In three of the major North American sports, providing that we count the NHL, there is some element of a salary cap structure.
The purpose of which is two-fold; to allow for competitive balance between teams with disparate access to finances and to ensure that team's control their budget so that spending does not become out of control.
Right now the salary cap's in all major sports are a double-edged sword. They are helping those teams who can't compete financially by evening the playing field.
However, they are also destroying the ability of good teams to maintain their winning ways.
Take the Chicago Blackhawks, for instance.
After winning the Stanley Cup nearly a month and a half ago, the Hawks have jettisoned a significant number of their players due to salary cap constraints.
Cup heroes Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg and Antti Niemi have all been victims of Chicago's desperate attempt to comply with league regulations.
In fact, the Blackhawks had to walk away from the 2.5 million dollar salary awarded to goaltender Antti Niemi by an arbitrator, thereby making Niemi an unrestricted free agent.
Why does the NHL employ a system that punishes a team for drafting well and developing good players?
Restricted spending punishes champions from all sports.
The '08 Boston Celtics relied heavily on the support of role players like James Posey and Eddie House.
Both are now off of the Celtics roster, victims of the lack of salary cap space necessitated by Boston's need to keep their superstars together.
Champions in professional sports can no longer keep their own players once they have experienced a healthy dose of success.
Naturally, players will want raises after winning a championship. The modern-day salary cap system makes it an impossibility.
Should we abolish the cap altogether?
That would be dumb too, then you would have what happened to the MLB's Florida Marlins. The Marlins have claimed two World Series in their history and each time have been picked clean of their good players the following offseason by free-spending teams who could care less about budgetary concerns.
Fans love sports because of the notion that every team has a chance for glory. They also are attracted to the 'good old days' where teams like Jordan's Bulls and Gretzky's Oilers could keep a solid nucleus together and achieve greatness.
There has to be a happy medium. Teams do deserve an even playing field but you can't be punished for succeeding.
A flexible cap appears to be the best solution for what ails sports at the moment.
Unfortunately, for the Blackhawks, whatever changes made will be too little, too late.
