Believe it or not, there are people who will draft their team and then abandon ship as soon as the draft is done. It is wild to me but a sad reality nonetheless. I am fortunate enough to be in leagues that this does not occur but in the beginning, it was a problem. Here are some helpful things to do throughout the season to keep people interested in the league and want them to continue throughout the season.

As commissioner, you want to make sure everyone is playing to their full potential and not dropping out. Drop outs really hurt the league because it is a free pass for whoever is playing against that person and ultimately will alter the playoffs.

So, what can we do? Well, make the buy in and end of the season championship prize enticing enough to keep everyone involved and competitive. It is important to keep in touch with all the league members during the offseason. I utilize the offseason to reach out to my league mates and ask for their input. This includes but is never limited to: draft date, venue and any league changes that they may want to explore. For example, this year, we upped our buy in and made some scoring adjustments. Asking for their input and coming together for draft day details is the best practice to assure everyone’s attendance at the draft.

Be creative on ways to come up with draft order on draft day. This is truly one of my favorite things to do. Last year I recruited my wife and kids in helping make my “Punch-A-Bunch Board”. Just like on the daytime game show The Price Is Right! Using a base, red solo cups, rubber bands, and punch paper tissue, our board was made. Each cup had the numbers 1-12 in them. Whatever cup you punched you would pull a number and that was your draft spot.

In just a few weeks, the NFL preseason will be here. It is important to check in and follow along for injuries and news. Do not be the person at your draft, drafting someone who has suffered an injury during preseason or even has been cut from a team.