Independent Leagues As Part of Larger Online Leagues

nebradska · 05-20-2013, 04:09 PM

I'm currently in an online league in which the commissioner has expressed interest in adding an indy league to run alongside our majors. This is not directly a posting for that league, as I am not said commissioner and do not have the authority to do so.

Instead, what I'm looking for is a discussion from others who play or might play in online leagues. My question is this: What would entice you to play in an independent league alongside a major league (which other GMs control)? Further, how could the incentives be arranged so that indy league behavior reflects real life (that is, what would give you a reason to take that $750,000 paycheck for the contract of your All-Star first baseman even though you're in the middle of a playoff run)?

We've just now begun discussing this in detail and unfortunately I just threw some ideas out on our league forum without yet giving my fellow GMs time to respond, but I figured the best way to find out would be to ask other potential players.

FWIW, the league has gone on for 1 real year, 5 game years, has been very stable with an excellent and active group of GMs.

My ideas, to start the thread...
1. Give indy league GMs first crack at GM openings in the majors, emphasizing financial success over on-field performance when deciding who gets the call.
2. Make finances tight in the indy leagues, but I fear this would be more frustrating than fun.
3. Allow indy league GMs to basically be owners of their teams with a wide variety of customization options (which we in the majors do not have).

I figure there's a small subset of player for whom the unique experience might be enough to get them in the door and that there are others who might prefer having a small team to run rather than a multi-level organization. However, I think for most people, the independent league would have to offer some perks to the player that are not available to major league GMs. And incentivizing them to prefer money over winning is a perplexing problem indeed.

ukhotstove · 05-23-2013, 05:48 AM

Being owner of a team rather than just GM, able to change logos, uniforms etc but put a limit on so that teams aren't changing them every season. I'd also use it as a waiting list for the major league, when an opening comes up look at everything an indy GM does ie forum activity, how his/her team is run and not just on a win loss basis then choose a GM and give them an option of joining the majors or staying with their indy team.

05-20-2013, 04:09 PM	#1
nebradska Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Illinois Posts: 229	Independent Leagues As Part of Larger Online Leagues I'm currently in an online league in which the commissioner has expressed interest in adding an indy league to run alongside our majors. This is not directly a posting for that league, as I am not said commissioner and do not have the authority to do so. Instead, what I'm looking for is a discussion from others who play or might play in online leagues. My question is this: What would entice you to play in an independent league alongside a major league (which other GMs control)? Further, how could the incentives be arranged so that indy league behavior reflects real life (that is, what would give you a reason to take that $750,000 paycheck for the contract of your All-Star first baseman even though you're in the middle of a playoff run)? We've just now begun discussing this in detail and unfortunately I just threw some ideas out on our league forum without yet giving my fellow GMs time to respond, but I figured the best way to find out would be to ask other potential players. FWIW, the league has gone on for 1 real year, 5 game years, has been very stable with an excellent and active group of GMs. My ideas, to start the thread... 1. Give indy league GMs first crack at GM openings in the majors, emphasizing financial success over on-field performance when deciding who gets the call. 2. Make finances tight in the indy leagues, but I fear this would be more frustrating than fun. 3. Allow indy league GMs to basically be owners of their teams with a wide variety of customization options (which we in the majors do not have). I figure there's a small subset of player for whom the unique experience might be enough to get them in the door and that there are others who might prefer having a small team to run rather than a multi-level organization. However, I think for most people, the independent league would have to offer some perks to the player that are not available to major league GMs. And incentivizing them to prefer money over winning is a perplexing problem indeed.

05-23-2013, 05:48 AM	#2
ukhotstove Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: North of England Gods Country Posts: 7,175	Being owner of a team rather than just GM, able to change logos, uniforms etc but put a limit on so that teams aren't changing them every season. I'd also use it as a waiting list for the major league, when an opening comes up look at everything an indy GM does ie forum activity, how his/her team is run and not just on a win loss basis then choose a GM and give them an option of joining the majors or staying with their indy team. __________________ Detroit Diesel Dynasty San Antonio Calzones of Laredo Dynasty