Fantasy Sports Ethics: Question 1 (Tanking)

[Roy Hobbs]

I think way too much about fantasy sports, and was considering the "ethics" of them today.  I've come up with a few different questions that I'm hoping people will weigh in on.

Question #1:  In a keeper league, is it ever okay to "tank" (i.e., lose games on purpose)?  There's two reasons somebody would do this:  for a better draft pick (assuming the draft is reverse order of the standings), and to secure a more favorable playoff matchup (i.e., try to play the #6 seed in the first round rather than the #7 seed, etc.)

[Steve Weinman]

I find tanking frustrating in real life because, more than any other reason, it willingly puts your paying customer base (fans) through hell.  Even when there is a potentially brighter future ahead and fans are capable of grasping that, it's not a fun time.

The good news is that unless Roy is as much of a renowned persona in the fantasy corner of the Interwebs as he is on CelticsBlog (a near impossible feat for any being to match) I'm guessing a fan base isn't a real concern on the fantasy front.

As for sanctity of the game, well...it's all fantasy, right?

-sw 

[LB3533]

I am not sure about the "tanking" strategy, if it is a strategy at all.

There are no guarantees in life or fantasy life.

Also, maybe this belongs in a separate topic/thread, but in my baseball league, we don't have a "draft", we have "auctions"....so there is no "tanking" during the season.

There is only: "fire-sale" trades....which end up being really one-sided deals (superstars with massive contracts for prospects or cheaper players).

 

[JSD]

In my keeper league the better you do the better your draft position (percentage wise). So tanking doesn't affect us.

[Shoot the J]

I say no. In a keeper league I think it's grounds to kick someone out the following year. It may give someone a better draft pick, but it also could effect the playoff picture, which is not fair to anyone else.

[Greenbean]

We do equal opp. lottery every year so we can't really tank. What I do love however is firesale trades. For example, last year I had a stockpile of great keepers and I was one bat away from going over the top. I essentially traded Justin Upton (keeper), for A-Rod. I won the title and no one in my league complained.

Conversely, Prince Fielder's rookie year I traded Pujols for Fielder straight up when I stunk. Now I have Fielder, Longoria, and Hanley Ramirez (drafted the year the Sox traded him to the Marlins) as keepers.

It works out just like the MLB trade deadline which is a lot of fun.

[Rondo2287]

I say no for draft position because it hurts the competitiveness of the league. 

When it comes to jockeying for playoff position, I am ok with it because : It happens in real life, and if you are doing well enough in the league to make the playoffs, odds are you are invested in the league and should be able to do whatever you think is best in order to win the championship.

[Fafnir]

I have no problem tanking in either situation.

If you don't want tanking by teams that are out of the running you have to separate the draft from final finish. There are a couple of ways to do this you just need to pick one.

[Shoot the J]

It's been a frustrating season of fantasy bball for me. I joined a friend's league only to find that about half the teams were created just to fill space. For example, one of the fake teams has Steve Nash, and has had him stashed on the bench for most of the year. So I ask, is tanking from Week 1 acceptable? I say no. Such a waste.  

[Fafnir]

It's been a frustrating season of fantasy bball for me. I joined a friend's league only to find that about half the teams were created just to fill space. For example, one of the fake teams has Steve Nash, and has had him stashed on the bench for most of the year. So I ask, is tanking from Week 1 acceptable? I say no. Such a waste.  

No, that's just a terrible league that needs to disband....

[Shoot the J]

Yeah, safe to say I won't be rejoining next year. Once i figured it out, i lost interest.

[Donoghus]

I have no problem with tanking, especially with safeguards in place.

If $ is involved, just do what occurs in many of my leagues; last place pays double buy-in.  It actually has created a pretty good deterrent through my experiences.

[blake]

You had to know I was going to reply to this thread.  I am all for doing whatever is in the rules. 

Is it ethical?  No.
Is it smart?  Yes.

I would say that rules need to be in place to stop it from happening from the get go. 

[guava_wrench]

Draft position should always be random in fantasy sports, even in keeper leagues.

[Fafnir]

I have no problem with tanking, especially with safeguards in place.

If $ is involved, just do what occurs in many of my leagues; last place pays double buy-in.  It actually has created a pretty good deterrent through my experiences.

Ooooh that's a good idea.

Just have buy-ins shift according to finish.