What questions do you ask as commissioner of a new league?

[UnsafeAtAnySpd]

As a guy that applied, I'm definitely excited about the prospect of everyone being quality and active owners.

[heyfeefellskee]

I just had a guy that had applied back out.

In his application, I saw that he had never done dynasty before. I told him I would be all in for this to be his first league, but I had concern that it would be too much for a first-timer. I sent him the bylaws and asked him to really consider if it's something that he was prepared to take on. He took 2 days, and realized that he didn't want to.

At the end of the day, he left without having ever actually been in the league, us both being transparent with each other, and nobody being upset or having their feelings hurt. He has the freedom of not being committed to a league just because he gave me his email, and I don't have to fill an empty spot. It was a good experience.

[Coogan Football]

I just had a guy that had applied back out.

In his application, I saw that he had never done dynasty before. I told him I would be all in for this to be his first league, but I had concern that it would be too much for a first-timer. I sent him the bylaws and asked him to really consider if it's something that he was prepared to take on. He took 2 days, and realized that he didn't want to.

At the end of the day, he left without having ever actually been in the league, us both being transparent with each other, and nobody being upset or having their feelings hurt. He has the freedom of not being committed to a league just because he gave me his email, and I don't have to fill an empty spot. It was a good experience.

That's why it's always a good idea to NOT rush into things like this.

[heyfeefellskee]

I just had a guy that had applied back out.

In his application, I saw that he had never done dynasty before. I told him I would be all in for this to be his first league, but I had concern that it would be too much for a first-timer. I sent him the bylaws and asked him to really consider if it's something that he was prepared to take on. He took 2 days, and realized that he didn't want to.

At the end of the day, he left without having ever actually been in the league, us both being transparent with each other, and nobody being upset or having their feelings hurt. He has the freedom of not being committed to a league just because he gave me his email, and I don't have to fill an empty spot. It was a good experience.

That's why it's always a good idea to NOT rush into things like this.

Another perk: by having an application, you have an opportunity to see how often a guy might actually be logging in. I had a guy express interest on reddit; I asked him if he was applying, and he said yes. That was Friday. His app came in early today. I'm able to ask him directly if he would be able to commit to logging in multiple times a day. If his response is something that takes more than a few hours, then to me that's an indication that he might *not* be able to commit to that sort of demand.

It's a good screening process.

[Stevens61310]

I have never run a dynasty league so i don't how "easy" or "hard" running one is. That being said I don't know that I would qualify for some of the leagues mentioned here.
But I do feel that I am very active. But I do have periods of inactivity (between the Superbowl and the combines for instance--I am almost guaranteed not to be on). I don't think that I necessarily believe that you have to have a specific number of trades you have to propose in a week--or even in a season. If your team is fairly set for a season--what's the point? But I do respond to most trade offers in a reasonable time frame. I work the waiver wire tirelessly. I do in fact have a league where I am recognized for that very thing. I have legitimate lineups each and every week. And i visit the league home page every day during the preseason, the season, the playoffs, the combine, start of free agency, draft, my own drafts --usually about June 1st.

I am currently in 8 dynasty leagues and another dozen that can't be classified as dynasty. I run my own family and friends redraft league--and that can be trying in and of itself. The very first 6 or 7 leagues folded after the very first season--even though some claimed to have been around for 20 years. So early on in my dynasty league life I got the impression there was no such thing as a "dynasty" league.

I do find this thread intriguing simply because one of those dynasty leagues I am in has has both the LM and CO-LM leave the league in the same day. Which is kind of disturbing. But I am thinking about taking over this league. So keep the opinions going--

[jordanzs]

Knowing what I know now (and using myself as a case example), I would ask someone how many leagues they're in, and if they're in too many, I would look for owners who are in less leagues. I've seen lots of owners hit the "league'd out" wall & scale back on leagues. Good owners, sometimes even the current league champs. At the end of the 2015 season, I was in 9 dynasty leagues, 3 redrafters, and a total points league. I felt burnt out & annoyed with fantasy football by the end of the season, and I need to drop a few. Luckily 1 of my redrafters is folding. And the 2 dynasty leagues that I'm most likely leaving, my teams are solid. Well ahead of the "startup draft curve" which is how I like to judge teams. I compare them with ADP from startups to see if I could draft a better or worse team if I was starting from scratch. But I need to leave them in order to make my remaining leagues more fun.

Don't overlook the "league'd out" factor!

[Coogan Football]

Knowing what I know now (and using myself as a case example), I would ask someone how many leagues they're in, and if they're in too many, I would look for owners who are in less leagues.
Don't overlook the "league'd out" factor!

I agree, that's one of the first things I ask a perspective new owner

[heyfeefellskee]

Update: the 32-team league is full.

Here's the details of this experiment:
-I posted this league on several leading dynasty sites, including this one, DFW, /r/DynastyFF, Under the Helmet, and Dynasty Nerds.
-I also tweeted this league several times.

At the end of the process, here's where I'm at
-i have 35 people actually submit an application for the league.
-3 others submitted an application through emailing me directly (they were unable for whatever reason to access the Google form)
-several other inquires, either through direct message or comment.

Of those that actually applied,
-15 were from DLF
-6 were from reddit
-4 were from twitter
-4 were referrals

Not everyone that applied got a spot, but all in all, I believe the application gave me further insight into each owner, and enabled me to make decisions that would help strengthen the build of the league.