On Monday, the 16th of February 2004, the New York Yankees acquired shortstop Alex Rodriquez for the sum of $252 million dollars over 10 years. The Yankee organization is now considered by some people to have a "paid for" All-Star team. Their starting line up includes players that are top superstars in their sport today. In my opinion, and the opinion of many others, this situation is unacceptable.
The salary cap was designed so that each professional team in the league would have a certain amount of money they could spend on players. This creates a situation where the talent is spread around the league so that every team has a fair chance at the playoffs, the pennant, etc. This would make for happier fans and generally help the game.
When you really take a good, hard look at the sports world the games that attract the most attention are the ones that have salary caps in place. For instance, look at the NFL. Baseball used to be America's favorite sport. It has recently taken a backseat to professional football. Football is the most widely watched sport in America now. The Super Bowl could even be called a national holiday with over 200 million people around the world watching it each year. .
Because of the salary cap in football, every football fan thinks their team has a chance this year or the next. And they do. The best players in football are spread around the league, which keeps a consistent fan base watching for their team to win it all. .
Now, look at baseball. Only a handful of teams have a shot at the playoffs, let alone the World Series. Every year the same teams compete. This creates a hopeless atmosphere for most fans around the league. This problem is becoming contagious in sports. Hockey has no salary cap and nineteen of the thirty teams in the NHL are losing money. The only media coverage revolves around the most successful teams in the sport. It's very hard and almost impossible for a small town market to get any publicity.
