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Why is tanking bad?
Every year a league awards one title and one 1.01 pick. Tanking doesn’t change that. It changes the identity of who gets which, but so does drafting good players, or making a trade, and those are both fine. The league doesn’t care about the identities per se.
Every year a league awards one title and one 1.01 pick. Tanking doesn’t change that. It changes the identity of who gets which, but so does drafting good players, or making a trade, and those are both fine. The league doesn’t care about the identities per se.
So why is tanking bad?
Because leagues that allow it inevitably look like this, and teams that don’t allow it inevitably don’t.
Do you think it’s more fun to play in leagues that look like this, or in leagues that don’t? I vote “leagues that don’t”. https://twitter.com/RotoHack/status/1334862844131766275
Because leagues that allow it inevitably look like this, and teams that don’t allow it inevitably don’t.
Do you think it’s more fun to play in leagues that look like this, or in leagues that don’t? I vote “leagues that don’t”. https://twitter.com/RotoHack/status/1334862844131766275
Head to head matchups are more fun when you go up against actual teams and not “one player (who happens to be on the Covid list)”. That’s not a contest, it’s a foregone conclusion.
Playoff races are more exciting when they’re not settled by drawing Covid guy in Week 13.
Playoff races are more exciting when they’re not settled by drawing Covid guy in Week 13.
“Team A is gaining an advantage over Team B” is a bad reason to oppose tanking. Fantasy is zero-sum. Every team’s advantage is a disadvantage for everyone else.
“The entire thing is net negative fun” is a good reason to oppose tanking. Fun is the whole point of fantasy football.
“The entire thing is net negative fun” is a good reason to oppose tanking. Fun is the whole point of fantasy football.
Personally, I think the absolute best (theoretical) way to discourage tanking would be for a trusted third party (not in the league) to say “I’ve invented a complex system to distribute draft position. It isn’t based on wins and losses. But I won’t tell you what it is.”
Goodhart’s Law says that when a measure becomes a target it ceases to be a good measure.
We have various ways to measure the “worst” team. Losses, all-play record, potential points. But as soon as GMs know which measure you’re using, it becomes a target.
We have various ways to measure the “worst” team. Losses, all-play record, potential points. But as soon as GMs know which measure you’re using, it becomes a target.
My league awards draft position by potential points. It’s *harder* to game than wins and losses, but not impossible. I can refrain from carrying backup QBs or Defenses. I can trade for injured stars like Dak or Saquon. All inflate my draft position without making my team worse.
As long as GMs know the metric they’re being evaluated on, their decision-making will be influenced by that knowledge and the metric begins to measure how well they can game it.
The best (and also hardest) solution would be ignorance.
The best (and also hardest) solution would be ignorance.
If anyone wants to test this theory out, let me know. I’ll come up with a system for assigning draft position and I’ll just tell you who gets which pick.
Won’t tell you what the system is, though. Y’all would have to just trust me when I say I’m above-board with it.
Won’t tell you what the system is, though. Y’all would have to just trust me when I say I’m above-board with it.
