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Fantasy Judgment decision – November 24, 2010 (fantasy football trade issue)
` THE SUPREME COURT OF FANTASY JUDGMENT
John Doe v. Commissioner
ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI FROM
AN ANONYMOUS FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Decided November 24, 2010
Cite as 2 F.J. 49 (November 2010)
Factual Background
The plaintiff has submitted this case without providing any information about his league. The record is devoid of the following details: type of fantasy football league (i.e., keeper or non-keeper, salary/auction, etc.), platform where the league is hosted (CBS, Yahoo, ESPN), number of teams, roster requirements, point scoring system, records and rosters of the teams involved in the proposed trade, league rules or Constitution, league schedule, and trade approval and/or appellate process.
The plaintiff was offered Vincent Jackson (WR-SD) in a trade in exchange for Eli Manning (QB-NYG). Plaintiff accepted the trade which was then reviewed by the league’s Commissioner. According to the plaintiff, the Commissioner approved the trade on the basis that the trade was “fair for both parties.”
At an undisclosed time after the trade was approved, the plaintiff discovered that this trade had been cancelled. He was not contacted at any time by the Commissioner or the team he traded with. No reason was provided by anyone through any means of communication to explain what happened with the trade and why it was cancelled.
Procedural History
The plaintiff now seeks the Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment’s opinion on whether the subject trade should be put through and its cancellation overturned. There have not been any additional submissions, evidence or testimony provided by anyone else in this fantasy football league.
Assuming the Commissioner has sole authority to approve or reject trades, he did not provide any notice either verbally or in writing that he was overturning his own decision to approve the trade. The plaintiff did not provide the Court with the league’s rules on trading, so the Court will have no choice but to make reasonable and prudent assumptions based on standard and customary fantasy football practices.
Issue Presented
(1) Should the trade between the plaintiff and unnamed league member where the plaintiff acquired Vincent Jackson for Eli Manning be upheld and enforced?
Decision
The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment typically favors individual fantasy sports participants and teams’ ability to make moves, transactions, and trades. The standard of review has been that people pay money to purchase a team in a league, draft their team, and manage it accordingly. Whether success is bred from that individual’s decision-making is purely left to some skill, luck, dedication, and savviness. See Smittydogs v. Moneyball, 1 F.J. 32, 33 (June 2010).
Because the record is unclear, the Court must assume that the plaintiff and his fellow league members have paid money to participate in this fantasy football league. Therefore, the principles cited above will apply here where people are entitled to manage their teams how they see fit within the rules of the league and free from collusion.
The Court must always consider is whether there is any collusion or under-the-table dealings going on between teams. Since the Court has not been presented with any evidence or accusations of collusion, the Court concludes that there is no collusion between the plaintiff and any other league member.
At first glance, the trade of Eli Manning in exchange for Vincent Jackson looks fair and reasonable. Because the Court was not provided with the rosters of these two teams, it is impossible to determine whether the needs of both teams were met or whether each team was dealing from an area of strength and depth. The Court must look at the two players involved and what their fair market value is both before the trade and their projected benefits after the trade. Eli Manning is having a season with extreme highs and lows. He is on pace to shatter his previous personal records for yards and touchdown passes, but he is also on pace to throw more than 20 interceptions. Granted, several were not his fault as the Giants’ wide receivers were failing to catch passes and instead tipped balls to their opponents. But Eli Manning has never been known for his offensive prowess, especially compared to his brother. With the loss of standout wide receivers Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks for the next several weeks, Manning’s value has decreased. On the flip side, Vincent Jackson is scheduled to make his 2010 debut with the Chargers on Sunday night against the Colts on national television. Having several successful years under his belt already, Jackson joins the team as the #1 receiver for one of the most prolific passing quarterbacks of this era in Philip Rivers. Jackson should immediately becomes Rivers’ primary target and the recipient of lots of yardage on Rivers’ way to reaching 5,000 yards by the end of the year.
Given that the trade was fair, the Commissioner approved the deal – which was the right decision. Then, for reasons unknown to this Court, the trade was cancelled, much to the chagrin of the plaintiff. Unless a trade is either offered or accepted under the influence of drugs or alcohol, coercion, violence, or threats thereof, people cannot undo their trades just because they may have second thoughts about it. A deal is a deal, especially with the Commissioner’s approval.
Based on the miniscule amount of evidence presented and the facts of this case, the Court holds that the subject trade should be allowed and enforced. The Commissioner’s decision to cancel the trade (or whoever else may be responsible) should be overturned.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Fantasy Judgment decision – October 29, 2010 (fantasy football trade dispute)
THE SUPREME COURT OF FANTASY JUDGMENT
Juicy Clams v. Butcher
ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI FROM “THE LEAGUE”
Decided October 29, 2010
Cite as 2 F.J. 46 (October 2010)
Factual Background
A fantasy football league called The League (hereinafter referred to as “The League” – not to be mistaken with the FX television show called The League) is comprised of twelve (12) teams who compete against each other on a weekly basis during the National Football League (“NFL”) season using the statistics of professional players as a basis for accumulating points in head-to-head competition with opponents to determine which fantasy team won or lost. The League is hosted on the Yahoo fantasy football platform. There is no league Constitution in place to delineate the specific rules and guidelines to govern The League. There is no formal approval process to either accept or reject trades made between teams. The League’s Commissioner has the sole authority to either approve or reject trades made. It is unknown whether a different individual or committee is in place to approve or reject trades made involving the Commissioner.
The League’s point scoring system includes standard points for yardage accumulated by passing, rushing and receiving, 10 points per touchdown for all players (including team defenses), -4 points for all turnovers, and 3 levels of bonus points for yardage milestones for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. Rosters are comprised of 13 players, including 4 reserves at any eligible position. Teams must start the following players: QB (1), RB (2), WR (3), TE (1), K (1), and DEF (1).
On October 27, 2010, a trade was made between two team owners in The League. Juicy Clams (3-4) traded Adrian Peterson (RB-MIN) to Butcher (5-2) in exchange for Rashard Mendenhall (RB-PIT), Santana Moss (WR-WAS), and Lee Evans (WR-BUF).
Butcher brought Juicy Clams into The League, and the two of them work with each other. Additionally, Butcher is the brother of The League’s Commissioner. The League’s Commissioner subsequently approved the trade.
Procedural History
The League’s Commissioner seeks Fantasy Judgment’s affirmation of his decision to approve this trade. Other members of The League have vocalized complaints about the trade arguing that the trade is not fair and that there may be some collusion between Juicy Clams and Butcher.
The Commissioner does not believe there is any collusion and also ruled that the trade was fair since Juicy Clams helped fill multiple positions on his roster with the trade of a superstar like Adrian Peterson.
Butcher has submitted a brief to the Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment in support of his argument that the trade was fair and made without a scintilla of wrongdoing. Butcher argues that his aggressive style of fantasy football is indicative of this trade, as well as his draft day trades where he dealt 8 draft picks in order to acquire 3 first round picks. Butcher further argues that the seeds had been planted for the subject trade a week before it was completed. He initially only offered Mendenhall and Moss for Peterson, but Juicy Clams only accepted the deal once Lee Evans was included.
Butcher contends that he is being scrutinized and punished by The League’s Commissioner (his brother) because has improved his team and is now a threat to the top two teams in The League. Butcher has provided a written attestation (to be used in lieu of an affidavit) that he has not entered into any side deals to share monetary winnings with Juice Clams or any other team in The League.
Issue Presented
(1) Should the trade between Juice Clams and Butcher be upheld where Adrian Peterson was dealt for Rashard Mendenhall, Santana Moss and Lee Evans?
Decision
The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment typically favors individual fantasy sports participants and teams’ ability to make moves, transactions, and trades. The standard of review has been that people pay money to purchase a team in a league, draft their team, and manage it accordingly. Whether success is bred from that individual’s decision-making is purely left to some skill, luck, dedication, and savviness. See Smittydogs v. Moneyball, 1 F.J. 32, 33 (June 2010).
Another factor that the Court must always consider is whether there is any collusion or under-the-table dealings going on between teams. The Court has been presented with some speculative evidence of potential collusion. However, the fact that two league members work with each other and one of them brought the other into the league does not meet the standard of proof necessary to prove collusion. There is no indication that a deal has been entered into between the teams to share players or profit. Just because two league members have a special relationship, such as family members or colleagues, should not preclude them from enjoying a fantasy sports league any less than others who do not have any privities. The mere fact that two league members have access to speak with each other discuss trades is not in itself any evidence of collusive efforts. Additionally, one of the teams involved is the Commissioner’s brother, so any wrongdoing would be a reflection on the Commissioner and it is unlikely that the Commissioner would want to subject himself to such skepticism or scrutiny. Based on the foregoing, the Court concludes that there is no collusion between Juice Clams and Butcher.
At first glance, the trade of Adrian Peterson in exchange for Rashard Mendenhall, Santana Moss and Lee Evans looks questionable because Peterson is arguably the second most prolific fantasy football player in the league and the three players he was traded for are not considered marquee superstars with equivalent value. However, based on statistics accumulated thus far in the 2010 season, the trade is not so lopsided. Peterson has rushed for 684 yards and 5 touchdowns. Compared to Rashard Mendenhall’s 532 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns, there is not a huge drop-off between the two as they stand today. Obviously Peterson is a better player and likely will finish the season with better numbers than Mendenhall. But Mendenhall is an effective starting running back on a good team in Pittsburgh and is likely to get the lion’s share of carries in close games down the stretch. On top of Mendenhall, Juice Clams also acquired Santana Moss and Lee Evans. Moss is Donovan McNabb’s primary target in Washington, and he has accumulated 548 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns to date. Evans has come alive the last couple weeks after being dormant for a month, much like the rest of the Buffalo Bills offense. Since Ryan Fitzpatrick has taken over at quarterback, the Bills have been impressive on offense, including putting up 34 points against a solid Baltimore Ravens’ defense. Evans has been at the center of this resurgence and has 286 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, most of which have come within the last couple weeks.
Another factor to consider is that Juicy Clams have a very weak receiving core outside of Hakeen Nicks. This trade enabled Juicy Clams to replace Peterson with another solid and effective running back, as well as acquire two decent receivers to plug in for an injured Austin Collie and an underachieving Johnny Knox. The impetus for making such a trade may have been Juicy Clams’ panic after losing Tony Romo for possibly the whole season. This may have been a kneejerk reaction to what is going on.
Based on the evidence presented and the facts of this case, the Court holds that the subject trade should be approved. There is no evidence of any sort of collusive effort between Juicy Clams and Butcher. Additionally, the trade is fair. Other league members may have selfish reasons for not wanting the trade to go through or that would argue the trade wasn’t an intelligent one to make. The Court’s role is to evaluate whether a trade is fair in terms of being in the best interest of the league. The Court will not speculate or analyze the intelligence of one team over another based on a trade mutually agreed to. The Court’s role is to measure fairness and not judge stupidity. This trade is fair and should be allowed. Without evidence of collusion, these teams should be permitted to exercise their right to better their respective teams.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Fantasy Judgment decision – October 26, 2010 (fantasy football trade dispute)
THE SUPREME COURT OF FANTASY JUDGMENT
Silveramo v. Nation
ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI FROM
AN ANONYMOUS FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Decided October 26, 2010
Cite as 2 F.J. 38 (October 2010)
Factual Background
A complaint has been filed by a member of an anonymous fantasy football league (hereinafter referred to as “FFL”) challenging a trade made between two other teams. It is unknown what website the FFL is hosted on. The complaint is also devoid of additional information regarding the structure of the league, including whether it is a keeper league or how many teams there are. It is also unknown what the FFL’s rules are regarding trades and the approval process. There is no reference to a league Constitution and no rules or guidelines were provided in the complaint.
Starting lineups in the FFL consist of the following: QB (1), RB (2), WR (2), TE (1), FLEX (1 – RB/WR/TE), K (1), and DEF/ST (1). The scoring system for the FFL is as follows:
Passing
Touchdown = 4 points
Every 40 Yards = 1 point
Bonus at 300 Yards = 3 points
Rushing/Receiving
Touchdown = 6 points
Every 20 Yards = 1 point
Bonus at 100 Yards = 3 points
Touchdown Bonuses
Passing, Rushing, Receiving TD of 40-59 Yards = 2 points
Passing, Rushing, Receiving TD of 60-79 Yards = 4 points
Passing, Rushing, Receiving TD of 80+ Yards = 6 points
Receptions
Each reception = .5 points beginning with the 4th reception.
0-3 catches = 0 points
4 catches = 2 points
5 catches = 2.5 points
The plaintiff has challenged a trade made between Silveramo, the 1st place team in his division (5-2), and Nation, the 3rd place team in his respective division (4-3). Silveramo has offered to trade LeSean McCoy (RB-PHI), Ben Roethlisberger (QB-PIT), and Brandon Lloyd (WR-DEN) to Nation in exchange for Chris Johnson (RB-TEN), Kevin Kolb (QB-PHI), and Jeremy Maclin (WR-PHI).
Procedural History
The complaining party, on behalf of the rest of the FFL, is challenging the validity of this trade. Specifically, they question how this trades improves Nation who gave up Chris Johnson, arguably the best running back in the NFL (and the likely #1 draft pick in most fantasy football leagues this season), in exchange for LeSean McCoy who is on a bye this coming week (Week 8). Additionally, the complaining party argues that Nation does not need Brandon Lloyd because, according to the complaint, “he has great receivers.” The receivers on Nation’s roster at the time of this proposed trade include Anquan Boldin (WR-BAL), DeSean Jackson (WR-PHI), and Roy Williams (WR-DAL). Finally, the complaining party argues that Ben Roethlisberger constitutes an upgrade at quarterback over Donovan McNabb and Matt Ryan. However, he questions the significance of this upgrade when only one quarterback is in the starting lineup every week.
It was conceded in the complaint that there is no suspicion of collusion or cheating between Silveramo and Nation. The nature of the complaint is whether the trade was intelligently entered into.
Issue Presented
(1) Should the trade between Silveramo and Nation be approved?
Decision
The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment typically favors individual fantasy sports participants and teams’ ability to make moves, transactions, and trades. See Smittydogs v. Moneyball, 1 F.J. 32, 33 (June 2010). The standard of review has been that people pay money to purchase a team in a league, draft their team, and manage it accordingly. Whether success is bred from that individual’s decision-making is purely left to some skill, luck, dedication, and savviness. The Court also acknowledges that the analysis for evaluating trades is much different in a keeper league than a non-keeper league. A trade that may look uneven or lopsided on its face may receive a different opinion when it is involved in a keeper league. The reasons for this are obvious, but must be restated. In a keeper league, teams that are having unsuccessful seasons are more likely to continue to pay attention and make moves that will set themselves up for better success in the following season. They can do this by acquiring young talent that is not under contract within the league, or by dumping salary (assuming it is an auction league) and allowing greater financial flexibility to sign key players in the next season’s draft. In non-keeper leagues, there is no rationale for thinking ahead, nor is there any need to stockpile young, inexpensive talent. However, it is not known whether the FFL is a keeper league or not. As a result, the standard of review will assume that it is not a keeper league and the Court will analyze the players involved in the trade based on their current and past statistics and performance as opposed to projections for future NFL seasons.
Another factor that the Court must always consider is whether there is any collusion or under-the-table dealings going on between teams. As stated above, the complaining party has admitted that there are no allegations of collusion or cheating. Therefore, the Court will forego an analysis into this scenario.
At first glance, the trade of LeSean McCoy, Ben Roethlisberger and Brandon Lloyd in exchange for Chris Johnson, Kevin Kolb and Jeremy Maclin looks fair and even. The eye-catcher in this deal is clearly Chris Johnson, arguably the best running back in the NFL in both reality and in fantasy. Any trade involving the #1 overall pick and most dominant fantasy player is going to create controversy and invite skepticism. However, when the numbers and statistics are broken down, Johnson and McCoy are practically even.
Rush Yds Receptions Rec. Yards Touchdowns
Chris Johnson 662 17 66 7
LeSean McCoy 477 38 293 5
Johnson’s success has made him a target for NFL defenses, and it is obvious that teams are focusing on shutting Johnson down to prevent his prototypical breakout run. This means that putting up similar statistics to what he did in 2009 will almost be impossible. On the other hand, LeSean McCoy has become the focus of the Philadelphia Eagles offense in both the passing and running games. Cumulatively, McCoy currently has more total yards (770) than Johnson (728), has double the number of receptions, and is almost identical in scoring touchdowns. Consequently, there is not much of a drop-off at all in trading Johnson for McCoy. The argument that this makes no sense because McCoy has a bye week this weekend is speculative. While it is true that the Eagles have their bye week, analyzing the rationale as to why this trade was made and when it was made is a process that the Court refuses to do.
To help make up the perceived difference in trading Johnson, Nation was able to acquire Ben Roethlisberger and Brandon Lloyd. Roethlisberger is certainly an upgrade over Kolb as Big Ben has almost eclipsed Kolb’s statistics despite playing in three less games. Big Ben is also an upgrade over the other two quarterbacks that he now shares a fantasy roster with – Donovan McNabb and Matt Ryan. The question over the sensibility of this trade because teams only start one quarterback per week is unfounded. Any fantasy football participant has the right (so long as the roster and rules allow it) to accumulate as many backups for position depth, injuries, and trade bait. Nation’s acquisition of Brandon Lloyd was also needed because DeSean Jackson is questionable for the near future due to the severe concussion he sustained during Week 6. Nation clearly needed a wide receiver, and since the Eagles are off this week, he included Jeremy Maclin in the deal for Lloyd, who will immediately become a starter. His needs were clearly served and he got fair market value for Chris Johnson.
The exchange of fair value is also demonstrated by Silveramo’s acquisitions from his perspective. He acquired Kolb when he already has Michael Vick. The Eagles have shown that they can score points no matter who is playing quarterback. Having both the starter and backup ensures that Silveramo will have an effective starting quarterback every week. Acquiring Jeremy Maclin gives Silveramo a good QB-WR combination, which is just as effective no matter who the quarterback is in Philadelphia.
More importantly, the complaining party has admitted that he is not challenging this trade based on collusion, cheating or any other reason besides it being dumb. The scope of the Court’s authority is to govern and advise when there is a dispute as to the validity of trades, rulings, decisions or other issues that arise within fantasy sports leagues. Making a judgment on whether an individual did something stupid is not what the Court does. As stated earlier, teams should be given the opportunity to make deals and try and improve their teams, even if that means they will make unintelligent decisions from time to time.
Based on the fact that the players involved in the trade are fair and equal coupled with the admission that the complaining party seeks Court intervention due to the trade allegedly being “stupid,” the Court hereby decides that the subject trade is fair and should be allowed. The subjective reasons why teams make trades should not be speculated about unless there is tangible evidence of collusion and the nature of the complaint provides sufficient information and background to corroborate such a story.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Fantasy Judgment Decision – All in the Family
THE SUPREME COURT OF FANTASY JUDGMENT
Iceman v. George and Joker’s Wild
ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI FROM
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN
Decided October 10, 2010
Cite as 2 F.J. 18 (October 2010)
Factual Background
A fantasy football league called the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (hereinafter referred to as “LOEG”) is comprisedof ten (10) teams who compete against each other on a weekly basis during the National Football League (“NFL”) season using the statistics of professional players as a basis for accumulating points in head-to-head competition with opponents to determine which fantasy team won or lost. The LOEG is hosted on the CBSSports fantasy football platform. The league rules regarding trading prohibit any act of collusion and also prevent teams eliminated from playoff contention from entering into deals. The trade process must be administered through CBSSports league website or via email from both parties. After a trade is submitted through CBSSports, the approval process is delineated in the LOEG’s Constitution with the following language:
5.2 Trades should always be allowed unless collusion is suspected. Collusion is defined as “a trade in which one of the owners knowingly and purposefully aids another owner without benefit to his own team.” The commissioner has authority to reverse trades where collusion has occurred. The deputy commissioner has authority to reverse trades involving the commissioner where collusion has occurred. If a member of the league feels that collusion has occurred between the commissioner and deputy commissioner, the trade will be put to a majority vote (owners may abstain from voting). A tie vote approves the trade.
On Tuesday, September 21, 2010, George and Joker’s Wild made a trade which was the subject of Jetnuts v. George, et al., 2 F.J. 15 (2010). In that trade, George traded Michael Vick to Joker’s Wild for Percy Harvin. The Court ruled that this trade was fair and the process in which it was made between father and son was also fair (discussing trades before they are officially entered into is not indicative of collusion).
During the week of October 5-10, 2010, George and Joker’s Wild have made another trade. George has agreed to trade Knowshon Moreno (RB-DEN) to Joker’s Wild in exchange for Ben Roethlisberger (QB-PIT).
Procedural History
As per the rules of the LOEG, trades and trade offers must be made through the league’s website on CBSSports.com or when both teams involved in the trade independently inform the LOEG Commissioner. Under CBSSports’ settings, trades entered on Tuesday will go into effect for the upcoming week’s games. Trades are permitted between any team so long as that team is still mathematically eligible to reach the LOEG playoffs. Additionally, trades must not be made under the auspices of collusion or “under the table” agreements between teams.
Iceman has appealed this trade between George and Joker’s Wild arguing that the trade’s nexus stems back to the September 21, 2010 trade between these same teams. Iceman argues that the first trade was made with the intent to make the subject trade when Ben Roethlisberger was activated by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Iceman relies on the fact that in between the trades, George released Carson Palmer (QB-CIN) because he knew he was going to acquire Roethlisberger. Iceman is essentially claiming that there is collusion between George and Joker’s Wild based on these two trades they have made with each other.
Joker’s Wild justified the trade by the fact he already possessed Michael Vick and Philip Rivers on his roster and had no need for a 3rd
quarterback, especially one of Roethlisberger’s caliber who also had significant trade value. George also denied any premeditated action regarding the second trade as he claims he had no knowledge of his acquisition of Roethlisberger when he dropped Carson Palmer.
Issue Presented
(1) Should the trade between George and Joker’s Wild be approved?
(2) Is there collusion between George and Joker’s Wild?
Decision
The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment is a strong advocate for having written Constitutions that govern fantasy sports leagues. There are a myriad of reasons why the Court believes having a Constitution in place is the best way to run and maintain a fantasy league. One of the primary reasons behind this rationale is that all league members are aware of the rules and guidelines in place that govern the administration and function of the fantasy league. When a league Commissioner writes out the rules and distributes them to the league, it shifts the burden onto the league members to read, understand, and adhere to the rules that are delineated. If a league member has an issue, question or challenge to one of the rules in the Constitution, they are welcome to raise this with the Commissioner before signing it or agreeing to its codification.
As with the previous case involving a trade between George and Joker’s Wild, the LOEG’s Constitution clearly delineates the rules and guidelines for making trades between teams. While CBSSports.com dictates when trades can be input in order to become effective for the upcoming week’s teams, there are no known restrictions on when teams can begin negotiating trades. This includes possibly discussing trades that may not go into effect for several weeks. In any type of fantasy sports negotiation, the groundwork for making a deal is usually laid ahead of time. Even assuming that George and Joker’s Wild discussed this second trade several weeks ago, there is nothing inherently wrong, illegal, or unethical about doing such a thing. Additionally, the trade of Knowshon Moreno for Ben Roethlisberger is fair and even. Moreno has been inactive for the last several weeks with a hamstring injury, and Roethlisberger has been serving a suspension and hasn’t even played a down yet in 2010. If the actual trade being challenged was lopsided or uneven, then the argument of collusion would have more clout. Here, both teams are receiving a benefit and both players involved have enough talent and star power at premium positions to justify a trade for each other.
As stated in Jetnuts v. George, et al., the fact that two team owners who are related made a trade is perfectly within the rules as well. There is no reason to hold family members under any additional scrutiny when making trades outside of evidence supporting a collusive effort. Here, no evidence of collusion has been presented to warrant such an investigation or analysis. While family members may have more direct contact and communication than other members of the league, that does not inhibit or prevent teams from making deals with those family members. It is apparent that other teams in the LOEG are suspicious of the dealings between George and Joker’s Wild because they are father-son. This is unfortunate because the Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment, who is an advocate for all things that are fantasy sports, especially encourages participation in fantasy sports amongst family members, including generational participation. The fact that a father and son are in a league together should not cause or create any additional skepticism unless such skepticism is truly warranted and deserved. From the evidence presented to the Court regarding the trades made between George and Joker’s Wild, there does not appear to be any sort of collusion or under the table agreements in place. The Court is most concerned about maintaining the integrity of the LOEG, and there does not appear to be any reason to think the league’s integrity is in jeopardy based on the dealings between George and Joker’s Wild. However, the Court is growing concerned about the repeated public skepticism of George and Joker’s Wild’s relationship and dealings. This issue must be dealt with between the Commissioner and the rest of the league before things unravel.
The plaintiff’s arguments about what was intended weeks ahead of time are speculative and not demonstrated by the evidence submitted. The Court hereby decides that the trade between George and Joker’s Wild should be upheld as it is both fair in value and made without any evidence of collusion.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
New Fantasy Judgment Decision – Family Ties
Jetnuts v. George and Joker’s Wild
ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI FROM
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN
Decided September 21, 2010
Cite as 2 F.J. 15 (September 2010)
Factual Background
A fantasy football league called the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (hereinafter referred to as “LOEG”) is comprised of ten (10) teams who compete against each other on a weekly basis during the National Football League (“NFL”) season using the statistics of professional players as a basis for accumulating points in head-to-head competition with opponents to determine which fantasy team won or lost. The LOEG is hosted on the CBSSports fantasy football platform. In using the CBSSports Commissioner services, the earliest a trade between LOEG teams can be accepted and finalized to become effective for the upcoming week is on Tuesday (after the previous week’s games have been officially completed).
On Sunday, September 19, 2010, fellow LOEG teams George (father) and Joker’s Wild (son) were watching NFL games together when they engaged in discussions about a trade involving Michael Vick and Percy Harvin. At some point on this date, George and Joker’s Wild agreed in principle on the trade where George would trade Michael Vick to Joker’s Wild in exchange for Percy Harvin. Both parties understood that the trade could not be formally made official until Tuesday, September 21, 2010.
On Monday, September 20, 2010, LOEG team Jetnuts reached out to George and offered Pierre Garcon for Michael Vick. George responded that he already had committed to trading Vick to another team.
On Tuesday, September 21, 2010, George and Joker’s Wild finalized their trade of Michael Vick for Percy Harvin. After the trade was finalized, George made a trade offer to Jetnuts of Percy Harvin for Pierre Garcon. Concurrently, Jetnuts also made a trade offer of Pierre Garcon for Michael Vick.
Procedural History
As per the rules of the LOEG, trades and trade offers must be made through the league’s website on CBSSports.com or when both teams involved in the trade independently inform the LOEG Commissioner. Under CBSSports’ settings, trades entered on Tuesday will go into effect for the upcoming week’s games. Trades are permitted between any team so long as that team is still mathematically eligible to reach the LOEG playoffs. Additionally, trades must not be made under the auspices of collusion or “under the table” agreements between teams.
The Jetnuts are not challenging the fairness of the trade between George and Joker’s Wild. Rather, the Jetnuts are challenging the validity and process of the trade claiming that it is inherently unfair to compete for trade possibilities with team owners that are related to each other. Given the nature of the complaint and the language used by the plaintiff in its pleading, the Court will not consider collusion in its analysis as there is no evidence of any such activity.
Issue Presented
(1) Should the trade between George and Joker’s Wild be revoked due to the process in which the trade was agreed to and finalized?
Decision
The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment is a strong advocate for having written Constitutions that govern fantasy sports leagues. There are a myriad of reasons why the Court believes having a Constitution in place is the best way to run and maintain a fantasy league. One of the primary reasons behind this rationale is that all league members are aware of the rules and guidelines in place that govern the administration and function of the fantasy league. When a league Commissioner writes out the rules and distributes them to the league, it shifts the burden onto the league members to read, understand, and adhere to the rules that are delineated. If a league member has an issue, question or challenge to one of the rules in the Constitution, they are welcome to raise this with the Commissioner before signing it or agreeing to its codification.
In this case, the LOEG’s Constitution clearly delineates the rules and guidelines for making trades between teams. While CBSSports.com dictates when trades can be input in order to become effective for the upcoming week’s teams, there are no known restrictions on when teams can begin negotiating trades. The fact that George rejected the Jetnuts trade offer because he had previously committed to making a trade with his son is perfectly within the rules of the league. Going one step further, it also demonstrates integrity by the fact George kept his verbal agreement to trade with his son and provide an immediate response to the Jetnuts in order to allow the Jetnuts to pursue an alternative deal.
The fact that two team owners who are related made a trade is perfectly within the rules as well. There is no reason to hold family members under any additional scrutiny when making trades outside of evidence supporting a collusive effort. Here, no evidence of collusion has been presented to warrant such an investigation or analysis. While family members may have more direct contact and communication than other members of the league, that does not inhibit or prevent teams from making deals with those family members. Here, George and Joker’s Wild agreed in principle to make the trade of Michael Vick for Percy Harvin. They are allowed to make this trade as it does not violate any rules in place that govern the league.
The plaintiff also argues that subsequent trade offers indicate or infer certain desires of George and/or Joker’s Wild regarding their intent. These arguments are speculative in nature and irrelevant to the analysis of whether this trade was fair and compliant with the requisite process.
The Court hereby decides that the trade between George and Joker’s Wild should be upheld as it is both fair in value and was made in compliance with the LOEG’s rules.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment on SiriusXM’s Fantasy Sports Channel
On Monday, August 23, 2010, I appeared on SiriusXM’s Fantasy Sports Channel on the morning show with RotoExperts Adam Ronis and Scott Engel to hold court and resolve a fantasy football dispute. The dispute was brought by a member of a fantasy football league whose Commissioner traded three of his draft picks in exchange for another team’s three draft picks. Both the plaintiff and defendant were on the air with us, and I allowed each party to make their opening statements. The plaintiff asserted that the league rules did not permit trading during the off-season, that trading draft picks was not allowed anyway, and that the league vote process was not properly adhered to. The defendant Commissioner argued that the trades were made during the pre-season, which he claimed was technically not the off-season, and that the league vote process was administered correctly.
I asked several questions of both parties, but mostly focused on the Commissioner for inquiries into the rules of the league. This particular league is hosted on CBSSports.com, and the Commissioner uses the generated rules from CBS with some additions he made himself. I specifically asked if the league defers to the CBS-generated rules and settings that are input, which the Commissioner affirmed. CBS does not permit trades until the regular season officially begins – as in, they physically cannot be done. This made it a fairly easy decision for me to disallow the trades because if CBS’ setting are the guidelines and trades can’t be made until the regular season starts, then there is no justification for making any type of trade, let alone draft picks, before the regular season does in fact start.
I also criticized the Commissioner for having no system in place to provide checks and balances on trades that he is involved in because he has the final say. This only leads to league-wide skepticism and second-guessing of anything that the Commissioner does. I recommended that he have a Co-Commissioner or some form of a committee have the authority to approve or disapprove trades that the Commissioner makes. I also recommended that the Commissioner have every league member sign a formal document outlining the rules of the league. A league Constitution is always a good idea, and having it be signed and acknowledged by the entire league puts the burden back on everyone else that they educate themselves as to the league’s guidelines and provisions.
After the Court rendered its verdict, the RotoExperts interviewed each party. Needless to say, the plaintiff was quite pleased and the defendant Commissioner was not. But this is the nature of Fantasy Judgment’s business – make the right judgment based on the facts of each case, legal principles, current rules and policies of the league, and common sense.
