On the surface the Salary Cap is a fair and equitable means with which to maintain a healthy, well balanced, and competitive competition. A bright idea. Look a little deeper, though, and it gets dark. Very dark.
The brains behind the cap neglected to consider several things that have proven problematic: a player’s right to earn what he is worth, a club’s right to keep their investment, the fans emotional investment in players, other codes waiting to pounce and the one causing all the fuss – temptation.
The idea of a salary cap to keep the competition competitive seems to make perfect sense. The idea of a salary cap that punishes success and rewards mediocrity does not.
But a free trade system simply would not work, the weak would get weaker and, well, you know the rest. So an equity system of some description is required to ensure equal opportunity for all.
In its current format, the cap has assisted struggling clubs to compete on the field, and that’s a good thing. But in the meantime, the sports’ stocks have diminished.
Whilst ever a free trade component for “marquee” players and dispensation for local juniors remains absent, we will lose our best and brightest to competitors.
In other words, in an attempt to keep several clubs heads above water, the cap is drowning the game.
Mr. Gallop and News have taken a big corporate wand and waved it over a working mans’ game, and have stripped the emotive value in the pursuit of a good looking product.
Corporations think “product”, “brand” and “revenue”. To them, close games are good for ratings and keep the code competitive.
I know how competitive the code will be when there is no code, and there’ll be no code if “marquee “players desert the game or kids see no future in it.
So I implore you Mr. Gallop, give the game back its heart before it stops beating.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Joey is clearly still not over Dominic Young leaving the Knights. The Roosters winger scored the sealing try in a 40-18 win over Brisbane.
The Broncos skipper tried to stop Joseph Sua'ali'i with one good arm and did a decent job of diffusing the play with the pass…
Bad idea putting these two together! Paul Vautin and Andrew Johns had their Nine colleagues in hysterics with this post-game segment.
Jesse Arthars was in hospital receiving treatment for a broken jaw before Friday night’s game was over after a self-inflicted blow in the first…
Deine Mariner was sin binned for this high shot on James Tedesco. Does he have more to worry about?
Sam Walker wanted to challenge after Ashley Klein deemed his tackle on Reece Walsh was high. Unfortunately for the Roosters, they were out of…
