The American political agenda has been ablaze in recent times with the advent (or re-advent, depending on your point of view) of the Tea Party movement. Citizens from across the country are railing against the actions taken by the government, demanding that changes be made. Chief among their concerns is the premise that America is moving toward a less free, more government-controlled society, one whereby the freedoms of the individual are being hampered by those that are put in place to protect such freedoms. Never one to ignore the tempting power of hyperbole, the Tea Partiers have often thrown around the word ’socialism’ to describe the future they deem we will soon inhabit. Outlandish, yes, but nonetheless effective.
I was thinking on the Tea Party group this week when a thought crossed my mind. I think the Tea Party group has the right idea, but is focusing on the wrong organization. You see, from my perspective, there does exist a group with enormous power and overtly socialistic tendencies. The group that I speak of makes no effort to hide these tendencies, even writing them into their bylaws. However, in a nation so defiant against those who would threaten freedom, they operate without scrutiny or public uproar. The organization of which I speak is none other than perhaps the most popular oligopoly in the country, the National Football League. I’ll explain.
THE NFL DRAFT
Imagine this scenario for a second. During your developmental years, you work hard enough to earn your way into an Ivy League university, complete with a full scholarship. At said university, you spend four years toiling away at differential equations, research papers, and chemical compounds. Eight semesters on the Dean’s list later, you graduate at the top of your class, widely recognized as the top person in your field. Good news, right? Wrong, because instead of joining a highly thought-of company with a corner office and a lofty expense account, you are forced to work for Bob’s Used Car Shop, with nary an office or expense account in sight. Such is the NFL Draft. In any other industry, the idea of taking the best talents and forcing them to work for the worst organizations would be downright criminal, yet the NFL does it every year. Even worse, not only do we stand by and allow this to happen, but we spend hours of our time watching it take place! It’s the sporting version of standing by watching mom force your brother to eat his carrots.
SALARY CAP
I have but one test to determine whether an idea is contrary to the bounds of logic. I call it the “Ear Test.” The test holds that, after describing in detail the idea, if it still sounds like a good idea, logic is observed. You would be amazed how many times this test is failed. Let’s try it out here. According to the laws of the National Football League, no matter how much money a team has raised, whether by ticket sales as a result of good promotion, jersey sales as a result of strong personnel decisions, or television record as a result of successful performance, you are only allowed to spend as much money as the teams who have had far less success in each of those areas. In other words, the only real reward that you have for all of your success is a pat on the back and a really big trophy. Gee golly, thanks. When Wal-Mart has a successful quarter, they are granted immeasurable opportunities to build upon that success. When the New York Giants won the Super Bowl, they were granted immeasurable opportunities to let their best players go for demanding too much money in salaries. You tell me, does this pass the Ear Test?
CONCLUSION
After thinking about this a little more, two key questions come to mind. First, should sporting leagues be held to the same scrutiny as other revenue-generating organizations? And second, what would happen if we allowed football teams to act as free-market enterprises? I lack the time and the intelligence to provide answers to such questions, but they remain out there to be solved. In the meantime, Commissioner Roger Goodell, be on the lookout for crazed Southerners carrying pitchforks and witty posters. You’re on the radar.
