Star -
I was making an observation, not really an argument. It sounds like you disagree with it, but I'm not sure you understood my comparison. I hadn't reached the point of taking sides, I was just observing on the two different methods of running leagues, and how they have parallels to 'liberal' and 'conservative' thinking in politics.
When presented with inequities, I think liberals tend to impose constraints or force sacrifices on some in order to reduce the inequity. This is similiar to the thinking of the NFL regarding the salary cap. Think of it as 'the good of the Many outweighs the needs of the One' philosophy.
When a conservative is presented with inequities, he shrugs his shoulders. He doesn't care for outside interference attempting to redress imbalances. He wants to keep everything he has and not give up a thing, and doesn't expect anyone else to either. This is 'the good of the One outweighs the needs of the many' philosophy. Hence, no salary cap, and teams with payrolls of $200 million compete with teams of $30 million.
Ying/Yang. I just thought it was interesting that these two lines of thinking are illustrated in our major sports.
Which philosophy produces a league with better entertainment? Hard to say - but the NFL salary cap does seem to have produced more parity among the teams in the league (except for the Pats!).
Which philosophy maximizes revenue for the owners? I have no idea.