Running a fantasy football league, no matter the stakes, is a thankless job
A national sports betting editor says it's best to have someone in that position with time to do it.
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Mike Trout, the pride of Millville, N.J., might be a three-time MVP and one of the best players in baseball, but apparently he is a lousy fantasy football commissioner. Last week before their teams played, Reds outfielder Tommy Pham slapped Giants outfielder Joc Pederson over a fantasy football dispute. ESPN reported on June 1 that Pham is ripping Trout over his leadership of the league.
“Trout did a terrible job, man,” Pham said. “Trout’s the worst commissioner in fantasy sports.”
Two adult millionaires fighting before work is the craziest part of the story. Much of the rest is quite familiar to the 60 million-plus people who play fantasy football.
» READ MORE: Mike Trout returns to Philly an MVP contender yet again and a big fan of the Eagles draft
Major League Baseball players and their fantasy football leagues are just like us and ours:
Pham was upset about injured reserve rules. He accused Pederson of stashing players on injured reserve.
There was trash talk in the fantasy football group chat. Pham considered some of it “disrespectful.”
There’s a gif for everything. Pederson posted a gif of three guys lifting weights and one getting knocked out in the group chat, making fun of Pham’s San Diego Padres’ late-season collapse.
Pham quit the fantasy league during the season. A mortal sin of fantasy sports.
Then there are ways the big leaguers’ fantasy football league is nothing like your 10-team PPR. And it isn’t just because they have their draft at the Bellagio and yours is at Buffalo Wild Wings.
The reported buy-in for the league was $10,000.
Pham said they played using the ESPN fantasy football app, and “we had our own individual rules.” This could present problems if the commissioner doesn’t make this clear.
What makes a good Fantasy Football commissioner
The fantasy football commissioner, whether it’s Mike Trout or Mike Smith from Millville, has a thankless, awful job. We’re still a few months from fantasy football drafts. If Trout, the third-highest paid player in baseball, has to deal with fantasy football fights in the spring, maybe you should reconsider if you want to be commissioner of your league. Perhaps this is even making him think about resigning so he can enjoy his front-row seats at the Linc on Sundays and watch the Eagles in peace.
» READ MORE: Sports betting: Mike Trout has company in the American League MVP race
There are certain qualities that make a good fantasy football commissioner.
“You have to be a little bit of a jerk. It’s a lot of responsibility and you have to be the disciplinarian when someone breaks the rules. It’s a thankless job,” said Bill Enright, the managing editor of Sports Illustrated’s sports betting and fantasy division.
In many cases such as Enright’s, the leader is the person who founded the league. Enright also described the job as thankless, and it also requires work, which is why they should have chosen someone besides Trout.
“He’s probably too much of a superstar,” Enright said. “Maybe they should have got someone who doesn’t have that much attention. Someone with time on their hands. Mike Trout was probably not the best choice.”
Fantasy football fallout
In his 25 years playing fantasy football, Enright has heard trash talk and seen sports bar arguments, but never to the point of physical blows.
It’s not what fantasy sports is about. This incident has birthed lots of new fantasy football team names.
Michael Fabiano, senior fantasy analyst for Sports Illustrated, already suggested “Joc, Joc Til You Drop” and “Don’t Slap Me, Pham.”
Some of my suggestions: “Never go against the Phamily” and “You can’t carry Trout’s Joc slap.”
Tweet me yours at @kkohler1129.
Katie Kohler is the Managing Editor at Play Pennsylvania where she writes about sports betting and casinos.