The union will never accept a salary cap, Jibby, nor should they. Even apart from the free market objections, a quick glance at the sports leagues you cite as examples should reveal that their games are far less entertaining than before they went to a cap. Yes, the NFL is more competitive, if you enjoy watching competition between a bunch of sadly mediocre teams. I’m not even sure the NBA is all that competitive, though the owners are certainly making a ton of money. I greatly prefer the current MLB system, which permits consistent excellence over a sustained period for some teams, to enforced mediocrity.
cmkeller: If the Yankees finished second or third for the next few years, Steinbrenner would freak out and gut the team from top to bottom. So by his standards, they stunk badly during the 80s and the first half of the 90s. But the real reason I know they stunk is that I used to watch the Rangers beat them up on a regular basis in those days, and that was when the Rangers were really bad. 