Fantasy league question

[Jefe]

I’m curious if most of you guys are friends with the guys in your leagues or at least have some sort of relationship with them outside of fantasy? And if you’ve done it both ways what do you prefer?

My baseball league is 21 years old and it started out with everyone being local and me as Commissioner having some relationship with most of them, or at most someone might be 1° out. Now, after all this time, over half the league is two and 3° out and the number of people I consider friends I could count on one hand. And it’s really sucked the fun out of it for me. I’m thinking this is probably my last year. Which is kind of sad but maybe it’s time.

[GwynnInTheHall]

I’m curious if most of you guys are friends with the guys in your leagues or at least have some sort of relationship with them outside of fantasy? And if you’ve done it both ways what do you prefer?

My baseball league is 21 years old and it started out with everyone being local and me as Commissioner having some relationship with most of them, or at most someone might be 1° out. Now, after all this time, over half the league is two and 3° out and the number of people I consider friends I could count on one hand. And it’s really sucked the fun out of it for me. I’m thinking this is probably my last year. Which is kind of sad but maybe it’s time.

having been in and out of leagues for 30 years, I have made friends, lost friends and everything in between. Like anything, like minded people will gravitate into friendships casual or more connected. I've a handful of people I consider friends from leagues I'm no longer in, but the friendship remains. I even have a handful of RJ folks I consider friends and others I've met that I believe I am friendly/acquainted--would hang out with them again if I saw them kind of people.

I USED to place a big value on being in leagues with a lot of friends, but now I enjoy leagues with very good and competitive owners over ones full of friends (which I still am in) I've learned to separate them enjoyment of the leagues and friends. Because as you mentioned--It can lead to an unenjoyable situation if you try to keep the magic of what was in a place where it no longer is.

[chancellor]

I have a good/active relationship with 2-3 people from each league, and a good, but less active relationship with 2-4 more in each league. I'm in three leagues, and I was the replacement in two of them - my AL auction league, for instance, I was a last minute replacement recommended by a guy who used to post on here. He left the league the year after I got in, which meant I had to build some relationships or just be a short-time manager. So I did some grunt work to help the commish, called a couple others for beer when I was in town (I'm about two hours from where most of the managers live, but get down there about every 4-6 weeks), and built up a friendship with a couple of the managers and something of a relationship with a few more.

[Judge Jude]

I have noted that we lost one of our "12 More Witty Than Angry Men" owners who passed away in January.

the rest of us have just entered anywhere from our 20th to 37th year in this league.
this was the first year that we could not/did not have the auction in person.
we fully intend to remedy that in 2022.

all of the owners at some point worked for the same company, although not all overlapped or worked in the same department. so there are some who don't know a couple of other owners very well.

but after all those in-person auctions, everybody knows everybody to a reasonable degree.

we still tend to relive memorable auction dramatics from 20 to 30 years ago.

and yes, I realize that we are the last of a (literally, unfortunately) dying breed.

[revo]

Since I’m commish in a couple of my leagues, I usually add RJers whenever there’s an opening, so I would say not really.

However, I do dislike when an old friend drops out, because that inevitably means I will speak with them far less.

[madducks]

I’m curious if most of you guys are friends with the guys in your leagues or at least have some sort of relationship with them outside of fantasy? And if you’ve done it both ways what do you prefer?

My baseball league is 21 years old and it started out with everyone being local and me as Commissioner having some relationship with most of them, or at most someone might be 1° out. Now, after all this time, over half the league is two and 3° out and the number of people I consider friends I could count on one hand. And it’s really sucked the fun out of it for me. I’m thinking this is probably my last year. Which is kind of sad but maybe it’s time.

Sounds like some librarian guy i know.

I guess it all depends on your definition of friends and your main reason for wanting to be in the league.

I consider all of the guys in my local league to be friends even though i only see them once or twice a year and two of them moved out of state a few years back. Occasional e-mails, text messages, and league message board are usually our only methods of communication during the season unless i run into someone at Walmart. My league was made up of friends that i already knew when i joined 22 years ago. But, i didn't join with the expectation that the league was going to fill up my social calendar. I joined because i was looking for a competitive game to play and provide me with 6 months of entertainment. It just so happened that it was a bunch of guys from my hometown area that i was already friends with. Some of those friends left and i made friends with the new guys that joined. When a league has been around for a long time there are going to be changes in membership.

I also play in some public leagues where i don't know anyone. And i enjoy those as well. Having friends in a league is always preferred. Although, it's not a requirement for me. But, i guess everyone has different expectations of what a league should be like.

[Judge Jude]

I also am in my 6th year in a 32-week PGA Tour golfers-picking league (I know, I know).

Commish was the leader of our neighborhood sports plans while I was growing up.
the 13 combatants, Commish and I aside, include:
my brother
Commish wife
her two sons
his brother
two sons of the golf pro from our local course when we were kids
4 golf buddies of the Commish

so I know "only" 6 of the other 12 by previous in-person meeting
but the banter is strong because in this case the epicenter is not me but this Commish - who has known everyone really well for decades

[DMT]

My friends league has been around for 22 years and we haven't had any turnover since 2007. We've met up in different locales every year until this one, but we're getting together in Colorado in July to make up for it. I've been in other fantasy leagues but left because I just didn't have the time or interest anymore to be in multiple leagues. Although I joined a sim league seven years ago without knowing anyone and I enjoy that as well.

[Moonlight J]

Both of my "local" leagues are in fact mostly made of people from other areas of NC. I'm friends with one of the other CLT area folks, but everyone else is mostly to the central and eastern part of the state. I have stronger relationships in the industry leagues since those date back to 2007 for me.

[umjewman]

Both of my "local" leagues are in fact mostly made of people from other areas of NC. I'm friends with one of the other CLT area folks, but everyone else is mostly to the central and eastern part of the state. I have stronger relationships in the industry leagues since those date back to 2007 for me.

Hey, remember that time you convinced me to join a third league with people you knew, and then you left that league, and I was in a league with nobody I knew? Good times.

[Gregg]

I’m curious if most of you guys are friends with the guys in your leagues or at least have some sort of relationship with them outside of fantasy? And if you’ve done it both ways what do you prefer?

My baseball league is 21 years old and it started out with everyone being local and me as Commissioner having some relationship with most of them, or at most someone might be 1° out. Now, after all this time, over half the league is two and 3° out and the number of people I consider friends I could count on one hand. And it’s really sucked the fun out of it for me. I’m thinking this is probably my last year. Which is kind of sad but maybe it’s time.

I really like the game for the games sake.

Outside of the auction and the winter meetings I have only hung out with one member who is in both of my only leagues. He was here first. We go to dinner and a game or two each season.

I brought a friend of mine into our AL league 3 years ago. We go for an occasional cigar or a meal. I do like talking baseball and trading with him. There has been some drama that was off putting to him when a trade or two was called into question. He was offended. I knew the personalities so I knew it would pass.

I started playing this game many years ago with friends. I have learned that does not add anything for me.

[Moonlight J]

Hey, remember that time you convinced me to join a third league with people you knew, and then you left that league, and I was in a league with nobody I knew? Good times.

That was awesome

[hacko]

I’m in 2 leagues : my brother and I started our Al only league in 1986. I am the only original owner left. The first 6 or 7 years were made up of mostly friends of mine or my brothers . Then we started to get owners off the internet and they all added friends of theirs . 10 of our owners have been in the league 17 or more years. I would consider all of them friends but only 2 that I see outside any baseball league setting.

League 2 is the Pony league that was started from this site. I knew no one when I got into that league,but look forward every year to get with the group. Have expanded with a core group from this league to do some Vintage drafting. So online I spend time with them.

[Teenwolf]

All of my leagues have been started through RJ.

I have a good friendly relationship with several owners, usually the ones that are the best players who see value similarly to me, and there are others I refuse to deal with because of who they are. I'm not willing to talk trade with anybody who's attacked me personally. It puts a real sour taste in my mouth being in leagues with these people, but the satisfaction will come when I obliterate them.

On the other hand, some folks I don't like much on here have been very cordial in trade talks and I've grown to respect them more.

[TranaGreg]

my original league was started in 1987 with a bunch of guys I knew really well. The first 10-15 years we hung out after work, drank together, went to games together - good times. But as everyone got married, drifted away for work, some left the league & got replaced, eventually there were only 3 or 4 of us who knew each other well ... by the time I left the league in 2012 it was pretty toxic. Now I'm just in RJEL which is fun as I "know" some of the gang, but also it's really competitive - it's a different kind of entertainment.