I started running fantasy leagues in 1985, after learning about a version of the game from a professor in Indiana. With two football leagues competing during the Chicago Bears Super Bowl season, my high school friends and I established what would become known as the Reality Fantasy Leagues. We added baseball and basketball to the mix in 1992 (and hockey in 1994), and our community continues each year to meet on phony playing fields to battle each other for fake titles using the stats of real players. 

My other fantasy leagues have many nuanced rules, player development, and their own market economies. We'll work in this league to keep things simple.

• Head-to-head matchups between two teams using a weekly lineup (e.g., 6 hitters, 6 pitchers) and widely-available statistics
• A 16-team league with 2 conferences and 4 divisions playing a 15-week regular season
• A 3-week playoff schedule pitting division winners and 4 wildcards in a single-elimination tourney
• A "keeper" league, where some players are protected from season to season and future owners can pick up where the current ones leave off.

The GeekDad fantasy league is intended to be a starter experience for kids (and maybe their parents). There are many out-of-the-box options for fantasy baseball, but they are often focused on every day changes and don't inspire any personal investment in a franchise. Weekly games make participation easier, and head-to-head games foster a greater sense of community. There will be many opportunities throughout the season to improve knowledge of the game, recognition of players, and shine a spotlight on some of the geekier aspects of fantasy league participation.

I am hoping for some parents to join their kids in forming 16 franchises. If you are interested, post in the discussion forum and claim a franchise. Intended start date would be May 1, with a draft of some form conducted in the week prior.