Version 1.0, adopted 2026. This document replaces every earlier rules post on the blog. Where an older post disagrees with this one, this one governs.
It consolidates the original 2000 constitution and its handwritten amendments, the 2011 Rules 2.0 post, the 2017 and 2018 rule-change posts, the 2025 rule-change post, the current ESPN league settings, and the League Admin tab of the draft sheet. Franchise lineage and title counts live in a companion document, the Franchise History.
1. The League
Catch the Damn Ball is a ten-team keeper league. It played a trial season in 2000, remembered as Season 0, with the same ten franchises that play today, and has run as a ten-team league every year since 2001. The 2026 season is the 26th counted season.
The league ran on CBS through 2012 and on ESPN from 2013. The blog at catchthedamnball.blogspot.com is the league's public record.
Franchises
Ten franchises have existed since the first kickoff. None has ever folded. Each carries a permanent identity, and its titles and records, across every change of owner and name. Each franchise is run by one GM.
| Franchise | GM | GM since | Home base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chunky Monkeys | Evan | 2000 | Bay Area |
| Gang Green | Greg | 2000 | New Jersey |
| Philadelphia Phreaks | Ping | 2000 | Seattle |
| LA Buffy | Roger | 2000 | Los Angeles |
| Battle Angel | Will | 2020 | Dallas |
| Custom J | Josh | 2019 | Los Angeles |
| Crunch Bunch | Eddie | 2019 | Bay Area |
| City of Angels Masterminds | Marcus | 2019 | Los Angeles |
| Jail Yard Boyz | Victor | 2022 | Bay Area |
| A Squad Called Blitz | Thien | 2023 | Bay Area |
2. Governance
Commissioner. The commissioner runs the draft, maintains the draft sheet and the ESPN league, sets the schedule, and enters offline draft results. Evan is the commissioner.
Rule changes. A proposed rule change passes unless four GMs vote no. Proposals and their outcomes are logged on the League Admin tab of the draft sheet and published here.
Rules Committee. The Rules Committee is Evan, Roger, Ping, and Eddie. It reviews disputed trades and rules on anything this constitution does not cover.
Dues and payouts. Buy-in is $100 per franchise. The pot is $1,000 and pays out in full.
| Prize | Amount |
|---|---|
| Champion | $450 |
| Runner-up | $200 |
| Best regular-season record | $70 |
| Weekly high score, Weeks 1 to 14 | $20 per week |
3. Rosters and Lineups
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Roster size | 18 |
| Starters | 10 |
| Bench | 8, one of which may be used as IR |
| Starting lineup | 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR/TE, 1 TE, 1 FLEX (RB/WR/TE), 1 K, 1 D/ST |
| Lineup lock | Each player locks at his scheduled game time |
Any of the three WR/TE slots may hold a tight end, so a lineup may start up to four tight ends. A 2018 proposal to make those slots WR-only failed 1 to 8.
IR slot. A player on IR may be activated as soon as ESPN allows it.
Empty and inactive slots. An empty starting slot or an inactive player scores zero. There is no further penalty. Every GM is expected to set a full lineup every week. The older rule voiding a whole week's score for an incomplete lineup is repealed.
4. Keepers
- Each franchise keeps five players every year.
- Keepers cost nothing. No draft pick is forfeited.
- Any rostered player may be kept. There is no limit on how many years a player may be kept.
- Keepers lock one hour before the draft.
- Keeper slots may not be traded, and a franchise may not hold a keeper on behalf of another franchise, in the current year or a future one.
- Circumventing either rule: the Rules Committee voids the arrangement, and the player involved is ineligible as a keeper for both franchises the following season.
5. The Draft
- Offline, held over video call. The commissioner types picks into the draft sheet, then enters the results on ESPN.
- 13 rounds, 130 picks, 30 seconds per pick.
- Linear order. The same order every round. No snake.
- Draft order. Slot 10 is the champion. Slot 9 is the Super Bowl runner-up. Slots 1 through 8 are the other eight franchises in reverse order of regular-season standings, worst record first. Ties break by head-to-head record, then points scored.
- Draft picks may be traded, including during the draft.
6. Scoring
Half-point PPR. Six-point passing touchdowns. Decimal scoring since 2011.
Offense
| Stat | Points |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 1 per 20 (0.05 per yard) |
| Passing TD | 6 |
| Interception thrown | -2 |
| Rushing yards | 1 per 10 |
| Rushing TD | 6 |
| Receiving yards | 1 per 10 |
| Reception | 0.5 |
| Receiving TD | 6 |
| 2-point conversion (pass, rush, or catch) | 2 |
| Fumble lost | -2 |
| Kick or punt return TD (player) | 6 |
| 2-point conversion return | 4 |
Kicker
| Stat | Points |
|---|---|
| PAT | 1 |
| FG 0 to 49 yards | 3 |
| FG 50 yards or more | 4 |
| Missed kick | 0 |
Team defense and special teams
| Stat | Points |
|---|---|
| Sack | 1 |
| Interception | 2 |
| Fumble recovery | 1 |
| Safety | 3 |
| Blocked punt, PAT, or FG | 2 |
| Any return or defensive TD | 6 |
| Points allowed 0 | 6 |
| Points allowed 1 to 6 | 4 |
| Points allowed 7 to 13 | 2 |
| Points allowed 14 to 21 | 0 |
| Points allowed 22 to 27 | -2 |
| Points allowed 28 to 34 | -4 |
| Points allowed 35 or more | -6 |
| Yards allowed under 200 | 4 |
| Yards allowed 200 to 299 | 2 |
| Yards allowed 300 to 399 | 0 |
| Yards allowed 400 to 449 | -2 |
| Yards allowed 450 to 499 | -4 |
| Yards allowed 500 or more | -6 |
7. Schedule and Standings
- The regular season is 14 weeks, one matchup per week, starting NFL Week 1.
- Regular-season ties stand. There is no matchup tiebreaker.
Bonus wins and losses, since 2025. Each week every franchise also records a bonus win if its score is in the top five of the league, or a bonus loss if in the bottom five. Weekly results are 2-0, 1-1, or 0-2. The combined record sets the standings.
The schedule, since 2026. ESPN's default schedule was identical every season from 2021 through 2025, so the commissioner now sets the matchups each year on these principles:
- Franchises are grouped into three schedule-only divisions by home base: Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Road. Division opponents play twice.
- Named rivalries play twice.
- Each franchise plays the franchise that finished next to it in the prior year's standings twice: first against second, third against fourth, and so on.
- Week 1 is the Super Bowl rematch. Week 12 is Rivalry Week.
- No pair meets more than twice.
These divisions exist only to build the schedule. They do not affect playoff seeding.
8. Playoffs
- Six of ten franchises qualify. Seeds 1 and 2 receive a first-round bye.
- Three rounds, one week each, NFL Weeks 15 through 17.
- Seeding ties break by head-to-head record.
- No home-field advantage.
- The bracket does not reseed between rounds. Seed 1 plays the winner of 4 against 5, and seed 2 plays the winner of 3 against 6.
- Franchises eliminated from the playoffs and from the fifth-place game are locked from transactions for the rest of the season.
Toilet Bowl. From 2010 through 2023 the four non-playoff franchises played a consolation bracket, the Toilet Bowl, and its winner and runner-up earned picks 1 and 2 of the next draft. The Toilet Bowl was retired effective the 2024 season. Its fourteen winners are recorded in the blog sidebar.
9. Transactions
Waivers. Every franchise has a $100 free-agent budget per season, continuous waivers, minimum bid $0. Bids process Wednesday through Sunday at 9 AM ET. Bid ties go to the franchise lower in the standings, reset weekly. Budget dollars may not be traded.
Trades. No limit on trades and no trade deadline. Every trade has a one-day review period. A trade is overturned only by three of the four members of the Rules Committee. A committee member whose franchise is party to the trade does not vote, and the trade stands unless every remaining member votes to overturn it. There is no league-wide veto vote.
Adds and drops. Unlimited. No undroppable list.
10. On the Ballot
Raised and not yet voted on:
- Playoff reseeding. Reseed the bracket after each round, so the highest remaining seed always plays the lowest remaining seed. This is the NFL's format and was the league's own practice as recently as 2019. Status quo until voted.
- Weekly high-score prize. Cut it from $20 to $10 and move the difference to the finishing prizes. Raised in 2026, not adopted; the prize stays at $20.
11. Amendment History
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Founding rules: 14-man rosters, 5 keepers, 1 QB, 1 RB, 3 WR/TE, 1 FLEX, 1 K, 1 D/ST |
| 2004 | Home-field advantage removed. Trade deadline introduced. |
| 2006 | Toilet Bowl participants pick first and second, formalized in 2010 |
| 2010 | Bye-week carryovers and long-touchdown bonuses removed. Bench to 6. Toilet Bowl created. D/ST scoring scale set. |
| 2011 | Decimal scoring. Waivers four days a week. |
| 2015 | Playoff seeding tiebreakers: head-to-head, points, division record |
| 2017 | Mandatory TE slot and second RB slot, each with a bench spot. Free-agent budget replaces waiver priority. |
| 2018 | Keeper slots may not be traded. WR-only slots rejected. |
| 2019 | Marvel and Capcom divisions abolished. Three franchises change hands in the dispersal draft. |
| 2024 | Toilet Bowl retired. Draft order becomes straight reverse standings with the finalists last. |
| 2025 | Bonus wins and losses adopted, unanimous. |
| 2026 | Commissioner-set schedule with schedule-only divisions, rivalry games, and a standings game. Rules Committee reconstituted as Evan, Roger, Ping, and Eddie. Rule changes pass unless four GMs object. Incomplete-lineup penalty repealed. Keeper-circumvention penalty defined. This constitution adopted. |
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