Tier 2: Short Form Tasks
(each 400+ words; choose up to 2 for 5 TPE each)
12) It seems likely the league will undergo expansion again one day soon. What would you like to see in a new expansion team? What should it be called, where should it be located, and who do you think would be in the best position to GM? Explain why.
(WC = 410)
The league’s rebranding from the National to the International Simulation Football League only a few seasons ago is a great start for encouraging diversity of team locations and players. However, it happens that the DSFL remains more international (with three teams outside the U.S. in Bondi Beach, Tijuana, and London) than the ISFL (with only Berlin and Yellowknife outside the U.S.). And even across both the DSFL and ISFL, we have yet to see a team in Asia (South America, or Africa).
Therefore, I would like to introduce the league to the newest bid for an expansion franchise in Asia: the Seoul Searchers. This team is founded on the principle that “teamwork makes the dream work” and that happy users create better earning players. From the start, Seoul would place a premium on drafting users that want to be part of a drama-free community and whose players work hard to contribute to a shared team vision.
And who better to lead with this team-before-player mentality than a duo of defensive linemen who work in the trenches each and every play to hold the line of scrimmage. And these leaders are none other than Ernest Lover (user: me, @Mojojojo) and Manhattan Project (user: @Modern_Duke). This pair has the balance of new energy, to quickly build up a team culture and fun locker room, and management experience, to be competitive in the sim league. The sharing of responsibilities would likely be more analogous to a general manager (Mojojojo) and Head Coach (Modern_Duke), with the GM handling the branding, community engagement, and recruitment and the head coach handling the playbooks and strategies game-to-game. Naturally, there would need to be strong collaboration between these roles so that the GM is picking users that fit not only the ethos, but also the game plan of the team.
On the field, Seoul would be a team known for its endurance and dogged persistence, wearing down opponents with their impenetrable defensive core (you already know who is going to be holding the line of scrimmage for years to come!). While it would be a defense-focused team, on the offensive side the team would be built around unsung heroes such as tight ends and fullbacks, relying on their help in run blocking and in the short-yardage passing game.
Off the field, Seoul would be a team known for tolerating differences of opinion and celebrating life and generosity beyond football. Seoul would encourage its players to respectfully confront toxicity and give back to the league.
15) You’ve been named Commissioner for a Week (your choice as to ISFL or DSFL). What do you do? Would you make any fast and drastic changes, or coast along with what’s already in place? Do you think you would do well in the position? If not, is there someone else that would?
(WC = 446)
If I were named Commissioner for a Week, I would like to tackle challenges in the Developmental Simulation Football League (DSFL). As a relatively new user to the league (having just finished my second season), the importance of the DSFL in shaping a user’s experience and long-term league commitment is still fresh in my mind.
One of the pervasive problems of the DSFL that stuck out to me was the imbalance in team competitiveness season-to-season based on the number of call-ups to the ISFL from the season before. It was clear that, even the best drafting wasn’t able to fill some of the gaping roster holes on the DSFL teams. Having fewer active users on a team means a lack of competitiveness on the field (with most of the rest of the roster being filled with 50 TPE bots), which can be hard for new users who tune into the games only to lose each week. This problem has been noted by many, and some have proposed solutions such as giving compensatory draft picks based on the number of call-ups. But especially in smaller DSFL draft classes, those compensatory picks would necessarily mean fewer active players and users on other teams, potentially impacting locker room activity and many other aspects of league that could have negative consequences that are hard to predict. I think an under-explored solution to this problem is the use of GM bots. Currently, each DSFL team gets two GM bots, which start at 50 TPE and earn 10 TPE per week throughout the season. Instead of compensatory picks, DSFL teams could get an additional GM bot for each ~3 call-ups form their roster to keep the playing field more competitive. If I were DSFL commissioner for a week, I would want to explore this solution with DSFL GMs and others involved in HO.
I think that DSFL Commissioner is a position that requires a user who is decisive and charismatic so as to be able to enact change, but also collaborative and a good listener in order to productively engage with the community of DSFL GMs, Rookie Mentors, and users/players in the league. It’s a position that requires a leader without an ego. Beyond personality fit, I think it is also useful to have a DSFL commissioner that has history with the league and knowledge of its rulebooks, processes, and politics. In particular, I think the best users for the position would be those who have had recent experience on the Rookie Mentor team and therefore have their ears to the ground in terms of the new user experience and the questions that they have in navigating their time in the DSFL.
(each 400+ words; choose up to 2 for 5 TPE each)
12) It seems likely the league will undergo expansion again one day soon. What would you like to see in a new expansion team? What should it be called, where should it be located, and who do you think would be in the best position to GM? Explain why.
(WC = 410)
The league’s rebranding from the National to the International Simulation Football League only a few seasons ago is a great start for encouraging diversity of team locations and players. However, it happens that the DSFL remains more international (with three teams outside the U.S. in Bondi Beach, Tijuana, and London) than the ISFL (with only Berlin and Yellowknife outside the U.S.). And even across both the DSFL and ISFL, we have yet to see a team in Asia (South America, or Africa).
Therefore, I would like to introduce the league to the newest bid for an expansion franchise in Asia: the Seoul Searchers. This team is founded on the principle that “teamwork makes the dream work” and that happy users create better earning players. From the start, Seoul would place a premium on drafting users that want to be part of a drama-free community and whose players work hard to contribute to a shared team vision.
And who better to lead with this team-before-player mentality than a duo of defensive linemen who work in the trenches each and every play to hold the line of scrimmage. And these leaders are none other than Ernest Lover (user: me, @Mojojojo) and Manhattan Project (user: @Modern_Duke). This pair has the balance of new energy, to quickly build up a team culture and fun locker room, and management experience, to be competitive in the sim league. The sharing of responsibilities would likely be more analogous to a general manager (Mojojojo) and Head Coach (Modern_Duke), with the GM handling the branding, community engagement, and recruitment and the head coach handling the playbooks and strategies game-to-game. Naturally, there would need to be strong collaboration between these roles so that the GM is picking users that fit not only the ethos, but also the game plan of the team.
On the field, Seoul would be a team known for its endurance and dogged persistence, wearing down opponents with their impenetrable defensive core (you already know who is going to be holding the line of scrimmage for years to come!). While it would be a defense-focused team, on the offensive side the team would be built around unsung heroes such as tight ends and fullbacks, relying on their help in run blocking and in the short-yardage passing game.
Off the field, Seoul would be a team known for tolerating differences of opinion and celebrating life and generosity beyond football. Seoul would encourage its players to respectfully confront toxicity and give back to the league.
15) You’ve been named Commissioner for a Week (your choice as to ISFL or DSFL). What do you do? Would you make any fast and drastic changes, or coast along with what’s already in place? Do you think you would do well in the position? If not, is there someone else that would?
(WC = 446)
If I were named Commissioner for a Week, I would like to tackle challenges in the Developmental Simulation Football League (DSFL). As a relatively new user to the league (having just finished my second season), the importance of the DSFL in shaping a user’s experience and long-term league commitment is still fresh in my mind.
One of the pervasive problems of the DSFL that stuck out to me was the imbalance in team competitiveness season-to-season based on the number of call-ups to the ISFL from the season before. It was clear that, even the best drafting wasn’t able to fill some of the gaping roster holes on the DSFL teams. Having fewer active users on a team means a lack of competitiveness on the field (with most of the rest of the roster being filled with 50 TPE bots), which can be hard for new users who tune into the games only to lose each week. This problem has been noted by many, and some have proposed solutions such as giving compensatory draft picks based on the number of call-ups. But especially in smaller DSFL draft classes, those compensatory picks would necessarily mean fewer active players and users on other teams, potentially impacting locker room activity and many other aspects of league that could have negative consequences that are hard to predict. I think an under-explored solution to this problem is the use of GM bots. Currently, each DSFL team gets two GM bots, which start at 50 TPE and earn 10 TPE per week throughout the season. Instead of compensatory picks, DSFL teams could get an additional GM bot for each ~3 call-ups form their roster to keep the playing field more competitive. If I were DSFL commissioner for a week, I would want to explore this solution with DSFL GMs and others involved in HO.
I think that DSFL Commissioner is a position that requires a user who is decisive and charismatic so as to be able to enact change, but also collaborative and a good listener in order to productively engage with the community of DSFL GMs, Rookie Mentors, and users/players in the league. It’s a position that requires a leader without an ego. Beyond personality fit, I think it is also useful to have a DSFL commissioner that has history with the league and knowledge of its rulebooks, processes, and politics. In particular, I think the best users for the position would be those who have had recent experience on the Rookie Mentor team and therefore have their ears to the ground in terms of the new user experience and the questions that they have in navigating their time in the DSFL.