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There should be a salary cap but it should be done in a way that allows teams to keep their homegrown players. If I had it my way, a homegrown player would only count 65% against the cap. If a team signs their homegrown player to $20 million a year, only $13 million would count against the cap. It would reward teams with good drafts and allows teams to build dynasties if they go about it the right way. At the same time, there would be be far fewer teams like the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox buying the best players money can buy. In addition, have a lottery in all four sports to prevent tanking. I don't see how anybody would complain about that method since it allows any team to build a dynasty. Anyway, that's my idea.

"In addition, have a lottery in all four sports to prevent tanking."

I was with you until this. NO WAY. The NBA needs to do away with the lottery pronto. It's a HORRIBLE idea. And it in no way, shape, or form prevents "tanking". Hell, the NBA is the only league where tanking the end of the season is the norm. The worse your record the better your "chance" of getting the #1 overall pick. If you know you aren't going to be a playoff team, it makes even MORE sense to tank in the NBA because you actually have a shot at getting a pick higher than your seeding says you should.

salary caps is what makes most of these leagues fair...

don't get me wrong i am a redskins fan, but if no salary cap every free agent with talaent would be a cowboy or redskin because they have the most money. you ever heard of the yankees?

the yankees salary is higher than than the lower 14 teams COMBINED!!! what the flip is that?

i think baseball needs a cap and the rest of the leagues should keep them

"This is america. We dont need caps. This isnt cuba. Supply and demand. HELLO? "

"you can also do restructures like make young players have to stay on their drafted teams longer ---- that could be traded off in exchange for NO CAPS ."

You realize those arguments are diametrically opposed, right?

If a salary cap is "un-American", then most certainly indentured slavery is, as well. Fact is, sports are NOT an open market enterprise. You or I can't just start an NFL franchise, for example. The owners would LOVE your idea. In fact, they'd pass it in about 2 seconds. The players union would NEVER agree. It would leave the majority of it's members completely exposed.

I don't like the idea of a hard cap in baseball, but in football it works well.

"the yankees salary is higher than than the lower 14 teams COMBINED!!! what the flip is that? "

Works both ways. Part of it is those bottom 14 won't spend any money because they GET money from the Yankees spending spree to add to their bottom line.

yeah but its hurts teams chances to reach the playoffs when they simply just can't afford to make the playoffs. it shouldn;t be that way. all teams should be given an equal chance, now if a team out performs well then they deserve it.

Maybe it sounds a bit homerish i am not a big baseball fan but baltimore is my team, can anyone name a star on their team? brian roberts is the closest thing they have to that? do you know who their ace is?

my point is how will this team compete against the yankees and the redsocks? now granted some teams do a good job scouting young talent, but it is just too easy for these teams to stay competitive. A bad season is not finishing 1st or second in their division EVERY YEAR.

If every team had an equal ammount to spend a season these teams would be much less likely to go out and buy every FA, every big playing entering the league and maybe it would lead to a change of the same teams going into the playoffs every year.

Well, I have to disagree. There's about a 20% chance for the worst team to get the #1 overall pick. That means 80% of the time the worst team would not get the #1 pick. There really is no incentive to tank. I can't remember the last time the worst team in the NBA actually got the #1 overall pick. If teams are really tanking, it doesn't really do them much good. Anyway, if there isn't a lottery, there needs to be some sort of method to prevent tanking. I just don't like a hard core salary cap since it punishes teams that draft well but I might just be bias because I'm a Ravens fan.

Salary caps are needed. That mechanism, along with draft seedings, ensures that the league remains competitive, that each team has a chance. That's vital.

Those balancing mechanisms are one of the things I believe US major sports have better than european sports in general. In european sports, usually a handful of teams are always winners, while other always lose.

I'm not the biggest Euro Football fan but isn't Real Madrid mediocre despite having a disgustingly high payroll?

"Well, I have to disagree. There's about a 20% chance for the worst team to get the #1 overall pick. "

That's exactly why it's a BAD idea. You don't have to be the WORST team, just one of the worst to have a decent shot at getting the #1 overall pick. That provides an incentive for any team that isn't a playoff contender to just tank the rest of the year. Or, even, some that ARE contenders to make the playoffs, but not ready to advance. It's an incredibly flawed system, evidenced by the fact that ONLY the NBA ever gets accused of teams tanking games to any large degree.

"I'm not the biggest Euro Football fan but isn't Real Madrid mediocre despite having a disgustingly high payroll?"

No, they won the Spanish championship this year, above other teams such as Barcelona. So no, they aren't "mediocre", or anything remotely related!

draft lotteries are the worst thing in the history of the world

Getting rid of salary caps would be a horrible idea. COuld you imagine how much money guys like Brady, TO, and Manning could ask for? Ticket prices would sky-rocket, making football a TV-only sport.

Salary caps make things far, spread talent across the country (do you really think the Bengals would be able to afford to keep Chad Johnson? He'd be in NE or Dallas or something), and keep ticket prices affordable (or at least semi-affordable) for all of us.

That is a horrible idea.

And Porkins, I agree... Draft lotteries are an abomination to the idea of a draft. THe NBA really needs to scrap that idea.

I think you're just bitter about the Celtics always getting screwed by the lottery. Can you imagine how many teams would have tried to tank if there wasn't a lottery? Houston tanked to get Hakeem Olajuwon and was rewarded with two championships and three Finals appearances. Teams tank in the NBA because one transcendent player can make a world of difference but it doesn't really do them any good with the lottery system. I like the lottery because it gives a team that is actually trying hard on the court a chance at the #1 pick. There needs to be fewer teams like Houston and more teams like Portland that tried their best and were rewarded, not the other way around.

By the way, I'm not necessarily advocating a lottery for all sports. The MLB draft is so unpredictable that it's not really worth it for a team to embarass themselves by tanking. As long as there are no guaranteed contracts, I don't see any NFL teams tanking in the forseeable future.

as much as i love football and thats my main sport, and i remind you philly would be one of those teams that would benefit from salary caps not being in place, I think there needs to be a cap. Because smaller market teams would not benefit from that. Football is not baseball and must have a cap.

as much as i love football and thats my main sport, and i remind you philly would be one of those teams that would benefit from salary caps not being in place, I think there needs to be a cap. Because smaller market teams would not benefit from that. Football is not baseball and must have a cap.

Favreistheman - You call yourself a Packers fan? You do realize that without caps, that the Packers may sink back into the mediocrity of the 70s & 80s, right?

Favre avatars make me sick. Dude is retired. Move on. Vote right.