Ethics: Vary League to League?

[VinAZ 0]

OK, so I'm in 3 fantasy leagues - 2 of them I'm the commish in, and 1 is my office league. I've always been a "by the book" commish, with well-documented rules and code-of-conduct in place so shady moves won't/can't happen. No lopsided deals, no league vetoes, no dumping, churning, etc.

 

My office league is a different story...they go by a "code" that would never wash in most $ leagues. They'll lobby to have other owners' trades vetoed; owners with $0 FAAB will have buddies pick up a player off waivers and immediately deal them...that kind of stuff.

 

I kind of blew it off until today...my team is now 10-1, and assured of a #1 seed. I worked out a deal to get Calvin Johnson in exchange for LeVeon Bell, Victor Cruz, Keenan Allen, and Greg Olsen. I intentionally overpaid...and still, it got vetoed (7 votes). The commish even came over to tell me that they had to kill it because allowing it would basically be "handing me the championship" (sorry, but any team can be beaten).

 

This week I'm matched up against the weakest of the teams contending for the playoffs. Normally, I wouldn't even consider it, but I'm leaning towards dumping my match to him and and push one of the other (stronger) contenders out. I know, bad karma...whatever...I'll take my chances. These guys play by different rules than I, and most posters on this board, are used to.

 

So my questions to you all are:

 

1. Would you dump your match if you were in my position?

2. Do you adjust your ethics from league-to-league, based on how your competitors play the game?

 

[AnaheimRams 28]

That's not an ethics issue... you work with queers.

[FakeFoozballIzFun 6]

Yeah...that's not a league I'd be playing in.

[uwmalcolm 73]

I wouldn't dump the match as you don't want to stoop to their level and, as you mentioned, it is bad karma. Then don't play in the league next year and give them the reasoning. Hopefully they'll switch up the rules and if they don't, fock em.

[tigeru 65]

Stoop to their level? Back of the application to work there.

[madd futher mucker 36]

Honestly......and this may sound a bit extreme, but i'd start looking for another job. This is not a place that i'd ever want to work at - these type of guys are the ones who will think nothing of stabbing you in the back and sabotaging your career for any small personal gain. Take it from one who has been there. Life is too short to deal with douches like that.....whether it is playing against them on your fantasy team or working with them in your job.

 

 

And the answer to your second question is NO. I never adjust (read - compromise) my ethics for anyone. I've been very successful by living my life by just ten words / 3 rules:

1. Do your best

2. Do what's right

3. Have a good attitude.

So don't dump your match. Do your best to win the league the right way and be done with that bunch. And good luck!

 

 

BTW, since I now own the business, I've replaced the whole office manual with these three rules. After professional competence, these are the three attributes I most look for in any personnel that gets hired here. If i see any evidence of any of these rules being violated, that person won't stick around very long. I also commish 3 leagues and play against many on this board. Those who play in leagues with me know I run my leagues and my teams the same way.

 

Also feel free to link all responses to your topic to your league message board. It might even open some eyes around that place.

[VinAZ 0]

Honestly......and this may sound a bit extreme, but i'd start looking for another job. This is not a place that i'd ever want to work at - these type of guys are the ones who will think nothing of stabbing you in the back and sabotaging your career for any small personal gain. Take it from one who has been there. Life is too short to deal with douches like that.....either playing against them on your fantasy team or working with them in your job.

 

 

And the answer to your second question is NO. I never adjust (read - compromise) my ethics for anyone. I've been very successful by living my life by just ten words / 3 rules:

1. Do your best

2. Do what's right

3. Have a good attitude.

 

BTW, since I now own the place, I've replaced the whole office manual with these three rules. After professional competence, these are the three attributes I most look for in any personnel that gets hired here. If i see any evidence of any of these rules being violated, that person won't stick around very long. I also commish 3 leagues and play against many on this board. Those who play in leagues with me know I run my leagues and my teams the same way.

 

I appreciate your response...well thought out, and actually pretty close to what I know is right. If I have to compete with a handicap, so be it...it'll make my eventual victory that much sweeter.

 

As for looking for a new job, not really an option. I'm in sales and have a well-defined territory, so there really is no ability/incentive for back-stabbing. I actually like these guys on a personal level...I just think some of them are a little less seasoned and don't understand the ethics behind fantasy.

[5Year1 23]

Since its an office league, with outside ramifications, I would not dump the match, but I would also after the season have a sit down( either one on one or with the others as a group) and tell them kindly that you will not play next year unless they clean things up. if they ask why, then it would appear they may be unaware of the ethics violations involved and then you can explain the problems in detail.

[slash 0]

Play your game.... as frustrating as it may be...... quit after the season....

[Filthy Fernadez 2,696]

Honestly......and this may sound a bit extreme, but i'd start looking for another job. This is not a place that i'd ever want to work at - these type of guys are the ones who will think nothing of stabbing you in the back and sabotaging your career for any small personal gain. Take it from one who has been there. Life is too short to deal with douches like that.....whether it is playing against them on your fantasy team or working with them in your job.

 

 

And the answer to your second question is NO. I never adjust (read - compromise) my ethics for anyone. I've been very successful by living my life by just ten words / 3 rules:

1. Do your best

2. Do what's right

3. Have a good attitude.

So don't dump your match. Do your best to win the league the right way and be done with that bunch. And good luck!

 

 

BTW, since I now own the business, I've replaced the whole office manual with these three rules. After professional competence, these are the three attributes I most look for in any personnel that gets hired here. If i see any evidence of any of these rules being violated, that person won't stick around very long. I also commish 3 leagues and play against many on this board. Those who play in leagues with me know I run my leagues and my teams the same way.

 

Also feel free to link all responses to your topic to your league message board. It might even open some eyes around that place.

 

Well put however, if the guy can work trades, coworkers get together to veto trades while at work, etc...........that's the job you want.

 

Just need better coworkers. I recommend planting drugs, p0rn or some other taboo stuff in their lockers. Get the dbags fired and get some FFToday people hired there.

[IGotWorms 3,317]

Honestly......and this may sound a bit extreme, but i'd start looking for another job. This is not a place that i'd ever want to work at - these type of guys are the ones who will think nothing of stabbing you in the back and sabotaging your career for any small personal gain. Take it from one who has been there. Life is too short to deal with douches like that.....whether it is playing against them on your fantasy team or working with them in your job.

 

 

And the answer to your second question is NO. I never adjust (read - compromise) my ethics for anyone. I've been very successful by living my life by just ten words / 3 rules:

1. Do your best

2. Do what's right

3. Have a good attitude.

So don't dump your match. Do your best to win the league the right way and be done with that bunch. And good luck!

 

 

BTW, since I now own the business, I've replaced the whole office manual with these three rules. After professional competence, these are the three attributes I most look for in any personnel that gets hired here. If i see any evidence of any of these rules being violated, that person won't stick around very long. I also commish 3 leagues and play against many on this board. Those who play in leagues with me know I run my leagues and my teams the same way.

 

Also feel free to link all responses to your topic to your league message board. It might even open some eyes around that place.

I'd like to see the workplace fantasy league cited in a letter of resignation

[skinsrule05 30]

As for looking for a new job, not really an option. I'm in sales and have a well-defined territory, so there really is no ability/incentive for back-stabbing. I actually like these guys on a personal level...I just think some of them are a little less seasoned and don't understand the ethics behind fantasy.

 

When it was first said I thought it was a bit extreme but there is a valid point to quitting your job. It is very rare when people are unethical in only one part of their life. Working with unethical people can really affect you negatively. You may not think it can affect you but it will. I'm not saying make a rash decision based on a fantasy league but you should really think about the type of people you want to be around.

[murf74 461]

Fire everyone

[madd futher mucker 36]

When it was first said I thought it was a bit extreme but there is a valid point to quitting your job. It is very rare when people are unethical in only one part of their life. Working with unethical people can really affect you negatively. You may not think it can affect you but it will. I'm not saying make a rash decision based on a fantasy league but you should really think about the type of people you want to be around.

 

You got it! Too few people realize that they really tend to become those who they associate with. I've worked in professional sales most of my career. Unfortunately, while every profession has their share of people who cut corners when it comes to doing what is right, I've found that sales positions often attract some of the shadiest people to be found. My dad never pretended to be a salesman - it was only one of the hats he wore.

 

But when I was first starting out,he did give me two pieces of advice that I'll never forget -

1. Don't even worry about how much commission you are making. Just keep forging ahead, go the extra mile and do right by your customer. Those who are too commission driven will be out of business early.

 

2. NEVER be afraid to tell your customer the bad news or take ownership for your mistakes, and never be afraid that you will lose a customer because you have to say "no". If you screw one customer over, they will tell about 30 of their peers. If you go the extra mile, that same customer will maybe tell 3 people. But that is how you begin a chain of loyal customers whose referrals will grow that chain.

 

Those two pieces of advice has gotten me to the point that we have absolutely no prospecting costs, my business has strong sustained growth, at this point fueled only by referral, and I have far too many customers than I could service by myself. In the process, I've fired my share of sales personnel that didn't follow all of my three rules, and I've absorbed clients from more unethical competitors that were forced to go out of business because of bad practices.

 

Strong uncompromising ethics make for great loyal friends, strong marriages and (usually) wonderful kids as well.

 

What has this all to do with fantasy football? Fantasy football is a microcosm of life itself. Just by reading the posts on this board, I know something about the qualities of the individual posters here. The guy who has to ask for himself "is this collusion, or just 'shady'?" is a guy who I would never personally associate with, because either way he shows a lack of character.

[Ramrock 13]

tank it , teach him a lesson

[R8RMick 242]

I used to play in a league where trades were voted down because they made such-and-such a team better. Doesn't matter if it was a fair deal. We're talking about clowns who just flat out abused the veto rule because their own teams sucked. If it's in the rules not much you can do but just quit the league.

[tanatastic 2,061]

All those guys for Calvin isn't overpaying, it's ripping him off. Calvin is worth more than those 4 guys. He also has to drop 3 players to do that deal so there's that as well.

[Dsausage 36]

If you have to ask a question about ethics in fantasy football league you should not be in it.

[madd futher mucker 36]

All those guys for Calvin isn't overpaying, it's ripping him off. Calvin is worth more than those 4 guys. He also has to drop 3 players to do that deal so there's that as well.

 

The thread was not about the relative fairness of the trade, but rather was presented by the OP as a fantasy football ethics question. The OP points out the motives of the other owners for vetoing as expressed by the league commish and to some other shady waiver maneuvers by the same owners.

 

However, this trade does further strengthen the rationale (that most leagues have already incorporated in their bylaws) for establishing a trading deadline at or before the beginning of the stretch run of the regular season. Most leagues I've played in have trading deadlines somewhere between week 9 and week 11.

[jaxjag 43]

All those guys for Calvin isn't overpaying, it's ripping him off. Calvin is worth more than those 4 guys. He also has to drop 3 players to do that deal so there's that as well.

 

I was thinking the same thing but still can't tolerate a veto system.

 

Not sure I like the "overpaid" description, especially at this late stage of the season. What starters did you give up?

[VinAZ 0]

 

I was thinking the same thing but still can't tolerate a veto system.

 

Not sure I like the "overpaid" description, especially at this late stage of the season. What starters did you give up?

 

Of the key players I was dealing, L. Bell is my weekly flex and Cruz is my WR2. The owner I was trading with is alternating Joique Bell and Brian Leonard as his RB2, and playing Charles Clay in his flex. Clearly, he's got some gaping holes in his lineup this deal would've filled...

 

Regardless, I really wasn't trying to get everyone's opinion on whether the value exchanged was fair or not. My original post was more about whether I would've been justified in "retaliating" by tanking my match. Anyway, I decided not to...at the end of the day, I'm just not willing to do something I know is wrong to gain an edge in a fairly meaningless game...

 

Thanks for your feedback, gents...

[$epphori$ 118]

OK, so I'm in 3 fantasy leagues - 2 of them I'm the commish in, and 1 is my office league. I've always been a "by the book" commish, with well-documented rules and code-of-conduct in place so shady moves won't/can't happen. No lopsided deals, no league vetoes, no dumping, churning, etc.

 

My office league is a different story...they go by a "code" that would never wash in most $ leagues. They'll lobby to have other owners' trades vetoed; owners with $0 FAAB will have buddies pick up a player off waivers and immediately deal them...that kind of stuff.

 

I kind of blew it off until today...my team is now 10-1, and assured of a #1 seed. I worked out a deal to get Calvin Johnson in exchange for LeVeon Bell, Victor Cruz, Keenan Allen, and Greg Olsen. I intentionally overpaid...and still, it got vetoed (7 votes). The commish even came over to tell me that they had to kill it because allowing it would basically be "handing me the championship" (sorry, but any team can be beaten).

 

This week I'm matched up against the weakest of the teams contending for the playoffs. Normally, I wouldn't even consider it, but I'm leaning towards dumping my match to him and and push one of the other (stronger) contenders out. I know, bad karma...whatever...I'll take my chances. These guys play by different rules than I, and most posters on this board, are used to.

 

So my questions to you all are:

 

1. Would you dump your match if you were in my position?

2. Do you adjust your ethics from league-to-league, based on how your competitors play the game?

 

let me guess...you work in the White House and Obama is the commish right right? that socialists fvck is not only ruining this once great country he is ruining FF leagues

[Einstein's Dog 20]

You sound mad because they didn't allow your trade. You may need to adjust your thinking. Generally if you have league wide votes on trades they are hard to get done. You now have learned how a lot of teams use their vote. Your dilemma and potential retaliation would be in the vote on someone else's trade. But I doubt there are many because most players have probably learned by now they won't go through. You come off as a newbie to this league.

 

Most leagues do not allow trades this late in the season. The reason is they do not want good teams trading a lot of their quality depth for other teams stars, making them even more powerful for the playoffs. This will happen a lot in leagues where owners can vote/veto trades as apposed to leagues where only the commish can veto trades.

 

Take your disappointing news like a man. Do not behave like a spoiled 12 year old and throw a match. This is a work league, learn how to interact with people and accept how they apply their rules.

[VinAZ 0]

You sound mad because they didn't allow your trade. You may need to adjust your thinking. Generally if you have league wide votes on trades they are hard to get done. You now have learned how a lot of teams use their vote. Your dilemma and potential retaliation would be in the vote on someone else's trade. But I doubt there are many because most players have probably learned by now they won't go through. You come off as a newbie to this league.

 

Most leagues do not allow trades this late in the season. The reason is they do not want good teams trading a lot of their quality depth for other teams stars, making them even more powerful for the playoffs. This will happen a lot in leagues where owners can vote/veto trades as apposed to leagues where only the commish can veto trades.

 

Take your disappointing news like a man. Do not behave like a spoiled 12 year old and throw a match. This is a work league, learn how to interact with people and accept how they apply their rules.

 

Looks like you didn't read my last post...I decided not to throw it, and play it straight up. Plus, I'm hardly a "newbie"...been playing multiple $ leagues ever year for 10+ year. I'm pretty sure the majority of seasoned players on this board would agree that vetoing deals as part of "strategy" isn't exactly ethical...the point of my original post is whether you can apply different ethical standards to different leagues, based on their cultures.

You sure you aren't the newbie?