American sports need a tier system... they should compete to play in the top leagues

[crftz333]

I read a quick little blurb the other day about the idea of introducing this - and I'm fully convinced now.

Similar to how soccer works in most European countries, where you have the A (or premiere) League with 20 or so teams, this should be done in all majorAmerican sports. That way:

1. Every major metropolitan area would get a sports team that could support one. Hell, any area could have a team that wanted to pony up the money to start one.
2. There would be penalties for being a bottom dweller who simply tries to tap into the shared revenue setups, you'd be demoted. No more holding fans hostage with the threat of moving towns if they don't come out and support a loser.
3. It would create excitement for late season games featuring teams from the bottom of the standings, fighting to stay afloat in the A league.

So for those of you not familiar... let's take the NFL for example.

You could have a 24 team A league... featuring the best 24 teams in America. Then you'd have a B league featuring the next best 24 Teams. That's 48towns with a team, and it could even go into a C team if the fans demanded it in those towns.

So at the end of a season... the teams finishing 20-24 in the A league would be demoted for the next season to the B league... and the top 4 teams from the Bleague would get promoted to play in the A league the next year.

This would do wonders for fans, players, and owners a like. Is it likely to ever happen? Probably not, considering pro sports are a monopoly in thiscountry... but that fact makes me think someday maybe the government could get involved and force their hands to go more this route, since they currently blockother teams from possibly joining their leagues.

What do we think?

 

[cedric ceballos 1995 lakers]

that if this were to ever happen teams like the browns, lions, clippers, nationals, royals, pirates, timberwolves, grizzlies etc would be spending alot of timein the B league.

 

[nine point five]

love the idea but like you said it won't ever materialize







M!ke

 

[crftz333]

Originally Posted by Cedric Ceballos 1995 Lakers

that if this were to ever happen teams like the browns, lions, clippers, nationals, royals, pirates, timberwolves, grizzlies etc would be spending alot of time in the B league.

and their fans might get to see them win the occasional title this way, too. sure, it wouldn't be the grand-daddy of them all... but it's a start.

 

[cincoseisdos]

If it were structured like this from the beginning then yes. But there's too much money invested already to have this go on in the US

 

[N41D]

No way, no how...

Professional sports in America are watered down with too many teams AS IS... Adding several more teams and dividing them into Tiers makes no sensewhatsoever...

 

[flintst0nez]

yeah, since the league's are already established, it'd be real hard to get this done.

also, college sports are what the lower leagues are in America. It's why coll. fb is the #2 sport here as a lot of people note. The draft system would behard to go by too (mostly with the NFL, and somewhat with the NBA.)

Too many pro teams aren't necessarily a good thing

 

[crftz333]

Originally Posted by Nowitness41Dirk

No way, no how...

Professional sports in America are watered down with too many teams AS IS... Adding several more teams and dividing them into Tiers makes no sense whatsoever...

Watered down how? Don't blame a city for only offering the amount of support they're able to muster... blame the teams for demanding somuch out of their city. I mean, you can't build a 100k seat stadium, charge an arm and a leg for a ticket, and then expect to be selling out even ifyou're not winning.

This IS a form of scaling back... it helps eradicate much of what's wrong with the current economic plan of many of these sports leagues.. it creates amore capitalistic approach to sports instead of this monopoly style we currently see.

 

[N41D]

Watered down meaning there's too many teams already...

You've been one of the biggest voices on here about how the level of play throughout sports has been down the last few years... Part of the reason for thatis the increasing number of teams over the last decade or two spreading talent so thin it's insane...

Now you want to add MORE teams? I just don't see the benefit of it... Sure, more cities get teams, but how many teams throughout professional sports do wehave proclaiming they're losing money in their current locations as it is? There are very few American cities/metroplexes that can realistically support aprofessional sports team... And damn near every one of them is already occupied. That's why we have teams bouncing around every few years (Charlotte/NewOrleans, Memphis/Vancouver, Nets to the Bronx, Seattle/OKC) trying to strike gold...

Parity throughout most of sports on a year-to-year basis in this country is VERY GOOD as it is. Why change that?

 

[paul is on tilt]

I'm with Nowitness on this... thinning the talent pool is not a good thing. It won't work.

 

[dmbrhs]

What the sports leagues need to do is create competition among bottom feeders to earn draft picks. I've always liked the idea of the two worst NFL teamsplaying each other on Wild Card weekend and the winner gets the #1 pick. Yeah, you could tank to make it to that game, but then you'd have to show up withyour A Game for the playoff. The NBA should have a cut-off date for (say) the worst four teams in the league, and after that date, take the best record ofthose teams and give them the #1 pick, and go down the list (then lottery the remaining non-playoff teams like normal). All of this would create meaningfulcompetition for the end of the season outside playoff races.

 

[air max 87]

talent is spread too thing around the league(s) already.... then you factor drafts/caps/cities and all that...... its not gonna work too well.....not sayin itsbad idea, just sayin its not one worth entertaining.

lets say you do that system? your gonna have a 48 pick Draft round? hows salary gonna work? hows a cap gonna work?

Theres Barely enough GOOD starting QBs in the NFL.... and thats with 32 teams, now 48? your gonna have bad teams that stay bad.

idea is

 

[crftz333]

Originally Posted by Nowitness41Dirk

Watered down meaning there's too many teams already...

You've been one of the biggest voices on here about how the level of play throughout sports has been down the last few years... Part of the reason for that is the increasing number of teams over the last decade or two spreading talent so thin it's insane...

Now you want to add MORE teams? I just don't see the benefit of it... Sure, more cities get teams, but how many teams throughout professional sports do we have proclaiming they're losing money in their current locations as it is? There are very few American cities/metroplexes that can realistically support a professional sports team... And damn near every one of them is already occupied. That's why we have teams bouncing around every few years (Charlotte/New Orleans, Memphis/Vancouver, Nets to the Bronx, Seattle/OKC) trying to strike gold...

Parity throughout most of sports on a year-to-year basis in this country is VERY GOOD as it is. Why change that?

I definitely have been one of the loudest voices about the level of play... but while part of the reason is definitely the number of teams, this systempromotes limiting the number of teams at the top level and creating a more competitive 2nd and 3rd tier to play in.

I think that actually increases the level of play at the top level. While the current system definitely helps protect the smaller market teams a bit, it'snot economically sound and I think that's why we're actually seeing these franchises losing money in the long run.. they were built to succeed on aplaying field they were never meant to play on... at least not in the years where they weren't going to be competing.

I see this as a way for everybody to gain something - from fans to the players to the owners. Whereas the current situation only benefits the owners.


Teams are bouncing around because they are expected to make the owners TONS of money while they are producing a crappy product. So owners hold the fanshostage, move the team and capitalize on the new interest of a new city, and then will likely just repeat the same procedure in a few years.

There are nice corps groups of fans out there to still be moved into - but you can't expect a football team in Salt Lake City to draw like the NY teams do,even if their winning every game they play... that's been the biggest issue. A team could work in many of these places, but you have to keep it smallerscale in terms of your business strategy in owning one of these teams - and the current setup just won't allow teams to enter the marketplace altogetherbecause of their stranglehold on it.

I realize this is never going to happen - but I don't see how this DOESN'T benefit us as fans. You really would rather watch the Browns and Lionsstink it up for another year over having a much tighter, much more competitive league top to bottom with every game meaning something besides just a draftposition? I know which I prefer.

 

[clutchshooter]

fantastic for smaller markets that want sports teams but it doesnt work in a north american system.

if it had been in place there would still be a Seattle SuperSonics though.

.

 

[rko2004]

I'll pass. I like the amount of teams. Especially in the NFL where anyone can win any given Sunday. The talent is fine or hey maybe the wrong people areplaying.

I'm a firm believer in B leagues but more along the lines of the AFL, NBDL, and the minor leagues in Baseball.

 

[jaflash]

I would also like to see this but doubt it will ever happen.
I'll try and explain how I think it would work the best for say the NFL.

The top league would retain their players and salary cap, basically stay the same.

The new lower league consisting of smaller markets would have less talent.

I'd make the NFL draft only for the top league and only 4 rounds.
Set salaries for rookies based on draft position.
The top league would be able to draft the premier college players.

Then make it so lower level teams are able to offer more money to players that are not drafted.

As a result, lower level teams can sign players that would have gone in rounds 5-7 of the draft.
These players can still sign with a top league team but won't get as much money.

Teams that move up to the top league are rewarded with large television and sponsor contracts.
This money can be used to sign players to help compete in the top league.




So an Ideal situation for a small market team.

Oklahoma city signs a QB from Michigan that was undrafted (from the 4 round draft)
He becomes a star of the lower league and leads his team to the top league.

Oklahoma city goes 5-11 and stay in the top league.
They are able to draft now and sign some better players with their increase in revenue.

They improve and are able to make the playoffs and win the super bowl.



Any questions?

 

[bud dink]

the draft makes this next to impossible

 

[justhotkicks]

Originally Posted by Cedric Ceballos 1995 Lakers

that if this were to ever happen teams like the browns, lions, clippers, nationals, royals, pirates, timberwolves, grizzlies etc would be spending alot of time in the B league losing a lot more money.