Private Leagues come in 5 basic flavors - and the self description may be flawed1) Really solid competitive leagues ("Elite") with low turn over. Most (No Quitters!!! may be the only exception) have a no new owner policy.2) Leagues that were in category 3 or 5 and are showing progress towards (1). Owners tend to be helpful and the present owners avoid the "whatever you do is fine" approach - IE no tanking, no trade rape 3) Middle of the road - Not organized and moving up but not disorganized and sliding. The Commish takes what he can get at rollover. These are leagues that are good for cutting your teeth as a "newbie" before looking for a more competitive environment.4) Leagues headed for trouble. Higher turnover. Owners willing to stretch the rules to maintain their advantage. If you are in one you will know it and have a decision to make depending on your views.5) Leagues in trouble. High turnover of the same teams that tend to become Trash heaps. League policies that tend to perpetuate the gap between the haves and have nots. May be difficult to spot except when looking at the history of the available teams. May be in this situation by accident (poor owners who have ) or intent (owners that prey on the "Newbies" every year). Unless the remaining owners establish a "we need to get better" agenda, little changes.Obviously there is no ranking system or description that is perfect. You only find out the Ethos of a league by joining. Which makes joining a gamble. The tendency is to become attached to a team, even when it is in a league that doesn't "fit" your needs. However, when you look over the available leagues this may be a useful guideline for making ***essments.As an original owner in Regulars/Shlabotnik, it is a category 3 world that has had a wake up call and is moving to category 2. It is worth joining - a rising tide lifts all boats, even yours ;-).