In most cases the public is given the chance to vote down those stadiums. That's on them as much as anyone...

 

And in those cases I agree, the voters have no one to blame but themselves. But stadium/arena deals were pushed through without public referendum in Louisville, Memphis, Minneapolis, Miami, etc. There are an awful lot of them.

 

But that's all outside the bounds of what we're talking about here.

 

In this specific thread I'm talking about a business being given a chance to not have any competition due to protective rules. If it were anything besides sports, people -- well at least some people -- would be furious that this was happening.

 

If you ask me, barriers to entry are too high in all sorts of professions and areas of business and are often times protected by government intervention and government protection. But again, we're far outside the bounds of this particular thread.

Dang, I just wanted to...uh...I think there should be an age......uh.....yeah......

 

 

 

 

 

Getslow makes an outstanding point.

 

 

And now I don't know what I want.

I do feel like that if a kid doesn't go pro right after high school then he should be forced to play college or overseas for two years and that is me as a fan of the game of basketball wanting a better product across the board.

 

Getslow is dead on though. Never thought about it like that until he said it like that.

Barriers? Any one can start a basketball team, play for a team or even start a league...but if you want be part of the NBA business model you have to play by their rules. If you want to build a better product you can there is nothing stopping anyone for competing against the NBA just don't ask them to help you with it. Just like anyone can open store, just don't expect Walmart to use their logistics to handle your distribution for you.

Question for PP92, if that youngest of yours turns into the best PG in the country, he's currently a one and done. Let's say that they make it another year now and he's got to stay another year. You pleased with that? I understand that college is a big deal, and he needs an education. But honestly, why did you go to college? Other than the extracurricular stuff (ha), it was to get a better job, make more money, expand your horizons financially, correct? PP92Jr has an opportunity to make more money than we will in a lifetime right out of the chute, what are you considering then?

Barriers? Any one can start a basketball team, play for a team or even start a league...but if you want be part of the NBA business model you have to play by their rules. If you want to build a better product you can there is nothing stopping anyone for competing against the NBA just don't ask them to help you with it. Just like anyone can open store, just don't expect Walmart to use their logistics to handle your distribution for you.

 

They've got a nice head start in the business thanks to 50 years of non-competitive, monopolistic practices allowed to them thanks to anti-trust exemptions. The draft is complete insanity and should make people furious. It's a colluded cap on wages instead of every team having the ability to bid on the best talents.

 

I'd love for someone with serious cash to start a new league with a new model that actually embraces the things that are supposed to make sports great and make America great. But as long as the current model of team executives playing a game of "Who can get the most public money out of a city" remains the No. 1 sport in America, nothing is going to change.

They've got a nice head start in the business thanks to 50 years of non-competitive, monopolistic practices allowed to them thanks to anti-trust exemptions. The draft is complete insanity and should make people furious. It's a colluded cap on wages instead of every team having the ability to bid on the best talents.

 

I'd love for someone with serious cash to start a new league with a new model that actually embraces the things that are supposed to make sports great and make America great. But as long as the current model of team executives playing a game of "Who can get the most public money out of a city" remains the No. 1 sport in America, nothing is going to change.

So, are you in favor of the business model of the MLB?

The problem is that we tend to look at the NBA as a single organization. It's not. It's 30 different organizations colluding to fix wages and create barriers.

So, are you in favor of the business model of the MLB?

 

I'm not sure I follow what you mean. They have most of the same business practices as the NBA.

They've got a nice head start in the business thanks to 50 years of non-competitive, monopolistic practices allowed to them thanks to anti-trust exemptions. The draft is complete insanity and should make people furious. It's a colluded cap on wages instead of every team having the ability to bid on the best talents.

 

I'd love for someone with serious cash to start a new league with a new model that actually embraces the things that are supposed to make sports great and make America great. But as long as the current model of team executives playing a game of "Who can get the most public money out of a city" remains the No. 1 sport in America, nothing is going to change.

The ABA tried that but in the end the product didn't sell as well and it went under. Just like the myriad of Pro Football leagues that have come and gone.

 

I've got no problem with competition or even eliminating the salary cap, just don't want to hear complaining when the Knicks have the top 15 players in the league and the Lakers have the next best 15. If NBA had no Salary Cap it would be like the Yankees on Steroids, as unlike baseball 6 or 7 players could dominate the NBA year in and year out.

The ABA tried that but in the end the product didn't sell as well and it went under. Just like the myriad of Pro Football leagues that have come and gone.

 

I've got no problem with competition or even eliminating the salary cap, just don't want to hear complaining when the Knicks have the top 15 players in the league and the Lakers have the next best 15. If NBA had no Salary Cap it would be like the Yankees on Steroids, as unlike baseball 6 or 7 players could dominate the NBA year in and year out.

 

To my mind, you can't eliminate the salary cap without also eliminating the franchise model. Otherwise it's not only non-competitive from an in-game perspective, it's also non-competitive from a business sense as well.

 

There's a lot I don't care for about the way American sports are operated and very few of the things I'd change about them would work on an individual level. The whole thing needs an overhaul.

The only problem you run into with an age limit is that most of these guys have been held back. There are many that are graduating high school at 19 anyhow. I think it would be better for them to stay two years in college, which will at least give them an associates degree to fall back on.

I'm not sure I follow what you mean. They have most of the same business practices as the NBA.

No salary cap. The Yankees aren't the evil empire for no reason. Haves and have nots.

The ABA tried that but in the end the product didn't sell as well and it went under. Just like the myriad of Pro Football leagues that have come and gone.

 

Even those leagues were built on the same model as the NBA and the NFL. Nothing was different, it was just another league. Nothing new there.

No salary cap. The Yankees aren't the evil empire for no reason. Haves and have nots.

 

That's merely one aspect. Outside the cap, the business practices of the leagues are essentially the same: domestic players enter through a draft, teams are awarded on a franchise model where a huge fee is taken by the league for owning a team, public ownership is banned by rule.

 

And these days even the difference in cap is at least somewhat mitigated by MLB's revenue sharing rules.