This seems to be a popular question lately. With the AFBL expanding it’s markets every day, it would be natural to want to win the most coveted prize in The Association of Fantasy Baseball Leagues – the Gold League Award. It is not money; it is not a new car or home, but simply, a copy and paste image created on paintbrush. With membership increasing at an ultra-fast rate, these awards will be tougher and tougher to win. Be forewarned, reading this editorial, will not turn your league into gold. However, it may provide some helpful tips on how the AFBL Board of Directors makes one of the toughest calls in simulation baseball – crown one league with the AFBL Gold Award. So, without further adieu, The Association of Fantasy Baseball Leagues presents to you, an AFBL original series: How To Win an AFBL League Award.
One thing must be recognized, there is no such thing as a bad league. This idea simply does not exist. Any league that is applying for an award is a good league. Therefore, a league has to demonstrate additional qualities above and beyond their mere existence.
With that in mind, let me present the first term that will be used exclusively: show-me-state. No, I’m not talking about Missouri; I’m talking about how to win an award. You need to show us that your league is the best. Prove it, like a good thematic essay. Your league may be the most fun, most entertaining league with the best group of owners. Unfortunately, that means nothing to a grader from the Board of Directors who has never taken part in your league. I’ll repeat this a thousand times, you need to prove your league is the best. Got good owners? Prove it…let ‘em write articles, make trades (need a trade board to see that), create team web pages, something, be creative … just prove it!
This idea of a show-me-state has not bode well for some very good leagues on the internet. A specific instance where the aforementioned has occurred is in the 20thCBA. One can sympathize with the members and especially the commissioner, Luc St-Arnaud of the 20th Century Baseball League. Luc runs an historical baseball league using FPS Bbpro98. The owner turnover in this league is extremely low. The quality of the stats from the “dead ball era” is terrific. The drafts seem to be interesting, fun, and entertaining. However, the web page is not flashy. There is not much evidence on the page that proves to me, Luc’s league is great. A gold award cannot be awarded on assumptions.
If a league applies for a league award and cannot prove that the league is the best by information on your web site, then honestly, the league may want to reconsider applying. In the case of the 20th Century Baseball Association, they probably appear to be much worse of a league than they really are due to the ratings they have received in the first two AFBL League Awards. However, probably is the key word in the previous sentence.
Here is a sentence you will not want to forget any time soon:
Creativity is the single most important category that wins gold awards.
This is because creativity encompasses all of the other aspects that are judged in the AFBL League Awards. Furthermore, as Board of Directors member Lonnie Moody points out, creativity runs standard throughout all leagues and therefore can and will receive greater emphasis then other categories such as owner participation.
If the AFBL Board of Directors had a majority vote in favor of changing the criteria necessary to win an award, then the criteria would be changed. However, as of today, the criteria are as follows:
· Organization
· Owner Participation
· Creativity
· Web Site
· History
If your league has a creative way to display its history section, then the history rating will most likely improve. If your league’s web site is creatively done, then your website rating will most likely improve. If your league has a creative way to display how it’s owners participate, then the owner participation rating will most likely improve.
It takes creativity to produce a show-me-state.
The one instance in which creativity has hurt is with the California Rotisserie Association for the Baseball Society (CRABS). Right away you can tell this league is creative, after all, their league’s name is an acronym. However, at first appearance - as one commissioner perfectly coined - this page is nauseating. However, after getting used to the site, it is actually extremely detailed and effective.
A league must remember, a grader will spend perhaps ten to fifteen minutes searching the site and then will make ratings.
“You only get one chance to make a first impression.”
“A first impression is a lasting impression.”
Whether one knows it or not, after one has viewed a page for fifteen seconds, an impression has been formed. Having a page that is nauseating at first glance does not give a good first impression. Having a neat league logo does give a good first impression. The front page, in most cases separates the medallists from the non-medallists. CRABS is most likely deserving of a league award, it is extremely creative. However, with one new grader every time the league awards are held, this grader gets a first impression that may hurt the league’s chances.
The AFBL Board of Directors wishes your league the best of luck in the next awards, which will be held in October. Perhaps this editorial will provide a new perspective on the league awards and propel your league to become a medallist.
