What is it that makes a fantasy league worth returning to?

When the proprietors here announced they were looking for more contributors, I eagerly enlisted, though I should warn you that I’m nowhere near the expertise and experience in stats and tactics required of a Fantasy Baseball General. I’m more like a fantasy baseball lieutenant–or maybe fantasy baseball color guard.

In any case, that’s kind of the point of my contributions–to add to the fantasy think-tank with thoughts and updates on a young league I’m commissioner for. It’s a head-to-head league made up of twelve guys who know each other from college, and our previous fantasy ball experience ranges from shark-like to zero (two guys agreed to sign up this year so they could “learn more about baseball.”) The hope is that the experimentation, setbacks, fatigue, and surges we go through can help illuminate and spark some discussion on what makes for fun and challenging leagues.

The pressing question this time of year, as you might expect, is manager retention. Our least-active managers (of the teams that finished in the last places) are also the most likely to not return next year. And the four or five managers at the top of the league–already versed in the roster changes and lineup strategy that lead to victory–can likewise be expected to sign up again next season. But what about the group in the middle, who are close baseball fans, but haven’t yet made the leap into the fantasy abyss?

I’m confident there are ways to turn these fantasy baseball dabblers into fantasy baseball enthusiasts, because I used to be one of them. I was once one of those guys in the league who drafts players based on how silly I thought their names sounded, how heavy they were, or whether they had six fingers on each hand. And I would promptly lose interest after losing the first five weeks of the season. But hey! Look at me now: commissioner of a league, and a perennial playoff contender, even.

So the question for the chamber is, what makes a league fun enough to return to? Is it the winning? And, barring that, the competition? I have a few of ideas for my league–emphasizing keepers and promoting trades foremost among them–that I will talk about next time. But for now, I hope you’ll add your thoughts below.
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