NFL Parity is a Myth, Baseball is Equal!

Newk’s Bender on the Game

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know…

I attended my obligatory Super Bowl viewing party again this year and caught quite a bit of conversation on how great, fair and equal the NFL system is for balanced competition. Being a Cleveland Browns fan, these statements just didn’t seem right so I decided to investigate a little deeper. 

Can anyone tell me why fans seem to be in love with the so called “parity” of the NFL? It is a giant and complete myth that the NFL system and salary cap promote much better competitive balance. Based on this past Sunday, the Giants and Patriots have filled 8 of the 24 possible spots in the past 12 Super Bowls, one-third!

The consensus I hear often is that big spending teams in baseball (Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies are the most often mentioned) simply buy their championships. Just as a quick, short term example, not one of the top NINE spending teams in regards to payroll even won a playoff series in Major League Baseball last year. NFL fans shower me with explanations that the system in place for football allows all teams an even playing field and a fair, yearly chance to make it to the Super Bowl. Analysis shows this to be false.

 Each sport has its doormats, organizations never seeming to win and enduring long stretches of not being competitive regarding actually winning a championship. The Bengals, Bills, Dolphins, Lions, and even my beloved Browns dominate the argument that not all is equal in the NFL. The Pirates, Cubs, Expos/Nationals, Royals, and Orioles provide even more credence to the fact that well run, smart and thorough organizations win championships.

Depending on how far you would like to look back in analyzing this claim, the results still show this myth to be false. You can check out results of the last decade or go back to 1995 when baseball increased their playoff participants, or even go back to 1970 when the NFL and AFL merged for a deep, detailed look.

So if you study any of the time frames listed, you will see there is not any glaring difference regarding parity between the two sports when it comes to playing in the Super Bowl or World Series. If you take it a step further and just look at the winners of the championships, the same results occur. Ten different franchises have won the World Series since 1995 and four of them have done it more than once. For football, the NFL has had 11 franchises win the Super Bowl since the 1995 season with, surprise, four of them doing it more than once. 

The economic systems for baseball and football are vastly different, both with their advantages and drawbacks. Ultimately, it still comes down to judging talent, implementing winning systems, incorporating a sound executive group, and replenishing personnel. 

The NFL system is generally regarded as solid, sound and fair. The MLB system is constantly being charged with many flaws, but the chances of getting your team all the way to the ultimate round, the championship opportunity, is equal.

All this because I know more about nothing…