We can all be nostalgic about our fantasy football leagues. Often we play in leagues with our friends, family, or colleagues. This creates a sense of comradery and builds relationships or creates friendly competitive spirit. Often people join leagues for several years and feel obligated to stay in them. Sometimes money is won or lost but usually everyone has a good time. However, what do you do if you find yourself in a league that is no longer enjoyable? For example, the competition is no longer friendly or the commissioner frequently changes the rules. Whatever your reasoning is, you start to think that it is time to leave your fantasy football league and play in a new one. I was faced with that decision recently and I really struggled with it.
In 2009, I helped start our local Fantasy Football Keeper league. It was a 10 team, standard auction league with a $200 budget. All of the participants were local and we were all friends. The league was created for us to have a reason to keep in touch and to get together at least once a year to draft. Frequently, there was friendly trash talking among members in the league. However, as time went on people moved away, new people joined and we changed commissioners. The commissioner change was the beginning of the end to my enjoyment with the league. This new commissioner frequently changed the rules and was very divisive. My enjoyment waned and for the first time I considered leaving the league. However, I was an original member of the league so I stayed. But recently I started thinking that it was time to look for another league to join, which made me think about writing this blog. The thought of leaving the league and potentially no longer being able to control the fate of my keepers and team was a hard thing to accept.
With that being said, I think that there are several reasons why someone should leave a league. First, if the commissioner frequently changes the rules. Secondly, if there is too much bickering between the participants. Thirdly, you may want to play in a different style of league, for example you no longer want to play in a standard league and instead you are interested in a PPR league. These issues and many others reduce the enjoyment of leagues and enjoyment and fun is what Fantasy Football is all about. Ultimately, most people play because they enjoy it and if any league is no longer fun it is time to go.
I decided to leave the league in part because it was no longer enjoyable for me and in part because another member of the league decided to create a new keeper league without the commissioner.
Are there leagues that you have left, if so why did you leave?