Source
r/TFFG•
Thunderscore81

End of season rewards

I commish a league that I have been running for over a decade and we recently added 2 new teams, changing the total budget for payout. I could have just split the extra between 1st - 3rd places as the previous payout system worked, but I asked the question of if other players would like some input on how to disperse the money. I maybe shouldn't have asked, but here are some of the options I've heard:

  • Pay the rest (more than 3rd place gets) to the last place team.
  • Hold a "toilet bowl" between the last place teams and split the amount like what is done for the top tournament.

To both of these I respond: I don't like the idea of bad teams getting more money than teams that did better. I especially don't like giving the worst team more money than the team that put effort in to get 3rd.

Their response: Why ask us for ideas?

So, I'll hold a vote which either nobody participates in or these ideas are thrown out entirely because they are obviously anti-competitive.

Anyway, what have you (other commishes) done to try to keep teams that didn't make the playoffs competitive while not screwing teams that did well?

Posted Aug 31, 2021, 9:53 PM UTC

310
cbaker41•

A few other ways I have seen are a small amount for the weekly high points person, or a end of year payout for the team with the most regular season points.

3
Thunderscore81OP•

I hadn't thought of the weekly option. That's a good one!

I am considering the year-end high scorer. The caveat being that it's the highest scorer who isn't already getting a payout. That doesn't solve the problem of teams giving up because they already aren't doing well.

This isn't a big money, competitive league, so sometimes these people prioritize their real lives when they see that there's no chance of doing anything in the league.

1
blooge61•

I don't see any value in giving teams incentive to tank. I like these ideas:

  1. Weekly high scorer bonus
  2. Give the extra to the regular season best record, with total points as tiebreaker.
  3. Give the extra to the Regular Season total points champ.
  4. Choose some obscure random stat each week (team with most fumbles lost, highest scoring defense, most return yards, etc) and pay it out as a weekly bonus that way.
2
senska11•
  1. Payout for weekly high score
    1. Rewards people throughout the season - even a "bad team" can win it.
  2. Payout for highest scoring team or best record in regular season
    1. One week playoffs can be a crapshoot - give the best team something guaranteed.
2
monahancj•

We do a final week "free for all". Every player on the team counts for scoring. The free for all winner gets 10% of the pot.

One side effect of that is that once an owner figures they aren't going to make the playoffs they reconfigure their team for week 17. As early as week 11 or 12 QBs and DSTs with favorable week 17 matchups might start replacing RB/WR/TE bench depth. Kickers even will get picked up because their 4pts will be more than the scrub WR who might not even play. That side effect hasn't seemed to be a problem for the teams with a chance at making the playoffs. Probably because they have good teams and aren't picking up the 13th best DST to replace a bad RB/WR/TE.

Payouts: Winner=50%, 2nd = 25%, 3rd=15%, free-for-all=10%

2
monahancj•

We also do a toilet bowl for fun, to maintain interest, but no money to the losers. It helps that all the team owners are related or long-time friends so avoiding losing the toilet bowl is critical to avoid a good amount of friendly harassment.

2
Thunderscore81OP•

Technically, we've always had the consolation bracket in this league. This would only be new in the form of payouts.

1
Thunderscore81OP•

Currently, I'm proposing a combination of per-week high score and end-of-season highest score for the team who is outside the money spots.

Thanks for the input!

1
Thunderscore81OP•

I've called a vote on it in the league and so far most people are voting for a toilet bowl - everyone not in the playoffs plays in a tourney where the top 3 get paid. For half of these teams, it's still just a 1 week extension of the season.

It just sort of hurts my soul that someone who places 4th, making it to the 2nd to last game gets 0 while the 7th place team gets some money. It's not actively anti-competitive, I guess, but still not fair in my mind.

If it were only the teams that never make it to the playoffs voting for this option, I'd complain more, but some of the votes have been cast by perennial playoff contenders.

1
monahancj•

some of the votes have been cast by perennial playoff contenders

Just in case they have a bad year ...

Thanks for letting us know the result.

1