When it comes to your fantasy football league, is anything really more important? Probably not. However, a time may arise when leaving the league becomes a necessity due to important life decisions and milestones, time constraints, or even a spouse who thinks you’ve devoted too much time toward becoming the world’s greatest fantasy league manager or team manager.
Whatever the reason, if you’ve entered a fantasy league and need to leave it for any reason, there’s a bit of etiquette that goes along with actually quitting your league. Read on to find out how to leave a fantasy football league the right way.
Before getting into the semantics and etiquette of how to leave a fantasy football league, let’s start with acceptable reasons to leave a fantasy football league — or more accurately — when you shouldn’t.
Under no circumstances should you leave a fantasy football league when things aren’t going your way or you’ve dipped in the standings or rankings. Maybe you played the league’s draft or fantasy auction poorly, you didn’t look at the waiver wire regularly, or it’s just your first time in the league. Other times, a tight end, wide receiver, quarterback, or running back that you were counting on may be having a horrible season that kills your chances for glory. Just like the NFL itself, not everything happens according to plan.
In any case, subpar performance isn’t a reason to quit. It’s akin to taking your basketball and going home when you’re playing a pickup game. Don’t let poor sportsmanship cloud your judgment. Chalk it up to a learning experience, gather as much knowledge as you can, and get ready for next season by absorbing information.
As long as you aren’t getting manhandled in your league, most of your fellow league mates and the league commissioner are likely to accept your resignation if it’s for a good reason — and that goes for all fantasy sports, not just football. Some acceptable reasons for bowing out of the league include:
You may have a reason of your own not listed above, but in an effort to lessen the impact on the league and its players, give fair notice of your departure, thank the commish, and leave on a high note. Humor is undoubtedly encouraged if you decide to pen a retirement letter.
If you’ve played through every scenario in your head and you’re still convinced that you need to leave the league, the next step is to adequately plan your departure. You can’t just leave in a sudden fashion — it can create a major rift in your league and even cause problems with matchups, bye weeks, and players now available on the waiver wire.
So if you want to learn how to leave a fantasy football league with your dignity and good standing intact, follow the etiquette:
If you can follow this etiquette, you’re less likely to make enemies if you want to join the same league in the future.
After informing the commissioner and any other important parties about your departure, you’re finally ready to pull the plug on the season. In some leagues, the commissioner can delete teams from their menu. In some instances, you may have to delete your fantasy NFL team on your own.
Most leagues have an FAQ about how to leave a fantasy football league, but in the sake of ease, here’s how to do it on the most popular platforms.
Regardless of whether you’re in a public or private league, you cannot leave Yahoo Fantasy Football if the league has already had a draft. In a public league, you’ll have to remain in the league regardless. However, if you’re in a private league, you can send a request to the league manager to transfer you to another league.
If your league hasn’t drafted, you can leave the league by following these steps:
Like Yahoo, ESPN fantasy football doesn’t allow you to leave after the draft occurs unless you’re in a private league and request to be let go by the league manager.
To leave before the draft, follow these steps:
You cannot leave an NFL.com Fantasy Football league after a draft unless you contact the commish — but again, this is only for private leagues. In public leagues, you have to commit to a full season.
To leave NFL.com Fantasy Football, follow these steps:
Unless you’re invited by a friend, you have free rein to choose the perfect fantasy football league for your needs. So before you jump into a league, you may want to pore over a few considerations. By doing so, you won’t have to worry about how to leave a fantasy football league. Instead, you can enjoy the entire season. Here are a few aspects that you should weigh in your decision:
By going through these league options, you can always choose the right league for your time frame, skill level, and gambling risk. Once you come to a conclusion, make sure that you check out the league page to look over the various settings. Commissioners have the ability to use LM tools (league manager tools) to change every aspect of the league.
So whether you’re in Yahoo Fantasy Football or the ESPN Fantasy League, you should have an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules and settings. Otherwise, you may find yourself landing right back here to learn how to leave a fantasy football league.
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