When I was a rookie, it was a joy to have J0EB and Blasoon as my DSFL GM’s. I loved the care they had for their players and their unconditional positivity that they spread in the locker room. It painted a picture of the league that was only fun and exciting. It would take some time before I contracted some of the trademark cynicism that a decent amount of the league vets possess. I frankly already miss that honeymoon phase of joining the league, but by scouting and interacting with the new users that join the league, I’m able to experience just a bit of that again through their eyes. I so enjoyed my time in Norfolk and the experience of helping and getting to know new users, that I decided to pursue the Norfolk GM position. GMing can be a great joy, and frankly it brings a sense of involvement that is perhaps not fully understood if you haven’t done it. For a bit I wondered if I would ever enjoy the league the same way when I wasn’t a GM, but since my real life has made me so incredibly busy these days, I have to be honest and say that I am incredibly thankful that I don’t have those responsibilities on my shoulders anymore. When I took the position, I had heard that for the most part other DSFL GM’s were good people, though at times there could be some difficulties or unnecessary stubbornness. I understood that this could happen, but I also figured that those hired would come in with the same perspective that I did towards the DSFL. I don’t think that was always the case. This perspective is one that will hopefully be more fully understood through the rest of this article.
I understand that this article might make me seem like I’m getting on a high horse and telling everyone what the DSFL should be, and frankly I’m not qualified to tell you what it should look like and I have no idea about HO’s views on the matter. However, I am passionate about my opinions and would like to share them. Feel free to respond with what you disagree with. Also, as disappointing as this might be for the drama lovers, I won’t be referring to specific GM’s I encountered or anything like that. I’ll be speaking in generalities. If I talk about things that I think GM’s should do, I am not saying they entirely don’t do those things right now, but they may be areas I simply think could be improved.
Before I begin, there is going to be no specific organization to my main points. It’s a bit of stream of consciousness.
All DSFL GM’s should view each other as coworkers.
Yes, you all fight each other on the field and there are times when you need to advocate for your players, but the point of the DSFL is a shared goal: to provide new users with a fun experience that prepares and develops them for the ISFL. There is no need to show unnecessary hostility or defensiveness to your fellow GM’s. The goal shouldn’t be about what makes your team better, but instead it should be about what makes the league better. Although this point may be repeated in various ways throughout this article, far too often I feel that the DSFL is viewed as simply a miniature ISFL, when it instead has a specific purpose that always needs to be kept in the minds of DSFL GM’s at all times. This purpose, the development of users, does not need to be viewed as occurring on its own by 8 separate teams, but instead by as a group effort by those 8 teams to provide an experience that leaves new users with a positive and excited outlook on the league and a desire to remain involved. If the GM’s accept this concept it will trickle down to the players and hopefully reduce some of the unnecessary toxicity we sometimes see emerge at the DSFL level.
There should be a concerted effort to heavily discourage DSFL lifers.
Intentional DSFL lifers are bad for the DSFL, and I don’t believe DSFL GM’s are adequately performing their role if they do not make an attempt to influence these players to develop with the intention of one day moving up to the ISFL. Again, the DSFL isn’t a mini ISFL. It’s a league of constant transition, a pit-stop before the ISFL, born out of the necessity of full rosters and position saturation. A player that intends to simply stay capped in the DSFL for their career harms the balance of the DSFL. When you decide to become a DSFL GM, you are signing on to fulfill responsibilities that are a bit different from the ISFL. Weirdly enough, one of your responsibilities is to get your own players off your roster as quickly as possible. If you don’t do anything to try to encourage a move to the big leagues, I believe you’re not fulfilling your responsibility. I’ve heard it said before that a DSFL lifer wanted to be a “DSFL legend.” My reaction to this is that being a DSFL legend means absolutely nothing. You hit 250 TPE and it’s a dice roll from there. Once you get to the ISFL, you realize that the vast majority of people don’t really care about DSFL stats and win/loss outside of it just being a fun entry into the world of sim football for the new users.
Of course, I heavily understand being passionate about your DSFL and wanting to commit to them, and I don’t think it’d be right for a GM to demean a person’s fun that they’re having in the DSFL, but I think the angle should be taken that what happens in the ISFL is more meaningful and is more fun because of it. It also doesn’t mean you have to stop being involved with your DSFL team, but you’ll be enjoying the league a heck of a lot more if you commit to moving up.
After my one season at Norfolk as a player, I was speaking with J0EB about potentially moving up to play for Philly, though Soup had essentially given me the option to influence whether I moved up immediately or stayed down. I knew Norfolk would be getting gutted by call ups the next year, and I expressed that I would feel bad leaving Norfolk in that situation. J0EB would respond: “Yea I know, but Norfolk doesn't matter really, the ISFL is what matters, that's what we groom you all for and get you ready for. As much as I love having you on the team here and I love the success we've had these past seasons, you should absolutely do what's best for your career as a player, and overall what you want to do the most.” I was so thankful to the experience I had in Norfolk my rookie year, more specifically how welcomed and comfortable I felt in their locker room, so I then expressed that I felt I owed something to Norfolk, to which he responded: “Trust me Jimi you don't owe us anything, this is our job to make sure you're happy and excited to be a part of this league.” It’s clear that these responses really formulated my opinions and perspective on the DSFL. At the time, it was a wake up call. I ended up moving up to Philly, and I was extremely happy about the decision.
Everything trickles down/Winning doesn’t matter.
I would like to simply say that the DSFL doesn’t matter, but I know how easily this could be misunderstood. The DSFL experience matters, but the DSFL as a simulated football league does not. At least it shouldn’t and isn’t intended to matter. Therefore, does winning in this league matter? No, it shouldn’t. Does it matter to the players? It often times does, especially if they are truly new and this is their first taste of competition. So how should DSFL GM’s respond to this? I would say that when the wins aren’t coming don’t let your frustration, anger, or disappointment be expressed in a way that is going to leave a negative impression on your players about the league. This could be negative feelings towards certain users, a specific team, or about the sim. However, concerning the last one, I think directing frustration to the sim is ok if new users feel disappointed in themselves or their players. However, I think there is a line that can be crossed between “Dang the sim really didn’t like us this game” and “This sim is such bullshit I swear to god.” The first one acknowledges the inherent luck in the system, which is fine, but the second begins that descent into cynicism that is overall bad for the league. The language and attitude of DSFL GM’s will influence and will often be replicated by new users. I would much prefer a league with less toxicity towards the sim. I understand the frustration, but anytime I see it, in my locker room or elsewhere, I just hope we move past it as quickly as possible. Of course, it’s not that I don’t experience the frustration. This last season I was extremely disappointed by the way Norfolk’s team adapted to the new sim, and the season went exponentially worse than I expected. I let a bit more negativity out in the general channel than I should have, but I quickly turned to my war room as my safe space to rant. I hope that if the need does come for such rants, since they can be cathartic, other GM’s or league vets in general keep in mind the influence that they may have on other users and find a space where they won’t negatively impact others. If others are going to grow the same distaste for the sim anyway, that’s fine, but let’s not assume that they will and unintentionally force that on them with our language.
Please don’t make people position swap unless it’s unavoidable or they are 100% open to it.
It really does hurt my heart to scout a player around creation, listen to their passionate reason for selecting a position, and then to see them promptly switch positions to fit a DSFL team need after the draft. The second I hear someone say that they even just prefer to not switch, as a scout I immediately write off a position swap unless it’s for a last resort. There is no reason outside of there being simply no room on the roster for there to be a forced position swap in the DSFL. User wishes vastly trump DSFL team needs. It doesn’t matter to me if they are your third linebacker and you have no defensive line, or if they’re a wide receiver when you could REALLY use a running back. When players create, they have an idea that they want to bring to fruition, and there are reasons that a certain position excites them. They look forward to fulfilling that specific role in the big leagues, and it’s very disappointing to me if a DSFL GM puts more value into success in the development league than a more fulfilling experience for a user in the long run. I also try to stay very conscious about what keeps players drawn to and invested in the league. For some players that might be the position they choose, for whatever reason. I’m not saying that’s make or break for every user, but it’s just that one little thing that could cause them to lose just that much interest, and as DSFL GM’s we want to make sure we are capturing and holding the interest of new users as best we can. Why? Because we have faith in this product, and we believe that if they get involved enough, they will have the positive experiences that we did and will want to stick around.
So let them be what they want to be. In my eyes, a higher percentage of winning the Ultimini is nothing compared to seeing a new user excited to tune into the sim and watch themselves play the position they chose for themselves.
DSFL GM’s may have the most important jobs in the league.
As I stated earlier, the behavior of DSFL GM’s will be imitated by new users. New users will look up to their GM’s and use them as guides to understand how to act in the league as well as how to conceptualize it as a whole. Therefore, DSFL GM’s have the power to shape the league into what they believe it should be. That’s right, you are not just running a team, you are forming the normative culture and personality of the league. Therefore, what do you want the league to look like? Who are the types of users you want to fill this league? How do you wish more people acted in the league? By thinking of these questions, DSFL GM’s should hopefully consider how they interact with their team, other GM’s, and the DSFL as a whole.
Well that’s all that comes to mind at this point. I hope for those looking to DSFL GM one day, you keep in mind what I’ve said. It’s genuinely a great joy. Thanks for reading.
I understand that this article might make me seem like I’m getting on a high horse and telling everyone what the DSFL should be, and frankly I’m not qualified to tell you what it should look like and I have no idea about HO’s views on the matter. However, I am passionate about my opinions and would like to share them. Feel free to respond with what you disagree with. Also, as disappointing as this might be for the drama lovers, I won’t be referring to specific GM’s I encountered or anything like that. I’ll be speaking in generalities. If I talk about things that I think GM’s should do, I am not saying they entirely don’t do those things right now, but they may be areas I simply think could be improved.
Before I begin, there is going to be no specific organization to my main points. It’s a bit of stream of consciousness.
All DSFL GM’s should view each other as coworkers.
Yes, you all fight each other on the field and there are times when you need to advocate for your players, but the point of the DSFL is a shared goal: to provide new users with a fun experience that prepares and develops them for the ISFL. There is no need to show unnecessary hostility or defensiveness to your fellow GM’s. The goal shouldn’t be about what makes your team better, but instead it should be about what makes the league better. Although this point may be repeated in various ways throughout this article, far too often I feel that the DSFL is viewed as simply a miniature ISFL, when it instead has a specific purpose that always needs to be kept in the minds of DSFL GM’s at all times. This purpose, the development of users, does not need to be viewed as occurring on its own by 8 separate teams, but instead by as a group effort by those 8 teams to provide an experience that leaves new users with a positive and excited outlook on the league and a desire to remain involved. If the GM’s accept this concept it will trickle down to the players and hopefully reduce some of the unnecessary toxicity we sometimes see emerge at the DSFL level.
There should be a concerted effort to heavily discourage DSFL lifers.
Intentional DSFL lifers are bad for the DSFL, and I don’t believe DSFL GM’s are adequately performing their role if they do not make an attempt to influence these players to develop with the intention of one day moving up to the ISFL. Again, the DSFL isn’t a mini ISFL. It’s a league of constant transition, a pit-stop before the ISFL, born out of the necessity of full rosters and position saturation. A player that intends to simply stay capped in the DSFL for their career harms the balance of the DSFL. When you decide to become a DSFL GM, you are signing on to fulfill responsibilities that are a bit different from the ISFL. Weirdly enough, one of your responsibilities is to get your own players off your roster as quickly as possible. If you don’t do anything to try to encourage a move to the big leagues, I believe you’re not fulfilling your responsibility. I’ve heard it said before that a DSFL lifer wanted to be a “DSFL legend.” My reaction to this is that being a DSFL legend means absolutely nothing. You hit 250 TPE and it’s a dice roll from there. Once you get to the ISFL, you realize that the vast majority of people don’t really care about DSFL stats and win/loss outside of it just being a fun entry into the world of sim football for the new users.
Of course, I heavily understand being passionate about your DSFL and wanting to commit to them, and I don’t think it’d be right for a GM to demean a person’s fun that they’re having in the DSFL, but I think the angle should be taken that what happens in the ISFL is more meaningful and is more fun because of it. It also doesn’t mean you have to stop being involved with your DSFL team, but you’ll be enjoying the league a heck of a lot more if you commit to moving up.
After my one season at Norfolk as a player, I was speaking with J0EB about potentially moving up to play for Philly, though Soup had essentially given me the option to influence whether I moved up immediately or stayed down. I knew Norfolk would be getting gutted by call ups the next year, and I expressed that I would feel bad leaving Norfolk in that situation. J0EB would respond: “Yea I know, but Norfolk doesn't matter really, the ISFL is what matters, that's what we groom you all for and get you ready for. As much as I love having you on the team here and I love the success we've had these past seasons, you should absolutely do what's best for your career as a player, and overall what you want to do the most.” I was so thankful to the experience I had in Norfolk my rookie year, more specifically how welcomed and comfortable I felt in their locker room, so I then expressed that I felt I owed something to Norfolk, to which he responded: “Trust me Jimi you don't owe us anything, this is our job to make sure you're happy and excited to be a part of this league.” It’s clear that these responses really formulated my opinions and perspective on the DSFL. At the time, it was a wake up call. I ended up moving up to Philly, and I was extremely happy about the decision.
Everything trickles down/Winning doesn’t matter.
I would like to simply say that the DSFL doesn’t matter, but I know how easily this could be misunderstood. The DSFL experience matters, but the DSFL as a simulated football league does not. At least it shouldn’t and isn’t intended to matter. Therefore, does winning in this league matter? No, it shouldn’t. Does it matter to the players? It often times does, especially if they are truly new and this is their first taste of competition. So how should DSFL GM’s respond to this? I would say that when the wins aren’t coming don’t let your frustration, anger, or disappointment be expressed in a way that is going to leave a negative impression on your players about the league. This could be negative feelings towards certain users, a specific team, or about the sim. However, concerning the last one, I think directing frustration to the sim is ok if new users feel disappointed in themselves or their players. However, I think there is a line that can be crossed between “Dang the sim really didn’t like us this game” and “This sim is such bullshit I swear to god.” The first one acknowledges the inherent luck in the system, which is fine, but the second begins that descent into cynicism that is overall bad for the league. The language and attitude of DSFL GM’s will influence and will often be replicated by new users. I would much prefer a league with less toxicity towards the sim. I understand the frustration, but anytime I see it, in my locker room or elsewhere, I just hope we move past it as quickly as possible. Of course, it’s not that I don’t experience the frustration. This last season I was extremely disappointed by the way Norfolk’s team adapted to the new sim, and the season went exponentially worse than I expected. I let a bit more negativity out in the general channel than I should have, but I quickly turned to my war room as my safe space to rant. I hope that if the need does come for such rants, since they can be cathartic, other GM’s or league vets in general keep in mind the influence that they may have on other users and find a space where they won’t negatively impact others. If others are going to grow the same distaste for the sim anyway, that’s fine, but let’s not assume that they will and unintentionally force that on them with our language.
Please don’t make people position swap unless it’s unavoidable or they are 100% open to it.
It really does hurt my heart to scout a player around creation, listen to their passionate reason for selecting a position, and then to see them promptly switch positions to fit a DSFL team need after the draft. The second I hear someone say that they even just prefer to not switch, as a scout I immediately write off a position swap unless it’s for a last resort. There is no reason outside of there being simply no room on the roster for there to be a forced position swap in the DSFL. User wishes vastly trump DSFL team needs. It doesn’t matter to me if they are your third linebacker and you have no defensive line, or if they’re a wide receiver when you could REALLY use a running back. When players create, they have an idea that they want to bring to fruition, and there are reasons that a certain position excites them. They look forward to fulfilling that specific role in the big leagues, and it’s very disappointing to me if a DSFL GM puts more value into success in the development league than a more fulfilling experience for a user in the long run. I also try to stay very conscious about what keeps players drawn to and invested in the league. For some players that might be the position they choose, for whatever reason. I’m not saying that’s make or break for every user, but it’s just that one little thing that could cause them to lose just that much interest, and as DSFL GM’s we want to make sure we are capturing and holding the interest of new users as best we can. Why? Because we have faith in this product, and we believe that if they get involved enough, they will have the positive experiences that we did and will want to stick around.
So let them be what they want to be. In my eyes, a higher percentage of winning the Ultimini is nothing compared to seeing a new user excited to tune into the sim and watch themselves play the position they chose for themselves.
DSFL GM’s may have the most important jobs in the league.
As I stated earlier, the behavior of DSFL GM’s will be imitated by new users. New users will look up to their GM’s and use them as guides to understand how to act in the league as well as how to conceptualize it as a whole. Therefore, DSFL GM’s have the power to shape the league into what they believe it should be. That’s right, you are not just running a team, you are forming the normative culture and personality of the league. Therefore, what do you want the league to look like? Who are the types of users you want to fill this league? How do you wish more people acted in the league? By thinking of these questions, DSFL GM’s should hopefully consider how they interact with their team, other GM’s, and the DSFL as a whole.
Well that’s all that comes to mind at this point. I hope for those looking to DSFL GM one day, you keep in mind what I’ve said. It’s genuinely a great joy. Thanks for reading.