Fantasy Dispute

Text of dispute is :
To whom it may concern, query We write to you in this somber month of March for several reasons. First, in an attempt to quiet our post fantasy doldrums that are in full swing following Super Bowl weekend. Second, and most pertinently, we write to you in the hope of bringing closure to a season that closed in controversy. Essentially our problem stems from yahoo’s week late stat corrections: Team A and Team B meet in the finals on week 16 of the regular season. Down to the final play, Team B capped off a Monday night comeback with a Ryan Longwell extra point that pushed them ahead, leaving the final score 99.81-99.35. We celebrated the season with an end of the year gathering a few days later (five to be exact) in which the winnings were dished out (200 for 1st, 100 for 2nd and 50 for 3rd) and post-season awards were distributed. The manager of team B, having promised to buy the league a trophy with his winnings, anointed himself the first ever winner our Seattle Bomber Bowl. The real controversy presented itself two days later, when the stat corrections were posted. The only correction of the week: 1 point added for Dallas DEF for a sack that had been miscounted. In fitting style, Dallas DEF was on team A and the added point pushed them now past Team B, leaving the final score 100.35-99.81. Our question is as follows: Having had our ceremony, and Team B having spent a portion of his winnings (50$) on a trophy in which he would not have purchased had he taken second place, what action do we take? Is Team B the winner of our league because we donned him the winner in our ceremony and presented him the money? Or is Team A the winner because he is the rightful points leader? If Team A is the winner, how does the redistribution of money work since Team B spent a portion of the winning on a trophy? Is he now forced to pay for that out of pocket? Also, who’s name should be the first inscribed on the new Bomber Bowl, Team A or B? In the time since the correction there has been much panic, debate, and even threats of retirement from both owners. Because of this we have decided to seek a third party medium in the form of your most excellent legal analysis. Your decision shall be the word in our league, so please take care to make it a well thought out and insightful decision. It would be an understatement to say the hopes and dreams of two vexed and anxious owners lies within your grasps. Many Thanks Seattle Bomber Commissioner
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Text of response is :
As commissioner, I thought that team A[Judge: I assume you mean team B here], the original winner should be awarded the team trophy for several reasons. 1. The stat correction was too late. On such an important week as week 16 for the title to be decided on a stat correction 6 days after is absurd. 2. In that period of time, the proclaimed winner unselfishly spent the winning to buy a much needed league trophy, there was also an end of the year celebration proclaiming him as the winner. So in light of the original winners actions it would be ideal if the original winner was proclaimed champion and the stat correction nullified because of the tardiness of the correction and the celebratory events which took place during that time.
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THE JUDGE RULES AS FOLLOWS:

Yahoo! Fantasy Football has a topic posted on this subject at http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/sports/fantasysports/football/

And reprinted here:

Scoring Changes and Corrections

Last Updated: December 22, 2009

In order to provide the most accurate scores possible we process scoring corrections as we receive them from our data provider. While this can result in frustrating losses it can also result in unexpected wins.

Note: The NFL makes scoring corrections for players every week. We typically receive the stat corrections every Thursday from our data provider, at which time the corrections are updated and applied to all leagues.

You can click Stat Corrections from the Players tab to view a list of corrections that have been processed in your league.

Any statistical changes that are made will impact head-to-head matchups if they are made before the first game of the following week.

Your dispute occurred after Week 16 games were played on December 25 and 26, 2009.  Note that the Yahoo! posting was December 22, before the dispute in your league occurred.  It would certainly be possible for a league to have a rule in its constitution that states, “No NFL stat changes will affect scores after x number of days.”  I am assuming your league constitution is silent on this.  Therefore I have no problem following Yahoo!’s guidance, which is quite clear on the subject:  “In order to provide the most accurate scores possible we process scoring corrections as we receive them from our data provider. While this can result in frustrating losses it can also result in unexpected wins.” (emphasis added)

Your league results, therefore, were not final until all stat changes were received by Yahoo!  So it is incorrect to state that Team B had ever won.  Team B appeared to have won until the stat correction was made.  This is consistent with the object of fantasy sports, namely, to accurately predict a player’s performance (or statistics).  Team A’s defense made that official sack, it just took a while for the NFL (or Yahoo!) to acknowledge it.  So Team A needs to be rewarded with the points attributable to that sack, even if those points were late to arrive.

As for the argument that the stat change was “too late,” I disagree.  If there had been league activity such as add/drops, waivers, trades, or any transaction that may have been effected by the posted (yet incorrect) standings, I might very well have ruled that the stat change was too late because some of the teams would be prejudiced by the scoring change (and corresponding change in the standings, which can effect waiver order, for example).  However, purchasing a trophy was simply premature, not “prejudice” to Team B related to the fantasy game.

So the winner of the league is Team A.  Team A deserves the 1^st place winnings, and should be paid accordingly. Team B gets the 2^nd place winnings.

As for the expense of the tropy, there is no reason Team B should still be on the hook for it.  The league (all teams equally) should reimburse Team B for the trophy cost.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

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