Fantasy football commissioners tend to take their jobs quite seriously and are often quick to explain their role in the league to newcomers.
A fantasy football commissioner handles the finances of players, sets the rules for the season, and determines the fairness of trades.
Most of the time, the fantasy football commissioner is going to be doing this with help from the rest of the league. However, the commissioner has the final say.
Handling Finances
Fantasy football commissioners do a lot of work managing a league’s finances, but this is the job they don’t like the most.
Fantasy managers are responsible for contacting each player in the league and making sure they have paid their dues for the season. This can be especially frustrating when the season comes to an end and some fantasy managers refuse to pay.
It is crucial that each player has paid their dues by the end of the season. If this is not done, the commissioner must determine how to get money from the league taco to the champion.
Setting Up the Rules/Changing the Rules
Commissioners are also responsible for setting up the rules of the league and changing them between seasons.
If the league is just starting, then the basic rules, such as scoring, roster size, and bench spots, need to be determined at the start of the season.
Typically, these rules are set by the commissioner, but some leagues may decide to vote on how it should be set up.
Moreover, rule changes are often made between seasons in leagues such as dynasty.
The commissioner will usually set a date for league members to propose rules in the offseason.
The NFL makes its rule changes in a similar manner.
In the following year, the league will vote on whether to include these revised rules.
Vetoing Trades
In fantasy football, commissioners are also responsible for vetoing trades. Every year, teams are allowed to trade players between themselves.
On most occasions, these trades will be relatively equal in value. However, teams will sometimes make incredibly unequal trades due to collusion or a lack of knowledge of the game.
A team usually takes advantage of the other, or a player decides to help his friend instead of giving up.
By vetoing a trade, a commissioner can prevent it from being carried through leaving the players on their original rosters.
Depending on the commissioner’s discretion, some may veto trades. Others may use a league vote to determine whether the trade was fair.
However, it is up to the commissioner to stop these kinds of trades from being processed.
We have guides to OPP rank and PF in fantasy football that can help you learn more about the game.