How I Rank the Four Major Professional Sports Leagues
By Bob Branco
November 10, 2021
There is no doubt in my mind. Of the four major professional sports leagues in this country, hockey is run the best. Hockey players do not complain about their pay checks. There seems to be more parity in hockey. There aren’t very many scandals involving hockey players like we hear about in the other three sports, and hockey policies are well-defined.
Though football has its own salary cap, many football players complain about their contracts, and we hear a lot more about their personal lives. The Commissioner’s punishments are frequently inconsistent, and referees are criticized for making mistakes on the field during games.
As for basketball, many of its super stars like to form their own diva teams while the commissioner doesn’t seem to know what to do about it. To me, a diva is a well known super star player, surrounded by fame and fortune.
Baseball is an absolute mess. Though I love the sport, it needs a complete overhaul. Instant replay takes too long to reach a conclusion. There is too much science in the game. The players union is too powerful, and contracts are absolutely outrageous.
I recently pointed out on a sports talk show that hockey players are very nice. I did not imply that there aren’t any nice players in the other three sports, because there are. However, I think you would all agree with me about how I described the problems associated with the other three major professional sports. The commissioners of football, baseball and basketball have their work cut out for them. One thing they can do is sit with the hockey commissioner, who sets the primary example of a major professional sports league with normal, traditional standards and fairness.
