misterjaggers said:
That's an appealing argument on its face, but the competitive marketplace you and I inhabit in the "real world" differs from the rarefied labor market inside a professional sports league. As a starter, the CBA is being haggled over between, in effect, two monopolies.
It wasn't some strange twist of fate that led to salary caps in the NFL and NBA. It was a natural outcome.
A natural outcome?
The owners were greedy and determined.
A little more so than the players, in both cases.
Regardless, I think one of the problems the NHL has is that some owners view their pro franchises like toys. They're super rich. They don't care if they lose money. They're playing fantasy sports in real life.
And if they lose money, well, they needed a tax shelter anyway.
Problem is, not all franchises have that advantage.
Don't get me wrong. It also a good investment.
In whatever business can you get tax payers to build half of your infrastructure and then sign it over to you ... for free.
(That's one reason why Canadian franchises are at a competitive disadvantage with us franchises.)