pollardsvision
Footballguy
This might seem like a stupid question, but (even though I doubt it will happen), just how bad do you think it would be for the NFL to ditch the salary cap?
Would it ruin the NFL?
Would it significantly lower your enjoyment of the league?
I ask because the common thought (I think) is that this would be completely horrible, but I'm not so sure.
Some say, "we don't want it to be like MLB", but imo, that's a very small reason why people don't care about baseball. People don't care about MLB anymore b/c they are too busy, the game is too slow, and there are too many of them. You might even be able to make the argument that baseball would be worse off without a salary cap. If the places that actually gave a crap about baseball (NY/BOS/CHI/STL) weren't guaranteed to be decent, that probably wouldn't be very good for MLB.
The NBA got a cap in '84 and, of course, it's popularity soared after that. That's a tough case to look at though, as NBA popularity was already on the way up b/c of Bird/Magic and, of course, the drafting of the person that sent NBA popularity to heights it may never see again (MJ). It's tough to say if, and/or how much, a cap has helped the NBA.
If we look at the only sport that rivals the NFL's popularity, NCAA Football, it's the definition of uncapped. The best players routinely all go to the same (relatively) few schools. Of the 250 schools playing D1 (or whatever it's called) football, fewer than 20 have any realistic shot of competing for national titles on an annual basis. "Parity" is certainly not a reason NCAAF is so popular.
So, the question might be, how much does the percieved parity/salary cap in the NFL really contribute to it's success. (how much a salary cap actually leads to parity might be a good debate on it's own)
Is the NFL now really better than the pre-1994 NFL, in your opinion?
Do you think the NFL would achieved the kind of growth and success it has without the cap?
I'm not sure it wouldn't have. I think the NFL is so popular mainly because (1) people just love football, (2) we're busy and a once a week sport fits our lifestyle, (3) it's alot of fun and simple to gamble on, (4) similar to gambling, the fantasy version of football simple enought that it isn't limited to just geeks, and (5) unguaranteed contracts mean teams aren't ruined for half a decade because of bad contracts (like NBA/MLB).
I think those reasons have alot more to do the NFL's recent success than the salary cap.
On top of that, there's certainly a strong argument that dynasty's are great for any sports league.
Just some thoughts. What do you guys think would happen if the NFL ditched the salary cap?
Would it ruin the NFL?
Would it significantly lower your enjoyment of the league?
I ask because the common thought (I think) is that this would be completely horrible, but I'm not so sure.
Some say, "we don't want it to be like MLB", but imo, that's a very small reason why people don't care about baseball. People don't care about MLB anymore b/c they are too busy, the game is too slow, and there are too many of them. You might even be able to make the argument that baseball would be worse off without a salary cap. If the places that actually gave a crap about baseball (NY/BOS/CHI/STL) weren't guaranteed to be decent, that probably wouldn't be very good for MLB.
The NBA got a cap in '84 and, of course, it's popularity soared after that. That's a tough case to look at though, as NBA popularity was already on the way up b/c of Bird/Magic and, of course, the drafting of the person that sent NBA popularity to heights it may never see again (MJ). It's tough to say if, and/or how much, a cap has helped the NBA.
If we look at the only sport that rivals the NFL's popularity, NCAA Football, it's the definition of uncapped. The best players routinely all go to the same (relatively) few schools. Of the 250 schools playing D1 (or whatever it's called) football, fewer than 20 have any realistic shot of competing for national titles on an annual basis. "Parity" is certainly not a reason NCAAF is so popular.
So, the question might be, how much does the percieved parity/salary cap in the NFL really contribute to it's success. (how much a salary cap actually leads to parity might be a good debate on it's own)
Is the NFL now really better than the pre-1994 NFL, in your opinion?
Do you think the NFL would achieved the kind of growth and success it has without the cap?
I'm not sure it wouldn't have. I think the NFL is so popular mainly because (1) people just love football, (2) we're busy and a once a week sport fits our lifestyle, (3) it's alot of fun and simple to gamble on, (4) similar to gambling, the fantasy version of football simple enought that it isn't limited to just geeks, and (5) unguaranteed contracts mean teams aren't ruined for half a decade because of bad contracts (like NBA/MLB).
I think those reasons have alot more to do the NFL's recent success than the salary cap.
On top of that, there's certainly a strong argument that dynasty's are great for any sports league.
Just some thoughts. What do you guys think would happen if the NFL ditched the salary cap?
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