Rules

1. Composition: The League will be comprised of 10 or 12 Teams, each with one Manager serving as the primary owner. Managers will be responsible for duties as outlined in Article II.
2. Commissioner: The League will elect 1 Commissioner for each season by a simple majority vote. The Commissioner will be responsible for duties as outlined in Article III.
3. Format: The AFBL shall be a weekly head-to-head points league hosted on ESPN that operates under the system described herein.
   1. Scoring: A Team’s score is based on his Players’ real-life performance. Scoring categories and associated points are found on the ESPN league site and Appendix A.
   2. Roster: The positional composition of a Team roster shall be as follows:

      Position	Abbreviation	Roster Positions	Roster Maximums
      Catcher	C	1	3
      First Base	1B	1	3
      Second Base	2B	1	3
      Shortstop	SS	1	3
      Third Base	3B	1	3
      Outfield	OF	3	9
      Utility (Any Hitter)	UTIL	1	N/A
      Starting Pitcher	SP	4	8
      Relief Pitcher	RP	2	5
      Pitcher (SP/RP)	P	2	N/A
      Utility (Any Hitter)	UTIL	1	N/A
      Bench	BE	4	4
      Injured List	IL	2	2

      1. Injured Reserve: Players must have an “IL" designation on ESPN to occupy an IL slot. Activating a player from the IR may require a Team to drop a player to remain compliant with the roster limits.
   3. Regular Season Schedule: There will be a 19 or 20-week Regular Season, depending on annual League composition, starting from MLB Week 1 and ending in MLB Week 19 or 20. Each matchup period corresponds to a defined set of MLB games (typically one week, except for Opening Week and the All-Star Break).
      1. Wins: Weekly head-to-head matchups are won by the Team with the higher point total for that given week.
         1. Ties: If a head-to-head matchup ends in a tie, both teams are rewarded half a win in the Regular Season standings.
      2. Alternate Schedule: The Commissioner may decide to alter the schedule to promote interest in the League, but he may not do so in a way that is designed to increase or decrease the difficulty for a specific Manager or Team. Any schedule alterations must be published prior to the Buy-In date. If a simple majority of Managers vote to veto the schedule alterations before the Draft, the schedule will be reverted back to default scoring system.
   4. Standings: Teams will be ordered, from high to low, by wins total throughout the Regular Season.
      1. Ties: If two Teams have the same score total, whichever Team has beaten the other more times in that Regular Season will be the higher-ranked Team. If the Teams have not played, or they each have 1 win against the other, the tiebreaker will become the higher of the two Teams’ cumulative points total in that Regular Season.
         1. Three or More Teams Tied: If three or more Teams have the same score total, whichever Team has the best win-loss record against all Teams involved in the tie will be the higher-ranked Team. In the event multiple Teams have the same win-loss record against all Teams involved in the tie, the tiebreaker will be the higher of the said Teams' cumulative points total in that Regular Season.
   5. Postseason Schedule: The top teams in the Regular Season standings at the conclusion of the Regular Season will compete in the Playoffs. The number of teams to make the playoffs will be half the league, rounded down to the next even number.
      1. RoundsOne-week head-to-head matchups between the teams, using standard seeding, will take place starting in MLB Week 19 or 20 and ending in MLB Week 22. The winner of each matchup will be whoever has the higher point total.
      2. Ties: If a Postseason matchup ends in a tie, the Team with the higher cumulative point total throughout the Regular Season and Postseason will be considered the winner.
   6. Transactions: Each Team is entitled to make an unlimited number of trades, waiver claims, and add/drops each season.
      1. Trades: Player Trades may be made between Teams.
      2. Waiver Claims: The League uses an inverse-standings basis for waiver claim priority
4. Buy-In: The Buy-In for participation in the League is $50, to be paid no later than 2 weeks before the date of the Draft. The intent of the deadline is to give the League time to find a replacement Manager if an incumbent Manager refuses to pay the Buy-In. The $50 pot is completely allocated to Payouts.
   1. Example: If the Draft is Sunday at 7:00 PM, the Buy-In deadline is two Sundays prior at 7:00 PM.
   2. Optional Contributions: Additional money may be collected to purchase other items or services related to the League, such as a draft board or web domain. These collections will not be considered a part of the Buy-In and are optional. If a Manager expresses the intent to contribute to an optional purchase before the purchase decision is made, he will be held accountable for contributing his agreed upon amount.
5. Payouts: The entire pot is awareded to the winner of the Championship game in MLB Week 22
6. Draft: A snake-draft will occur every Offseason on a date determined by the Commissioner. Details about the Draft are outlined in Article V, Section 3.

1. Establishment: The Managers appointed to each Team are hereby established as:
   1. Team 1 - Jacob Lay
   2. Team 2 - XX
   3. Team 3 - XX
   4. Team 4 - XX
   5. Team 5 - XX
   6. Team 6 - XX
   7. Team 7 - XX
   8. Team 8 - XX
   9. Team 9 - XX
   10. Team 10 - XX
2. Term Limits: All interested Managers from the previous season have the right to retain their Team for the following season, except for the following conditions:
   1. Voluntary Release: A Manager voluntarily releases his Team. This action will result in no penalty if the Manager does so in the Offseason before the Buy-In deadline. This action will result in the forfeiture of monetary rewards, real or potential, if taken after the Buy-In deadline and before the following Offseason.
   2. Involuntary Release: A Manager is involuntarily removed from the league as a punitive action taken against him. The penalties involved are identical to Section 2A above.
3. Responsibilities: The functions of every Manager shall include:
   1. Setting weekly lineups for his Team;
   2. Managing his Team roster by drafting, waiver claim, Free Agent pickup, or trade;
   3. Voting in League matters;
   4. Paying the Buy-In by the Buy-In deadline;
   5. Acting in a manner that upholds the spirit of fantasy baseball and the best interests of the League.
4. Accountability: Managers failing to carry out their responsibilities are subject to penalties pursuant to Article VII, Section 4.
   1. Fair Consideration of Trades: In extreme cases, a Manager’s repeated refusal to consider otherwise fair trade offers could qualify as failing to carry out his responsibilities. This would entail a pattern of ignoring or declining trades offers without prejudice over multiple weeks or even seasons.
   2. Prejudice: A Manager’s repeated refusal to consider otherwise fair trade offers from one or more specific Managers for personal reasons is permitted and will not be considered failure to carry out his responsibilities, so long as the Manager has demonstrated his willingness to consider trades from others.

1. Establishment: The office of the Commissioner is hereby established. The Commissioner is a servant to the League, and while the position comes with expanded authorities, those authorities do not supersede the Commissioners duties to act in the best interest of the League and uphold the spirit of fantasy baseball.
2. Election: The Commissioner will be elected from the pool of Managers by a simple majority vote and perform his duties as Commissioner separate from his duties as a Manager.
3. Term Limits: The Commissioner can retain his office from season to season without intermission if there is no challenge against the incumbent during the Offseason. Except in the event of an impeachment, the Commissioner will not change, nor may the Commissioner resign, during the Regular Season or Postseason.
4. Responsibilities: The functions of the Commissioner shall include:
   1. To serve as the Chief Administrative, Dispute Resolution, and Financial officer of the AFBL;
   2. To investigate, either upon complaint or upon the Commissioner’s own initiative, any action suspected not to be in the best interests of the League or against the spirit of fantasy baseball, with authority to compel the Managers therein to respond to requests as may be necessary to resolve the same;
   3. To appoint Managers to assist in the execution of the duties of the Commissioner as may be necessary at the Commissioner’s discretion;
   4. To supervise transactions between Teams in respect of competitive balance, freedom from collusion, or other restricted practices;
   5. To establish key dates such as the Draft and the Buy-In deadline and communicate the same in a timely and clear manner to the Managers;
   6. To collect Buy-Ins and distribute Payouts as appropriate;
   7. To ensure the Playoff participants are seeded appropriately at the conclusion of the Regular Season;
   8. To correct honest mistakes from Managers pursuant to Article VI Section 3C.
5. Accountability: If the Commissioner fails to carry out his responsibilities or acts in a manner that does not uphold the prestige of the office of the Commissioner, he is subject to penalties pursuant to Article VII Section 4A.

1. General: In matters requiring Managers to vote, all Managers have equally weighted votes. Seniority, interest in the outcome of the vote, or status as Commissioner do not make a Manager’s vote worth more or less than any other Manager, unless identified herein. Decisions made by vote will immediately supersede precedence or current conflicting operating procedures.
2. Constitutional Amendments: Amendments to this Constitution must be approved by at least 7 Managers, except in the case of the following:
   1. Buy-In: Changes to anything under Article I, Sections 4 and 5 must be approved by at least 8 Managers. This allows the League to grow and increase the Buy-Ins and, therefore, the Payouts, but prevents a simple majority from forcing a still-significant minority to pay more than they originally agreed to.
   2. Scoring System: Changes to the scoring system require a simple majority of Managers, except under the criteria outlined in Section 2C below.
   3. Amendments During the Regular Season: Any amendments to this Constitution during the Regular Season that are intended to take place immediately require a unanimous vote. Amendments that are voted on during the Regular Season but do not take place until after the conclusion of the Postseason do not fall under this category.
3. Punitive Actions: When necessary, a Manager may be held to trial for an alleged offense. If the Commissioner determines it to not warrant a vote, such as in the event of a codified penalty, he may institute punitive action. If the Commissioner determines it to warrant a vote, a simple majority of eligible Managers will decide the outcome and the Commissioner will institute the appropriate punitive action.
   1. Eligible Managers: Managers that do not have a vested interest in the offense or the potential punitive actions as a result of said offense will be considered eligible. Interest in the general competitiveness of the League is not considered a vested interest.
   2. Ineligible Managers: Managers with a vested interest in the offense or the potential punitive actions as a result of said offense will be ineligible. A vested interest is described as the offense or potential punitive action having a direct impact on your Team or status as Manager.
      1. Commissioner Eligibility: The Commissioner himself does not have a vested interest simply for being the Commissioner. If the Commissioner has a vested interest in the offense or potential punitive action the from the perspective of his role as a Manager, then the Commissioner is ineligible.
   3. Punitive Action Against the Commissioner: Any Manager may bring forth punitive action against the Commissioner, to include impeachment, and it will automatically go to a trial requiring a simple majority of Managers to decide the appropriate course of action. The Commissioner may not participate in the voting process.
   4. Removal from the League: The involuntary removal from the League of a Manager requires at least 6 votes to remove from the other Managers. This ensures that there is at least a super-majority of remaining Managers that agree with the decision.
   5. Commissioner Decisions: In the event the Commissioner makes a decision that is incorrect, unjust, or outside his scope of responsibilities, the decision may be overturned with a simple majority of eligible Managers. The Commissioner is allowed to vote for or against upholding his own decision.
4. Trades: If any Manager suspects an accepted trade between two other Managers to be unfair due to collusion or other legitimate reasons, he may vote to veto the trade. The Manager must express his reason for vetoing to, at minimum, the Commissioner. A simple majority of Managers not involved in the trade must vote to veto for the trade to get vetoed.
   1. Legitimate Reasons: Collusion to split monetary rewards by consolidating talented Players from 2 Teams, or other similar unethical reasons for trading, constitute a legitimate reason for a veto vote.
   2. Illegitimate Reasons: Managers should not vote to veto a trade for illegitimate reasons. Examples of illegitimate reasons to vote to veto a trade include but are not limited to the following:
      1. He does not want opposing Teams to improve because it could impact his success on the season;
      2. He thinks one Manager involved in the trade has an information advantage and is taking advantage of the other Manager;
      3. He wants to acquire one or more of the Players involved in the trade;
      4. The trade was fair, but a Player involved in the trade has been injured during the review period and the trade is now unfair.

1. General: The Draft will be held in person or online, determined during the Offseason, and will be XX rounds.
2. Scheduling: The Draft date and time will be determined by the Commissioner and communicated to the Managers as early as possible via email, text, and/or posting on the League website.
   1. Date: The Draft shall take place no later than 1 day before the first day of NFL Week 1, and no earlier than 2 weeks before the first day of the NFL Week 1, except in extenuating circumstances.
   2. Notice: The Commissioner will establish and provide the date of the Draft to the Manager no less than 3 weeks before the date of the Draft. This is to give Mangers reasonable time to pay Buy-Ins and do research.
3. Order: A Team’s first-round Draft position will be selected by each Manager in an order inverse of the final standings from the prior season. The Manager of the last place Team at the conclusion of the prior Regular Season will select his Team’s first-round Draft position (1-10). The Manager of the ninth-place Team will then select his Team’s first-round Draft position from the remaining positions, and so on for all Teams that did not participate in the Playoffs. The final four first-round Draft positions will be selected in the following order: MBB loser, MBB winner, Championship loser, Championship winner.
   1. Snake Format: The order selected in the process outlined above will be the same for every odd-numbered round of the Draft. Every even-numbered round will be the inverse order.
   2. Draft Pick Trading: Managers may trade Draft picks in the period between the determination of the Draft order and the conclusion of the Draft. These trades must be fair and are eligible to be vetoed pursuant to Article IV Section 5.
   3. New Managers: A Manager that did not participate in the League in the prior season will select his Draft position after the Championship winner. If there are multiple new Managers, they will all select their Draft positions after the Championship winner, and a random method of assigning the order between them will be determined at that time.

1. General: Managers may make changes to their Team rosters throughout the Regular Season. There are three ways to change a Team roster during the Regular Season: Trades (as defined in Article I, Section F(i)), waiver claims, and Free Agent acquisitions.
2. Dropping Players: Making waiver claims or adding Free Agents will usually require a Team to conditionally or immediately drop a Player to remain compliant with roster requirements.
   1. Eligibiity: Teams may drop any Player they desire, so long as the Player does not meet any of the following criteria:
      1. The Player’s NFL team has already begun or finished their game for the week or;
      2. The Player is on the ESPN Undroppable Players List or;
      3. The Team is dropping a Player with the intent of providing another Team a talented Player in an act of collusion.
   2. Accidental Drops: If a Manager makes a mistake and drops a player he did not mean to, he may petition the Commissioner to correct the mistake without letting other Managers make waiver claims on the players. The Commissioner will consider the circumstances of the drop and, if he deems it an honest mistake that was promptly brought up to him, will correct the mistake for the Manager.
3. Free Agent Budget: Players will spend 1 day on “waiver claim status” after being dropped from a team or following the conclusion of a week’s games. While a Player is on waiver claim status, Managers may bid on the Player from their Free Agent Budget. After the 1-day period, whichever Manager placed the highest bid is awarded the player and has the bid amount deducted from his remaining Free Agent Budget. If a Player on waiver claim status does not receive any bids after the 1-day period, they will become Free Agents.
   1. Budget: All Managers start with $100 in their Free Agent Budget at the beginning of each season. A Manager cannot increase his Free Agent Budget during the season, and once he spends his entire budget he may only place $0 bids.
   2. Bids: A Manager may only bid as much as his remaining Free Agent Budget. A $0 bid will still be considered a bid, and if no other Manager has bid higher than $0, the $0 bid will win.
   3. Tiebreakers: In the event of multiple bids being tied for the winning bid, the Team that is the lowest ranked of the bidding Teams at the time of the wavier claims processing will win the bid.
4. Free Agents: A Manager may add Free Agents that are not on waiver claim status to his team at no cost throughout the Regular Season so long as his Team is compliant with the roster requirements. Players whose NFL team has already begun or have finished their game for the week are considered “locked” and not eligible to be added.

1. General: While Managers have a history of fair and honest participation, the codification of punishments that Managers are held to in the event of transgressions against the League and its Managers are necessary for fair and unbiased delivery of punitive action. Offenses are described herein.
2. Bribery: A Manager working with another Manager in the exchange of in-game value for other than in-game value is guilty of an offense. Players, Draft picks, Wins, or anything else reasonably considered to be in-game value cannot in any circumstance be traded for monetary or other tangible value. For example, Manager A agreeing to trade an elite player to Manager B in exchange for half of Manager B’s potential winning would be considered bribery.
   1. Collusion: Even if two subjects of in-game value are traded, they cannot be done so in a manner that would be considered unethical or against the spirit of the League. This is considered collusion, and it carries just as severe punishments as bribery. For example, Manager A agreeing to a lopsided trade in exchange for Manager B agreeing to throw a head-to-head matchup would be considered collusion.
3. Failure to Carry Out Responsibilities: Managers that fail to uphold their position as a Manager by regularly carrying out their duties are subject to penalties and removal from the League.
   1. Occasional Oversight: Simple and irregular oversights like starting a Player that is injured or forgetting to bench a Player on a bye week are discouraged, but a reality of life in a league of working men and will not warrant penalty for failure to carry out responsibilities. Regular and repeated failures will result in a warning and, without correction, penalty.
   2. Commissioner Responsibilities: A Commissioner that fails to carry out his responsibilities or uphold the prestige of the office is subject to impeachment and, under extreme circumstances, banishment from the League.
4. Penalties: The punitive action taken for an offense will be determined by the Managers, except in the event of the offense carrying a codified penalty. Penalties can range include, but are not limited to the following:
   1. Forfeiture of a game or points;
   2. Loss of Draft picks;
   3. Forfeiture of future Payouts;
   4. Suspension from the League.
5. Cash Penalties: In no circumstance can the League demand additional cash funds from a Manager for an offense. The Buy-In is the only compulsory cash obligation from Managers.
6. Failure to Pay Buy-In by Deadline: Failure to pay the Buy-In by the deadline will result penalties that increase in severity every 24 hours under the following schedule:
   1. Loss of first-round pick for that Draft;
   2. Section 5A penalties and loss of second-round pick for that Draft;
   3. Section 5B penalties and loss of third-round pick for that Draft;
   4. Section 5C penalties and loss of fourth-round pick for that Draft;
   5. Section 5D penalties and loss of fifth-round pick for that Draft;
   6. Removal from the League without trial.

Scoring sytem under construction