07-28-2020, 10:28 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-28-2020, 11:43 AM by AsylumParty.)
5) One of the especially interesting aspects of this league and its functioning to me, is the sheer intricacy. It's really incredible that we have have assembled, collectively, such a complicated machine. Sure, we already had a foundation - the National Football League - but we have had to refine it over the years to be suited to little dots, that are hit or miss as an actual simulation, but that is besides the point. There are a number of aspects to this that I want to touch on, specifically.
First of all, I find it endlessly interesting that our GMs, bless their hearts, manage their teams down to the most micro aspects. I was not drafted by the Honolulu Hahalua, for instance, partially because I was asking for too much money. I do not mean to imply that Griffin Porter, my player, is going to change the future of the league or anything, but decisions as small as that can have long-term implications. Constantly, GMs are presented with decisions: "is player x worth this, when we need that and that?" So, sure, you could say that they *just* manage a team, but naturally, that entails many more things. They are managing a salary cap; they are picking and moving pieces based on the type of team that they want to build, and must also account for personalities; they are formulating strategies on a weekly basis based on opponents who are also evolving and strategizing against them. And sure, I may be assuming the best of all GMs here, but I think that the ones that do not put in meaningful effort are typically weeded out, be it by failure, or others that recognize this. Though, I think in saying that I should also tread carefully not to dissuade others from giving a general manager position a shot, because so long as you have the team's best interests at heart, others will recognize this, and your team will be better for it. There are always going to be teams that have to have losing records. Honestly, I have more to say about how much GMs impress me, but so that this does not turn into a singular topic response, I think it is best I move on.
Someone that I did not begin this discussion with the foresight to recognize, but dawned on me part way through, is Ballerstorm. He is the reason that all of this exists in the first place. And if I remember correctly, he based this loosely on the SHL's format at the time, as that is where he was coming from. I would certainly have to say, uncontested, I imagine, that he has had the farthest reaching touch on every aspect of this league. Though, like I said, as far as I know (I am not an SHL native) this was not simply a cut and paste routine. I think that Ballerstorm's method of laying down an already working foundation was a smart one. But from there, he had to make a number of adjustments appropriate for a football league. His goal, I think, was to simulate the real-life football experience as best as possible, and as far as I can tell, he did a phenomenal job.
Before I am done, I want to heap my praise and equal wonderment on anyone doing a job. This is not just to say that it is impressive people can come together to do these things, which it is, but rather that I could not possibly touch on the expertise each individual gains at certain elements of this league that others do not see. This is a bit of a catch-all, as I can not possibly fit each job's unique elements in my desired word count, but it is worth stating anyways. Updaters are the absolute bread and butter of this league. It is what we look forward to every week, knowing that our efforts are paying off. The giant, collective organization of the spreadsheet by total strangers is really a complex mechanism that continually impresses me. Further, we are running a FANTASY LEAGUE FOR OUR OWN LEAGUE. How cool/meta is that? We are pushing the limits of where we can go with simulation to the point we are both participants and observers of this league simultaneously. It has instilled me that same bittersweet feeling of wanting to root for players that play against my team on occasion (but that they won't do so well that they win) that real fantasy leagues (is that an oxymoron?) do for me. And while there is so much more, I want to lastly talk about how many different aspects of the league that head office manages. It used to be far less organized than it is now, so there is even a self-policing aspect that has, in my opinion, turned out quite well. Sure there are road bumps, but no league is without mistakes. All in all, I am really impressed at how complex a system this is.
First of all, I find it endlessly interesting that our GMs, bless their hearts, manage their teams down to the most micro aspects. I was not drafted by the Honolulu Hahalua, for instance, partially because I was asking for too much money. I do not mean to imply that Griffin Porter, my player, is going to change the future of the league or anything, but decisions as small as that can have long-term implications. Constantly, GMs are presented with decisions: "is player x worth this, when we need that and that?" So, sure, you could say that they *just* manage a team, but naturally, that entails many more things. They are managing a salary cap; they are picking and moving pieces based on the type of team that they want to build, and must also account for personalities; they are formulating strategies on a weekly basis based on opponents who are also evolving and strategizing against them. And sure, I may be assuming the best of all GMs here, but I think that the ones that do not put in meaningful effort are typically weeded out, be it by failure, or others that recognize this. Though, I think in saying that I should also tread carefully not to dissuade others from giving a general manager position a shot, because so long as you have the team's best interests at heart, others will recognize this, and your team will be better for it. There are always going to be teams that have to have losing records. Honestly, I have more to say about how much GMs impress me, but so that this does not turn into a singular topic response, I think it is best I move on.
Someone that I did not begin this discussion with the foresight to recognize, but dawned on me part way through, is Ballerstorm. He is the reason that all of this exists in the first place. And if I remember correctly, he based this loosely on the SHL's format at the time, as that is where he was coming from. I would certainly have to say, uncontested, I imagine, that he has had the farthest reaching touch on every aspect of this league. Though, like I said, as far as I know (I am not an SHL native) this was not simply a cut and paste routine. I think that Ballerstorm's method of laying down an already working foundation was a smart one. But from there, he had to make a number of adjustments appropriate for a football league. His goal, I think, was to simulate the real-life football experience as best as possible, and as far as I can tell, he did a phenomenal job.
Before I am done, I want to heap my praise and equal wonderment on anyone doing a job. This is not just to say that it is impressive people can come together to do these things, which it is, but rather that I could not possibly touch on the expertise each individual gains at certain elements of this league that others do not see. This is a bit of a catch-all, as I can not possibly fit each job's unique elements in my desired word count, but it is worth stating anyways. Updaters are the absolute bread and butter of this league. It is what we look forward to every week, knowing that our efforts are paying off. The giant, collective organization of the spreadsheet by total strangers is really a complex mechanism that continually impresses me. Further, we are running a FANTASY LEAGUE FOR OUR OWN LEAGUE. How cool/meta is that? We are pushing the limits of where we can go with simulation to the point we are both participants and observers of this league simultaneously. It has instilled me that same bittersweet feeling of wanting to root for players that play against my team on occasion (but that they won't do so well that they win) that real fantasy leagues (is that an oxymoron?) do for me. And while there is so much more, I want to lastly talk about how many different aspects of the league that head office manages. It used to be far less organized than it is now, so there is even a self-policing aspect that has, in my opinion, turned out quite well. Sure there are road bumps, but no league is without mistakes. All in all, I am really impressed at how complex a system this is.