Post by harpospoke on Jul 19, 2018 20:05:37 GMT
Free agency in general is bad for that. Why would a fan in Utah or Toronto watch when players don't want to play for their team? Your college example is a great illustration of how that works. The overwhelming majority of colleges have no chance to win a championship. It's a flawed system for competition.
I'm all for players being paid...they earn it. That's why we watch. But I'm a fan so I also balk at the idea that the interests of fans don't matter. We are literally the only branch of the sports trinity (owners, players, fans) who are expected to be "loyal". The owners and players can treat the fans like crap and that's not a problem. Only fans are expected to care about the interests of the other two branches. Owners and players act in their interest first.
Employees everywhere are "treated like cattle" if you term it that way. Does a person who works for Walmart or Bank of America get to change to a different branch without permission? Of course not. The company would be in chaos if that happened.
So I'm not a fan of free agency in the first place. But I also like that players get the money they deserve. The salary cap makes that a problem though. Teams have to make choices every year that are not in the best interest of winning because of the salary cap. If there is a way to make it fair to fans, pay the players, and keep the league healthy I'm all for that. But I'm not about to put the fans last on that list.
But college sports will never be as popular as pro sports. It's based on regional loyalty. That's why the fan base for New Hampshire is so much smaller than the fan base for Duke. If you went to New Hampshire or live in that area of course you'll cheer for them...but why would anyone else be a fan?
How is that fair to the fans?
Someone who works for Walmart or Bank of America can change jobs any time they want. It's about opportunity, and in any vocation it's your specific skillset that makes you a valued commodity. Comparing a Walmart employee to a professional athlete simply does not work, because they are easily replaced by a comparable employee. Only in professional sports, where your skills are what makes you incredibly difficult to replace, are you supposed to accept your hopeless situation. Even professional actors don't get drafted by Larry's Film Co. instead of MGM, they simply ply their trade where they see fit.
They have the exact same opportunities. You can quit Bank of America any time you want and go to another bank. You can quit the NFL any time you want and go into broadcasting or the CFL. There is nothing "hopeless" about it. Demarco Murray just quit this week. Making less money is the choice you make. They pay you more money in every industry on earth to offset you giving up things you want. Doctors make more money because they put in enormous time and money into education and work long hours. They can give all that up any time they want.
And again...how is free agency fair to fans? Why are fans expected to suppress their desires in favor of players and owners? Why would a fan in Cleveland or Buffalo bother watching the NFL? The fan is one third of this equation too.
Fans aren't last on the list, they're the consumer of the product. Even they have a choice, they don't have to go to the games. Do you think the 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament don't have fans in the stands? I'm a Cetlics fan and at no time did I think they were going to win the title these past playoffs. But I watched every game and loved the effort the team put into it.
Not a good example to bring up the Celtics. If you were a Kings fan that would a lot harder to do. (which is why the Kings get minuscule ratings compared to the Celtics and Lakers)
The fans have a choice...and so do the players. They can quit any time they want. Either work for the NBA and NFL or don't. Those leagues have to maintain competitive balance....that is literally their #1 goal as an entity.
Free Agency is what makes the league competitive, and the salary cap makes it difficult for the same team to win over and over again. Players try to build super teams just like executives do, and in both cases it doesn't always work. I'm in favor of elite athletes being in control of their situation, just as elite level talents in any field are.
I would definitely feel for Lebron if he had been stuck in Cleveland for his whole career. They are a terrible organization. (How do you have Lebron for 11 years and just get 1 ring?) But him being able to leave doesn't help Cavs fans at all.
FA certainly hasn't made MLB any more popular. It used to be the #1 sport in the USA....now it's fighting with the NBA for 2nd....well behind the NFL.
Sure if I'm a player I want as much as I can get. Being able to play where I want would sound fantastic. But you aren't making the case why any fan should want that. Of course the owners are against it too, but I don't care about them either. This is why the fans line up with the owners on so many issues. Our desires are often the same. Fans just care about our teams having an equal chance to win even if we live in a small market.