Greg, BEFORE Prizes are set......

[BillyWaz]

can you send out a vote for your bigger high stake leagues ($2500 or higher) to see if people would prefer NO consolation round prize and that money go to 4th place?

I personally think it would be a clear majority, but since we literally have about 4.5 months till these kick off, I think it would be a worthy discussion.

[Coltsfan]

Let's just say that it wouldn't be much of a contest. At that level you don't need a consolation.


Wayne

[BillyWaz]

Let's just say that it wouldn't be much of a contest. At that level you don't need a consolation.


Wayne

Agree 100%!

[TheReckoner]

HOF leagues don’t need incentive to stay active... but making the playoffs and getting a donut is a crime.

[BLACKHAND]

Yes , take time out from baseball and get this done.

[King of Queens]

In 12 team leagues, there should be neither 4th place nor consolation prizes. Give the extra money to the top 3 teams -- no need to reward mediocrity!

[Greg Ambrosius]

can you send out a vote for your bigger high stake leagues ($2500 or higher) to see if people would prefer NO consolation round prize and that money go to 4th place?

I personally think it would be a clear majority, but since we literally have about 4.5 months till these kick off, I think it would be a worthy discussion.

Sorry for the delayed response on this topic. Billy, I have not changed the prize structures for these private leagues at this point. I'm sure any individual league can have this changed if there's unanimous support for it, but let me first explain why I haven't done this and then we can have an intelligent discussion on it.

The reason we have a Consolation bracket in these private leagues and in the national contests is to keep every team fighting for a prize all 16 weeks of the season. If we delete the Consolation bracket then those 8 teams in this private league and all teams in the national contests have their seasons end after Week 13. That's not good for the competition. By having a Consolation bracket, it gives everyone a full season to compete for prize money. And while yes I can see your point that we reward one extra team in the Championship Round with a small prize, in the way we have it now eight or more teams are competing three extra weeks for that prize.

But more importantly, it keeps everyone fighting throughout the regular season for every single available point because there is prize money still out there. After all, what's the No. 1 complaint in season-long head-to-head fantasy football contests? Answer: Too many teams quit too early. And that allows some not-so-worthy teams to earn late season wins and possibly make the playoffs when they should have been eliminated in h2h competition. We hear that in the NFFC all the time and in fact some of you want us to set those lineups for owners who have bye players starting because they are out of the league race. Well, what happens when a team goes 0-6, has a few stinker point weeks and now has absolutely nothing to play for in a Consolation Bracket? They give up even earlier and the entire league suffers. By having the Consolation bracket, we believe it keeps more people involved longer and makes every league better and more competitive.

We don't pay fourth place in a 12-team league anywhere. Not in the NFBC, not in the NFBKC. Nowhere. I'm not sure if any other contest pays fourth place prize money, either. I understand that the top four teams make the Championship Round and right now during those three weeks you could win it all or nothing. One team may not win anything in the Championship Round. But this is high stakes. If we really feel the need to reward fourth place with something, then I think it has to come out of the Championship Round prize money, not the Consolation Round. If we want to keep every team fighting until the end, then we need a Consolation Round. If we are going to pay 4th place in every league, then it has to come from 1st, 2nd or 3rd place prize money. Should we give first place less money? I don't think that's the answer.

I'm open for discussion, but a simple survey before really understanding the ramifications of such a change needs to be addressed first. We don't want teams quitting on the season after a few weeks. We need an incentive for folks to keep playing and playing hard. We all know how a hot three-week sprint can turn a bummer season into a championship season. So let's get this right. If we set a precedent of paying fourth place prize money here, I hope it's not something that needs to be done in every other sport. If so, it dilutes the prize money for those teams that really deserve it.

Sorry for the delayed response, but I wanted to fully explain this before just responding yes or no. I look forward to the feedback and a worthy discussion.

[Coltsfan]

If I have a "crappy" team then I'm ready to be done with that team and concentrate on those that have a chance. Consolation prices mean nothing to me. I don't care of it's 4th place or top 3 but I personally only view it as a negative. We are talking about how dollar leagues here and I doubt most of the players in these leagues are only managing the one team.

The better way to keep teams active is to move away from being all about total points. You can have a great team with a slow start and still not make the playoffs because of the feeling around here that the best team scores the most points.

[Greg Ambrosius]

If I have a "crappy" team then I'm ready to be done with that team and concentrate on those that have a chance. Consolation prices mean nothing to me. I don't care of it's 4th place or top 3 but I personally only view it as a negative. We are talking about how dollar leagues here and I doubt most of the players in these leagues are only managing the one team.

The better way to keep teams active is to move away from being all about total points. You can have a great team with a slow start and still not make the playoffs because of the feeling around here that the best team scores the most points.

So now you want the discussion to go from a fourth place prize to how we reward prize money? You don't want points to be a major factor in how we reward the best team in each league?? Please explain.

[BillyWaz]

Greg,

I totally understand in the main events to keep a consolation bracket. No argument there.

However, if someone joins a Super, Ultimate, Diamond, Platinum, etc. and they quit on their team after 5 weeks.....OH WELL! If you want to take the consolation money and put it into the top 3 places and not award 4th, I would be fine with that.

However, to award a team who didn't finish in the top 1/3 of the league, and instead give it to potentially the team who DID quit for the last 4 or 5 weeks of the regular season, and then decides to put in lineups for weeks 14-16 (and get hot during that time) simply isn't acceptable, IMO.

Ideally, this is what I would love to see for a 12 team Super (obviously it would be adjusted for bigger leagues)....

CURRENTLY
1st - $14,000
2nd - $5,000
3rd - $2,000
*$2,500 for best record
*$2,500 for most points
Consolation - $500

PROPOSED
1st- $14,000
2nd- $5,000
3rd- $2,000
4th - $500
$3,000 for most points
$1,000 for best record
$1,000 for 2nd most points[/u]

This awards the 4th place team ALONG with a little extra for points, and gives the 2nd place points some money as well during the regular season.

This of course is just one person's opinion, but I would love to hear from all the people that play in these higher stakes leagues and hear their opinions as well. I just feel in these leagues ($2500 and higher), consolation has to go.

Thanks!