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Commish Trade Veto
A Rule About Trades
Remember that time your parents let you dress however you wanted and you went to school wearing a cape and your sister’s pants and roller skates and I’m beginning to think maybe this is not actually something anyone else did…but the point of this story is that sometimes people cannot be left to their own devices. Sometimes, choice is just a little too much responsibility for people. And if you are contemplating this rule then the knuckleheads you interact with on a day-to-day fantasy basis are clearly falling into this category. Welcome to the Commish Trade Veto, where the Commish holds all of the power.
How It Works
Research* shows that people in general tend to not favor any fantasy football trades that they are not directly involved in. We believe this is because it’s easy to look at a trade from the outside and point to one side, or the other, getting a better deal. And so as any other jealous owner would do, you criticize the idiot getting the worse value and think well this is not an even trade, I think I’ll veto it. BUT WHY DOES YOUR VOTE MATTER?! Remember the last wedding you went to where somebody stood up to oppose the marriage and then everybody thought “oh, good point” and they stopped it? I don’t either. Because that guy’s opinion does not matter. And neither should anyone’s but the two people trading or the two people being wed.
As Commish, this puts a lot of power in your hands but truly all you need to analyze is if there is collusion involved in this trade. This obviously requires you to make some tough calls, but we are not telling you to shut off communication with the league. If something seems questionable – consult! Talk to both owners involved in the trade and make sure that the agreement was fair. Assess whether one team is trying to throw the year or if anything else seems fishy. But do not leave that determination up to a league full of bitter owners who could not get a deal done. The Commish alone should decide and vote on whether a trade is upheld or denied.
*Absolutely no research analyzed
Nuts and Bolts
- Explain to your league the reason for this decision and reassure them that their voices will be heard even if their votes will not be registered (feel free to quote heavily from this post).
- In your league settings, set the trade settings to votes required in order to veto and make sure that only the Commish has veto power.
- Outline at the beginning of the season what kinds of trades will be vetoed (obvious collusion, unbalanced trades, rapid tradebacks, etc) in order to achieve transparency and build trust within the league. No trade veto should come as a shock to your leaguemates.
Change Ups
You would not be a true dictator if you allowed any Change Ups to this rule. BUT, agreements can be reached within a league as to what kinds of trades are acceptable. For example, in dynasty leagues, maybe a trade will seem more one sided for the current year, but help an owner down the road. OR for funnsies, anoint a “Deputy Commish” who can rebut a Commish’s first decision to uphold or veto a trade. If the Deputy declares the Commish’s decision hogwash, it can be taken to a league vote. This is also a good way to handle any trades involving the Commish, by leaving it up to the Deputy.
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