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NFL Parityby Ben "Red" Beard

Since the inception of the salary cap, the NFL has strived to create parity among its teams. The NFL wants all teams to have an equal chance at fielding a champion. For the most part it has been successful. Since the institution of the salary cap in 1994, there have been 16 different teams representing their respective conferences and 8 different Champions, in 11 Super Bowls. Of the 28 Super Bowls before the salary cap, there were 19 different teams making the big game and 12 different winners. In less than half the amount of time, the NFL has almost the same amount of first timers in the Super Bowl and just four less one-time winners in that span. That sounds like parity to me.

Need more proof? Take a look at the NFC playoff field this season. Quick, how far did each of those teams advance in playoffs last year. Trick question. Of the six NFC teams in this years playoffs, only one was in last years playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks. The combined record of last year, of this year's teams, minus Seattle, was 29-51. In fact, not one of those five teams even had a winning record. Carolina came the closest at 7-9. Go back to the 2003 season, and the combined record is still in the red at 34-46, with only Carolina making the post season at 11-5.

Look at the NFC South as another example. There have been three division winners in the past three years. This year marks the first time in the short life of the Nascar division, that a team has won multiple division titles.

But what about teams like Arizona, Houston, Cleveland, and Detroit? The NFL is giving every team an opportunity to field a winner. You notice I said opportunity and not ability. There are some things that are left to the owner's, GM's, coaches, and players. It basically starts from the top down. If an owner is not willing to take care of his team (i.e.: coaches, players, fans, etc), the resulting product on the field will show. GM's must be intelligent enough to hire people that will help his team win. As an example, look back at the Redskins of the late 90's and early 00's. They brought in countless big name, high dollar free agents but were unable to muster much in the way of success. The Owner threw money at players. The players didn't care about winning as much as cashing the over paid paycheck. Who lost out? The coaches and most importantly to the NFL, the fans did.

Even in the age of free agency, there is the possibility of domination by one or a small hand full of teams. The New England Patriots have won three of the last four Super Bowl's and are primed to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy this year. Their success is no mistake. Smart management coupled with the instilment of a team attitude by the coaching staff, have made the Patriots the exception to the rule.

Parity in the NFL is simply good business. Think of all the money that is generated in the areas of teams that make playoff runs. If the same few teams are in contention every year, only those cities will benefit from the revenue the NFL playoffs can generate. The rest of the leagues cities will lose out on ticket sales, concessions, merchandise sales, parking, and hotels. Not to mention other local businesses like towing companies, local bars, printing companies, and security companies, would also stand to profit. When new teams make the playoffs, the revenue is spread around the league and it's cities. That revenue can be used to make stadium improvements, put money back into the community, improved stadium parking better, or attracting free agents in the off season. After all, any player worth a hoot wants to play for a winner. Yes, there are those that are simply in it for the money but I wouldn't want them on my team if I were an owner, coach, or fan.

It seems clear to me. Even on a level playing field, there is always someone who gets it and those who don't. The NFL's parity, I get it.

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