The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen[edit]
Current season, competition or edition: 2023 LEG Season | |
 | |
| Sport | American Football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 19th August 2021, England |
| Inaugural season | [2021 LEG season] |
| Commissioner | Jonny Hart & Robert Hart |
| Motto | Integrity, Integrity, Integrity |
| Divisions | Earth, Wind, Fire |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | The Flowerpots Pub Cheriton, Hampshire |
| Most recent champion(s) | Moran Morans (1st LEG Title) (2023) |
| Most titles | Hart Hogs (2), Hart Throbs (1) |
| Classification | Professional and Very Serious |
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The LEG ("League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") (formerly the Legacy League of Legends) is a dynasty fantasy football league run and hosted in the United Kingdom. Consisting of 12 teams from across the country. Founded in 2021, originally on the ESPN platform, the league members were finalised on the 19th August 2021, with the formative draft taking place on the 25th August six days later. In the 2022 season, the league decided to move to the Sleeper platform, due to its suitability for dynasty leagues and user friendly interfaces.
The league follows a 3 division, 4 teams each, format. Over a 14 game regular season schedule, teams play their divisional opponents twice each and then play every other team in the league once. These divisions originally followed an North, South, East, West configuration, much like the actual NFL. However, following the 2022 move to sleeper, the divisions have been termed 'Earth', 'Wind' and 'Fire'.
The fantasy league is without a doubt one of the most exclusive and prestigious of its kind in Europe, with all but one of its founding members still holding and managing their teams regularly to this day. The league has become notorious for outrageous and controversial trades between its teams, with accusations of coercion and outright stupidity being commonplace within the league's whatsapp group.
The 'Earth' Division[edit]
Hart Throbs[edit]
Headquartered in Bristol, England, the Throbs are owned and managed by league co-commissioner Robert Hart. They have never won the Earth division, yet made and won* a Bowl appearance in the 2022 season against their rivals, the Hart Hogs.
Greenwood Grenadiers[edit]
Pond Power Rangers[edit]
Moran Morans[edit]
Headquartered in Four Marks, England at the world famous Peugeot Garage Location. The Morans were previously founded in Southampton, England on the historic strip of Portswood Road. the Moran Morans are owned and managed by Lucas Moran. The Morans take their name from their owner and founder, much like the Cleveland Browns did with their founder, Paul Brown. The Morans are yet to miss the playoffs, and won their first LEG title in their first bowl appearance in 2023. They are known for their provocative attitude during the fantasy season. A famous incident included a 0.2 point victory over the Mercer Whistleblowers in the 2022 season, where the GM responded to the Whistleblowers with a photo of himself and a comment saying "you just got Moran'ed".
The Morans have faced criticism from the press for actively making moves to sign controversial players, such as Deshaun Watson who when he was traded to the Morans was serving a long term ban for sexual misconduct during his time at the Houston Texans. The Morans have recieved many plaudits however at finding diamonds in the rough both on waivers and the draft. In the 2023 season, Puka Nacua (WR7) was drafted in the 4th round by the Morans, shortly before Kyren Williams (RB3) was claimed from waivers.
The 'Wind' Division[edit]
Hart Hogs[edit]
Whilst their headquarters are based in Turnpike Lane, England, the Hart Hogs can call almost anywhere home thanks to an international fan base that spans the globe. They are owned and managed by league founder and co-commissioner Jonny Hart.
Through a series of shrewd draft picks and nifty trades, they've been on a constant upward trajectory since the inauguration of the league, resulting in their current status as an undisputed powerhouse. The approach of the GM Jonny Hart to 'mercilessly wear down' his trade partners through incessant propaganda has been likened to many totalitarian regimes throughout history, and many a team throughout the league have found themselves shorthanded. One anonymous GM remarked in the league's annual review of competition, "you sit down for a quiet pint with Jonny and by the time you're walking home you've lost your next 1st rounder, your star WR and you're also writing the bloke into your will and making him the godfather of your children. The bloke simply doesn't rest".
Having won the Wind division twice, going on the finish top and joint-top respectively in the LEG's first two seasons, their emblem is adorned with two championship rings.
Ramsay Rioters[edit]
Headquartered in Portsmouth, England, the Ramsay Rioters are owned and managed by Callum Ramsay. The Rioters are known for their volatile trade strategy, often forfeiting their future draft picks in controversial moves. The Rioters are yet to make a playoff appearance in the LEG.
Mercer Whistleblowers[edit]
Headquartered in Bristol, England, the Whistleblowers are owned and managed by Charlie Mercer. The Whistleblowers started poorly in the league's opening seasons, with only a last place finish and a wooden spoon victory to their name. They have possessed the first overall pick in both rookie drafts, however they no longer own either of these players or had traded the pick prior to earning it. Charlie brings a fierce loyalty to the Buffalo Bills into his GM strategy, famously stating during the 2022 rookie draft "if anyone takes James Cook before me I'm leaving the league".
Bates Bang Averages[edit]
The 'Fire' Division[edit]
Simon Sweethearts[edit]
Headquartered in Bangor, Wales, the Sweethearts are owned and managed by Luke Simon. Known for consistency, a passive style of management and fierce loyalty, the Sweethearts always play with their namesake on their sleeve. The Sweethearts have been successful in the early stages of the league, making the final in the inaugural season as well as the semi finals the following year. They were beaten in both years by the Hart Hogs with whom they have fostered a bitter rivalry, with the GM of the sweethearts rarely picking up the phone to do business with the Hogs GM.
Christou Cienfuegos[edit]
Headquartered in Hastings, England, the Cienfuegos are owned and managed by Loukas Christou. They are named after Cuban revolutionary Camillo Cienfuegos and commentators have likened the similarities between the fates of both the franchise and its namesake. They are known for consistent underperformance to the dismay of their fans. The Cienfuegos highest league finish was 4th place in the 2021 season.
Cooks 69ers[edit]
Headquartered in Brighton, England, the 69ers are owned and managed by Ben Cook. The 69ers are the only franchise within the league to have changed hands, previously having been known as the Cribb 69ers under their old owner Mark Cribb, until the 2022 season. They famously drafted 3 top end QBs in the inaugural setup draft of the league in 2021.
Waites Wobblers[edit]
Headquartered in Chichester, England, the Wobblers are owned and managed by Ronnie Waite.
List of Winners and Standings[edit]
(Winners in Bold, Playoff teams in Italics) (Bracketed () numbers indicate position within the wooden spoon competition, the winner of which would come 9th overall, but recieve the first overall pick in the rookie draft that year.)
2021: Hogs win the Inaugural Title on ESPN[edit]
1. Hart Hogs vs 2. Simon Sweethearts 3. Moran Morans 4. Christou Cienfuegos 5. Bates Bang Averages 6. Hart Throbs 7. Pond Power Rangers 8. Waites Wobblers
9. Cribb 69ers 10. Greenwood Grenadiers 11. Ramsay Rioters 12. Mercer Whistleblowers
2022: Throbs and Hogs split title in Hart derby bowl[edit]
1. Hart Throbs* vs 2. Hart Hogs 3. Greenwood Grenadiers 4. Simon Sweethearts 5. Christou Cienfuegos 6. Moran Morans 7. Bates Bang Averages 8. Waites Wobblers
9.(1) Mercer Whistleblowers 10.(2) Cook 69ers 11.(3) Ramsay Rioters 12.(4) Pond Power Rangers
*The 2022 Bowl match between the Throbs and Hogs was marred by the Damar Hamlin injury which took place in the Buffalo Bills match vs the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.[1] The decision was taken following the games postponement to render the bowl game null and void. Despite this however, the 'Gentlemen Stag' has remained in the possession of Throbs GM Robert Hart at the Team's HQ in Bristol, England.
2023: Morans 'win now' mentality pays off with silverware[edit]
1. Moran Morans vs 2. Cook 69ers 3. Mercer Whistleblowers 4. Greenwood Grenadiers 5. Hart Hogs 6. Simon Sweethearts 7. Christou Cienfuegos 8. Hart Throbs
9.(1) Ramsay Rioters 10.(2) Waites Wobblers 11.(3) Bates Bang Averages 12.(4) Pond Power Rangers
List of Major Rule Changes and Notable Events.[edit]
- 19th August 2021 - League is established with standard scoring non-PPR. 9 Starters consisting of; 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 1 Flex (RB, WR or TE), 1 Defense/Special Teams and 1 Kicker. 9 Bench Spots. 1 Injured Reserve Spot. 14 regular season games. Each teams plays their division rival twice. And everyone is in the league once. Divisions were to remain fixed over multiple years. 8 teams in playoffs. Top 3 seeds are division winners. Followed by 3 division runners up. Then the 2 best 3rd placed teams. The higher seed in the quarter final rounds will start with a 5.00 point advantage. Tie breakers in seeding are team record followed by overall points scored on the season.Trade Deadline is 1st December every season at 5pm. Reopening on the 7th January. Draft picks are tradeable, a maximum of 10 trades a season. Standard weekly waiver system will be used; i.e. players will become fixed once their game begins, and waivers will the process on a Wednesday morning. Dropped players (who have been on a roster for >24 hours) will enter waivers 1 day after they were dropped. Once a waiver claim has been exercised, that team will move to the bottom of waivers. The order will never reset, including between seasons.
- 2nd January 2022 - The Hart Hogs win the inaugural season of the then 'Legacy League of Legends', defeating the Simon Sweethearts in the final.
- 3rd January 2022 - A 2nd IR spot is introduced. A commitment is made to maintaining the division composition, in order to foster long term rivalries and histories within the divisions.
- 4th January 2022 - Mark Cribb resigned as owner and general manager of the 69ers. The league begins its search for a replacement member.
- 17th January 2022 - The league unanimously agrees to enshrine Ben Cook as the new owner and GM of the 69ers.
- 19th January 2022 - Defensive utility players are introduced. With two starting spots introduced as well as an extra bench spot, expanding it to 10. The league votes emphatically against giving points for punt returns after a proposal by Christou. Kickers also recieve a -1 penalty for missing extra points as well as field goals.
- 20th January 2022 - The Wooden Spoon competition is agreed in a close vote, 7 to 5.
- 24th February 2022 - The Russia-Ukraine war begins. On the same day, Jaylen Waddle is traded to the Hogs from the Whistleblowers in exchange for a 1st and 2nd round pick.
- 27th February 2022 - Due to a number of issues with ESPN's ability to process waivers, picks and other basic dynasty functions, the league makes the decision to move to the Sleeper platform. Much of the information about the league's inaugural season, save the final standings and a few intermittent whatsapp messages, is lost to time.
- 28th February 2022 - Robert Hart, GM of the Hart Throbs, is appointed as Co-Commissioner of the league alongside his brother, Jonny Hart.
- 6th March 2022 - The Defensive player draft takes place, with the Cook 69ers taking TJ Watt first overall.
- 9th April 2022 - A new off-season waiver system is introduced. Free agency open Wed-Thurs. Waivers processing on Wednesday mornings for claim made elsewhere.
- 10th April 2022 - The addition of an extra roster spot is rejected 8 to 4. A structure for future rule changes is introduced, with one set being 1 week after the end of the NFL regular season, and another being directly after the real NFL draft but before the league's rookie draft. The league reinforces its charitable commitments, with voluntary donation/buy ins being introduced for a charity chosen by the league winner. Finally individual player awards are introduced for each season.
- 19th April 2022 - Allen Robinson II wins bust of the year. TJ Watt wins defensive player of the year. MVP of the year is Jonathon Taylor. Rookie of the year is Ja'Marr Chase
- 4th June 2022 - The first rookie draft in League history takes place, Charlie Mercer starts proceedings by trading for the 1.05 pick, giving up his 2023 1st round pick in the process. In the 2022 draft itself, Mercer selects Breece Hall 1st overall, before taking James Cook at 1.05. Ken Walker goes to the Hogs at 1.02. Greenwood takes Treylon Burks at 1.03, and the Cook 69ers make their first ever offensive draft selection in Drake London at 1.04.
27th August 2022 - Brian Robinson Jr is traded from the Moran Morans to the Hart Throbs, 2 days later he is (non-fatally) shot.
6th October 2022- Team Logos become compulsory, with threat of forfeited matches being the punishment for infraction.
18th October 2022 - The tightest regular season matchup in league history takes place, as the Moran Morans defeat the Mercer Whistleblowers 105.80 to 105.60. The Morans GM wastes no time in taunting the Whistleblowers GM in the league whatsapp about this 0.2 margin of victory.
20th December 2022 - Playoff records for tight games are set twice in the same gameweek. First, the Moran Morans lose 108.74 to 108.34. A margin of 0.4 points. Later on, the Simon Sweethearts defeat the Bates Bang Averages by a margin of 0.02 points. (112.40 vs 112.38). A margin equivalent to 1/5 of a yard, 18cm or 7 inches.
5th January 2023 - The 2022 season is concluded as the final bowl matchup between the Throbs and Hogs ends as a joint victory following the Damar Hamlin incident disrupting the gameweek.
8th January 2023 - The bold decision is taken within the UK's #cozzielivs to purchase the 'Gentlemen Stag' as the league mascot and trophy for the reigning winner. Vote is unanimous, 12-0.
9th January 2023 - The league is renamed "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", as opposed to the pre-existing 'Legacy League of Legends'. 10-2 vote.
10th January 2023 - Mass voting is completed on proposed rule changes. Successful Changes: Stag rings are to be purchased for league winners (12-0). Negative 0.5 points for QB when sacked (8-4). Remove home field advantage for the final bowl game (12-0). Add a rookie taxi squad (7-5). Remove IR eligibility for suspended players (7-4-1). Switch to FAAB system for waivers (6-5-1). Last Place forfeit (9-2-1). Increased time per pick in rookie draft (9-3). Unsuccessful Changes: Remove 1 point score for IDPs for a QB hit (2-10). Add extra flex spot (4-8). Increase IDP to 4 starters (5-7). Add extra bench spot (4-8). Draft order based on roster quality (4-8). Split rookie draft (3-9)
11th January 2023- A second round of voting takes place. An extra IR spot is introduced. 3 spots are decided as the max for the taxi squad. Exclusively rookies, including 1st round picks, are decided as the only eligible players for the taxi squad. Taxi squad players can be claimed by other teams for a pick in the round prior to the one the player was originally drafted in. (i.e a 2023 2nd round pick would require a 2024 1st round pick to be claimed). Players can only be activated from the taxi squad twice before they are ineligible to return.
1st May 2023 - Following on from the extended time per draft pick in the rookie draft. A 24 hour limit is implemented for each draft pick, with live announcement of picks from the league's commissioners.
14th May 2023 - The 2023 rookie draft begins, with the Bates Bang Averages (via the Mercer Whistleblowers) selecting Texas and Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson 1st overall.
22nd May 2023 - The 2023 rookie draft concludes, as the Hart Throbs select Georgia and LA Rams QB Stetson Bennett 48th overall.
7th July 2023 - A round of league rules voting concludes. Squad size increases are once again rejected. As are proposals for more starting defensive players. PPR format proposals are also rejected (9-3). TE premium scoring is rejected.
9th August 2023 - The Wikipedia page for the league is created, in an attempt to provide a bastion of knowledge for all league enjoyers and fans of all franchises.
10th August 2023 - The league's Wikipedia page is rejected for publishing by Robert McClenon. A dark day for the league...
23rd August 2023 - The league sees its first ever taxi squad claim, as the Simon Sweethearts claim Michael Wilson of the Arizona Cardinals from the Greenwood Grenadiers.
21st September 2023 - The 'Conversation of Extraordinary Gentlemen' releases its first episode, beginning in week two of the NFL 2023 regular season. This is hosted by league commissioners Rob and Jonny as well as Morans GM Lucas. This weekly podcast recorded and released on Wednesdays allows the league to recap the results of the weekend, NFL developments as well as a look forward to the next week's games.
18th October 2023 - Controversy strikes the league as The Mercer Whistleblowers, having originally being given the win against the Simon Sweethearts in Week 6 of the season, has their win revoked on the Wednesday following as sleeper removes a sack from Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas defence, thus meaning he is behind the Simon Sweethearts in points for the week.
30th October 2023 - Another tight game befalls the league. As in week 8 of the 2023 season the Moran Morans defeat Bates Bang Averages 118.08 to 118.02. The 0.06 points equivalent to 1.5 passing yards. A last minute TJ Edwards tackle was thought to be the difference.
14th November 2023 - Christou defeats Bates through a last minute Tyler Bass tackle. This level of open field tackling sends chills through the league, as everyone thought for a moment Ray Lewis was back from retirement...
24th November 2023 - Controversy strikes the league as the GMs debate the ethics of Hogs GM Jonny Hart dropping players in an effort to lose to Christou, therefore improving the likelihood of a Rioters top 4 pick (which Jonny owns). Jonny is compared to Huddersfield Town FC in 2017 as they were also serial gerry manderers.
3rd December 2023 - The integrity of the league is saved by Jonny Hart, teams around the league rejoice and rename their players and in some cases, franchises, in honour of the integrity which was so well looked after...
1st January 2024 - The 2023 season is concluded as the Moran Morans win their first title, defeating the Cook 69ers 122-92.
January 2024 - More rule changes are implemented, with kicker points now directly matching to the number of yards their kick is (e.g- a 45 yd FG = 4.5 Fpts). IDP scoring is balanced to included TFLs, but less points for QB hits. Tiebreakers in standings are now broken by Head to Head when possible, as opposed to points scored.
- A WSL Policy is introduced (Weakened Starting Lineup) where inactive/injured players cannot be started when there is an active option available on the bench. Unless in exceptional circumstances agreed by both commissioners and agreed by majority of GMs. FAAB/Draft pick docking is penalty for infringements.
- An abandoned game policy is introduced. All games that are (once started) abandoned or unfinished for whatever reason, will result in their matchups being left to be resolved as if all players on the teams were ejected, injured or unable to complete the game for whatever reason. No gentlemen's agreements, or alteration to this rule shall be allowed, unless the two teams come to a gentlemen's agreement, which is then voted upon at least 10 to 2 by the whole league. If multiple games are abandoned for extraordinary cross state circumstances, the league will open itself up to resolution proposals/discussions.
- Team Nicknames may be changed, as long as every team within the league agrees to such a change. Mitigating factors for a change being allowed include a new manager/change of team ownership. (or a prolonged period since the last name change). Frequent name changing is to be discouraged.
- 14th May 2024 - The 2023 rookie draft begins, with the Hart Hogs (via the Ramsay Rioters) selecting Ohio State and Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr 1st overall.
The Conversation of Extraordinary Gentlemen[edit]
The league has a weekly in season podcast hosted by league commissioners Rob and Jonny as well as Morans GM Lucas. This weekly podcast recorded and released on Wednesdays allows the league to recap the results of the weekend, NFL developments as well as a look forward to the next week's games.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Damar Hamlin was treated with AED and CPR after cardiac arrest: Emergency response, explained". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
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