Here is a great question.....

[Karen Lutz]

Why do so many people start leagues? I assume 99% of them is just so a commish can have his favorite team. Almost all commish's run the same teams, usually Yankees and recently there is a huge increase in A's commish's. There are a few other select teams everyone likes to be, are there any Brewers commish's? Tigers? Padres? Maybe it is just my general quest for knowledge that leads me to ask this...........but I am sure some people have some better reasons than just wanting their team?

I predict there will be an abundance of people who will post a plethera of reasons for the exsistence of their leagues and few if any will admit to simply opening it just to have their team, but I must know...........

This is the part where you reply.

[azkyote84]

primary reason - Because I was involved in 5 leagues that collapsed.

secondary reason - to have the exact type of league I wanted to play in.


I think #2 is the most common reason from what I have seen.

I do have to admit to having my own team name as a plus, but...

It is a fictional league where everyone picked their teams and then we let the computer do the initial draft and run on it's own for 5 seasons. The first person to pick a team had just as good of a chance to land a powerhouse as the last person to pick a team.

[Cuss16]

I started the GFBL because it's very different than any league that I have ever seen and thought it might a great idea to have it. So far it's been awsome.

[SanDiegoPadres19]

I am a commish and i GM the Padres, so that answers question #1. As for #2 i started EBL because i was sick and tired of commish's not sticking to their word. I would wait and wait for a sim and nothing would happen, and after playing for so long its just natural to want to go to the next level, thus i plunked down 50 bucks and bought a website and server and i havent looked back since.

I honestly could never go back to just being a GM.

[kq76]

Originally posted by Karen Lutz
Why do so many people start leagues?

It sounds like from this and other posts that this bothers you. I seem to remember you pushing some new league not too long ago.

I think if someone wants it bad enough and they can get enough people interested in the same concept then great for them! I don't think anyone should suggest to others that they shouldn't start one just because there are so many others out there. They should be told that they should really think everything through, whether they and others will really have enough interest in it and put the time and effort into it that a successful league demands. But past that, they should only be encouraged.

Sure, many new leagues fail, but I'm sure many of the first leagues failed as well. Similarly, the good new ones will survive just like the first good ones did. They just need a chance.

Originally posted by azkyote84
secondary reason - to have the exact type of league I wanted to play in.

I would think that this, or a variant of it, would probably be the #1 reason for starting most leagues. This would be my #1 reason if I started a new league. But I just think that, with considering how much time and effort I would have to put into it, I would probably get more out of an existing league.

Originally posted by Karen Lutz
I assume 99% of them is just so a commish can have his favorite team.

I'd be shocked if this were the #1 reason, not alone near that %. I'd also be a little suspicious of one's intentions if their #1 reason for starting a league was to play their favorite team. I mean I do believe they'd want to play a particular team, I just don't think it would be many people's #1 reason.

[Cooleyvol]

Originally posted by Karen Lutz
I assume 99% of them is just so a commish can have his favorite team.

Maybe in the 'Present Day leagues run by 17 y/o commissioners' category, this would be a top reason, but I think you'll have a hard time finding a mature commissioner who started his league just so he could have the team he wanted.

Thats not a very good assumption, IMO.

[UKSubs]

Actually, there are commissioners whose favorite team is the Brewers and one league under that arrangement is entering its 21st season.

I became a commissioner through a very different process than most people who decide to start a league and become commissioner that way. After about seven seasons of being just an owner or owner and NL President of the CDL, Matt asked if I would be his co-commissioner. Considering all the hard work that Matt had put into the league and the great deal of enjoyment that I derived from the CDL, I felt that at minimum I should give back.

And to be very honest, I am glad that I have been so involved in the CDL for the last 14 seasons.

There is a lot of day to day things that running a league requires and it's easier when there are two or more people doing it, rather than just one person. And when you have more time, you can do more little things to make the league enjoyable like a league newspaper or ensuring that the imported rookies in a historical league are properly edited or that all the contract extensions are checked and readied to be entered before sim time. It should be something you really enjoy, otherwise everyone in the league will know that you really don't enjoy it and the league will suffer.

[nmleague]

I did the NML as a solo league, fictional starting in the 1920 era, and ran 20 plus seasons. It seemed to work real well but I thought it would work even better with human owners for the teams. Thus the NML online league was created. It has undergone two expansions. Its fictional so my favorite team had nothing to do with it, but it does cover the area of the country in which I grew up and lived in.

[Driver 8]

Originally posted by Karen Lutz
Why do so many people start leagues? I assume 99% of them is just so a commish can have his favorite team...I predict there will be an abundance of people who will post a plethera of reasons for the exsistence of their leagues and few if any will admit to simply opening it just to have their team, but I must know...........

I created the TSTBL because I quite simply just wanted to be behind the scenes instead of worrying about running a team. I am in a couple of leagues and I get my fill of team management from them. I don't run a team in this league and really don't have a desire to.

[EvanW]

My situation is somewhat similar to Brian's and the CDL. I was an owner in the 4CBA when the three original 4CBA commishes had to step down due to other commitments. I felt that it was a great league with a great concept, and didn't want to see it fail. Some of the other owners felt the same way, and three of us stepped up take over the league. It's a fictional league, so having my favorite team was completely a non-issue.

[satchel]

Without some data to track the births and deaths of leagues, we can only guess at the number of active online OotP leagues. We can make an educated guess by factoring in other information, like activity in the Online Leagues forum.

Three months ago, someone else here asked “Too many leagues?” and then a month ago, it was “Where did all the OotP leagues go?”

[Karen Lutz]

Originally posted by kq76
It sounds like from this and other posts that this bothers you. I seem to remember you pushing some new league not too long ago.

Nope, doesnt bother me I was just curious. I was also not aware I made any other posts about leagues? I also don't push anything, I probably asked you, but I wouldn't push.

[Karen Lutz]

All great stories, this is what I wanted to know, thx. I was actually just curious, I always want to learn more and more, my assumptions were purely based on what seems to be popular opinion. I personally feel that things are great in this community, but if I didnt include the things I did in my original question/statement, the points made by all of you would have been less intruiging.

[sporr]

Baseball Maelstrom was set up when my co-commish and I decided that we wanted to participate against other humans in a league setup just the way we wanted it to be. A secondary reason that has kept us going is that we wanted to create something that could be enjoyed by others.

[Recte44]

I'm a Brewers Commish. I actually started the ORB so I could re-live my favorite era, the 80's....where the Brewers reigned supreme (or should have, with proper management).

Karen, you should check it out. You'd be proud.
If you feel like being my AGM.....email me!

[Karen Lutz]

wow, good job, nice to see the Brewers in their rightful place imo, lol, I know many disagree, but that is the heart of a true fan, always stick with your team.

As for the AGM offer, thanks, but I am in 5 leagues and I commit myself to them. I see you are in OOL with me as well, so I know I will be chatting with you eventually. Take care.

[JimiP]

The birthof Wildthings Baseball League actually is an offspring of an old FPS league -- whenthe support and fun dried up for FPS I was hipped to OOTP3 and it took me till version 5 to get a good enuf feel for the game to decide upon rebirthing the old league in a new form.
It is a league of historical teams thrown together at a starting point in time and using financials, caps and random drafting i do believe it is unlike any other league - icould be wrong but it wont be the first time.
As for team - i picked last after everyone else had their say - no ididdnt get my fav team nor an espicially strong one - but its fun none-the-less.