the league. It almost happened in the PFL. Ballers must come
into the league with a RESPECT for the league, as well as the ballers
that are in it. RESPECT for the league means that there are just some
things you just won't do because you know it will be hazardous to the
well being of the organization. Sometimes it take a combination of well
skilled ballers, and ballers not so well skilled to keep the atmosphere
enjoyable.
An example of this could
be our Deputy Commissioner. While he has struggled over the course of
the past few seasons winning games, his leadership, vision and care for
the welfare of the league has helped to hold the PFL together. Without
him working by my side along with former commissioner Allen and several
others, the league would not be as strong as it is today.
Leadership
And The Leader
The biggest
factor in building the strong league is leadership. Whether you are president,
commissioner, or some other title, strong and IMPARTIAL leadership is
the key. I emphasize impartial because your ability to be impartial is
what will gain you the respect of the ballers in your league. If your
integrity is ever at question, this can erode at the foundation before
it is ever built. The leader must clearly appear to be interested in what
is in the best interest of the league. Not what is in the best interest
of his particular style of play, or what could help him win games. A good
case in point is the PFL debate over the use of custom plays. When I was
asked by one of our members, what I thought about custom plays, I soundly
spoke against the use of them. I thought they weakened our game, and weakened
our chance to improve our game for nationals. But after I heard several
other ballers speak so passionately about how they felt about using custom
plays, and what it meant for them, I said that I would not push the issue,
because this is something that as a majority, the PFL ballers felt strong
about. At that point, it is not important what the rest of nation is doing.
You have to go with the ballers in yourleague. And although I disagreed,
to me, it was in the best interest of the league not push this any further.
In addition, these ballers made excellent points on why we should continue
with custom plays, and there were a few of us (about 6) that disagreed.
But nevertheless, they were good points. And once I heard them speak with
so much passion about it, to me it was not worth splitting the league.
I use this as an example
because you too will be faced with some issue that the league will be
split on. How you handle it as a leader may determine the fate of your
league. This turned out to be a non issue since the PS2 version of the
game did not have a play editor. Imagine if we would have tore up the
league over this?
Democracy
Or Dictatorship
Just as it is important
to remain unbiased in all instances as the leader of your group, it is
equally as important for all members to feel that their voice can be heard,
and that they have a say in the day to day operations of the league. No
one likes to be under the rule of a dictator. Anytime this type of league
government is sensed, animosity will build. And it may not rear its ugly
head until years later. Thus it is imperative at the least that each person
feels that their voice can be heard, and they can make a change IF others
feel the same.
This does not mean that
any guy can up and cry for change for something when it does not work
to his advantage. However, it does mean that when the league as a whole
recognizes an issue that must be addressed, as the leader, you should
recognize that concern, and find a remedy to address it, even if you are
in disagreement with it. It is what the rest of the members are concerned
with that is important. Not just you. Remember that and you will make
a good commissioner.
This is where a rule
book, constitution or by-laws come in handy. This is the true foundation
on what the league should rest upon. Whenever there are issues that are
in question, the by-laws/handbook should answer them. If it doesn't, the
league should address the issue by either forming a committee to study
it and make a recommendation to the other members, or they may come together
and just have a simple vote. However that vote turns out is how the issue
should be resolved. Each member of the league must be willing to accept
the results for what they are, and not take their profile card and go
home, just because they have been out numbered on the vote. Ballers such
as these can hurt the league. That is not to say they should not feel
the way they do about a particular issue. But if they have philosophical
views that differ that much, it may be in the best interest of the league
if that baller finds a new home, or starts his own league.
Mr.
Know It All, Do It All
Don't fool
yourself into thinking that you are the only one in the league that can
get something done. One of the biggest mistakes a commissioner can make
is feeling he must do everything. He does the schedule, writes the rules,
records the stats, and does most of the task needed. This leaves the rest
of the league wanting to help, but with nothing to do. This is where the
power to delegate becomes your best friend. Establish committees, become
more of an overseer, rather than an over doer. To establish the rules,
establish a committee of reputable ballers and let them hash out the details.
Form a scheduling committee or a competition committee to hash out the
details of game play. Once all of this is done, have them present it to
the league for approval. Don't take all the responsibility on your shoulders.
Otherwise, you can't enjoy what you are putting together. And for as much
as you would like to think it is true....others other than you can do
the job you think you are the only one capable of doing. Spread the wealth!!
The
Steps To Build
For a new
commissioner wanting to start up a league I would suggest the following
steps:
- Find Ballers
that are interested - You can do this by hanging a flyer at your
nearest electronic boutique, Toys R Us, or wherever potential members
may purchase the game. Leave an e-mail address so people can contact
you. If someone is willing to go through the trouble of sending an e-mail,
chances are they are deeply interested in the game. Also, go to the
web and post up at forums
to indicate you are looking for ballers in your area. Someone may
see it that doesn't live in your area, but they may have know someone
who does and refer them to you. List your name in the Madden
Ballers Database so others can find you.
- Establish A
Competition Committee - Have a meeting with the potential league
members to announce what you plan to do. Allow them to meet one another
and let them know that you would like to have help setting the league
up. Scheduling a meeting is also a great indicator as to who will be
committed to the league. Talk with all potential members about game
strategies and philosophies. This will help you determine who is best
suited to assist in developing the league rules. Once the committee
is set, let them hash out the rules, with you as commissioner adding
input sparingly and only when needed. After the rules have been set,
e-mail them to all the members for review. Schedule a meeting before
the season starts to accept or change any policies, then you are ready
to go. Don't just adapt another leagues rules or style of play. Look
for your own identity. It maybe helpful to look at other leagues handbooks
for ideas, but make sure your league has it's own stamp on it. Make
sure that your league handbook is congruent with your league philosophies.
It will be the job of this committee to study the game each year when
the new edition is released to see what changes or adjustments need
to be made for solid league game play.
- Compile A Schedule
- At your first meeting, decide when you want to play. What day, time,
etc. From there, build a schedule for the league games. Let a committee
look it over to be sure you have been fair and consistent with the schedule.
At some point you may want to incorporate some type of formula that
keeps everyone's schedule balanced. Divide the teams into conferences/divisions
and set the times and locations of the games. When we only had 12 members
in The PFL, we would play at each persons house each week. Each ballers
would host the league for that game night. Refreshments were optional
(but strongly encouraged). It really gave us the chance to meet each
other, and really fellowship. If you don't have a warehouse or bar where
all the guys can meet, I would suggest this method. (You have to have
crafty skillz at handling the wife. "ill touch on that in another
subject) However, this would be difficult to accomplish with more than
12 guys. I would also suggest playing at least two games a night, and
having at least two televisions available.
- Develop An Ethics
Committee - Every now and then a particular issue or act may cause
controversy in the league. When this happens, the burden of solving
this should not rest squarely on the shoulders of the commissioner.
The concern should be forwarded to a committee of ballers that can review
the concern and make a suggestion to the league as to how it should
be handled. Then, the league may wish to act on the recommendation of
the committee, or drop the entire issue. Nevertheless, the leader, is
without accusations of making personal unbiased decisions against another
individual. A basic code of ethics should be written that describes
what is expected of each individual in the league, how they are expected
to conduct themselves at league functions.
- Promote Your
League -Every web site in the Madden Community works to promote
each other. In most cases, each one of us has a link to another Madden
site on our pages. Exposure helps build league pride and awareness.
Don't be afraid to discuss philosophical differences with other leagues
in the community. As long as it done constructively, it can make the
community stronger, and build a better and more competitive local league.
In
Closing
No league
is perfect or without faults. Even here in the PFL we have had our ups
and downs, so be prepared for them as a commissioner. What is important
is how you handle adversity in your league. Don't expect a utopia. There
will be growing pains. There will be conflicts, personal differences,
and much more. But if you apply some of the ideas mentioned above, in
most cases you will be able to ride the storm, and your league will be
healthy for years to come.
For
more specific questions on this topic e-mail The Swammi at:commish
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