A point system would be difficult to implement because of disagreement over how many points to assign to various races, monuments, tours. A point system lends itself to lobbying/influence from various stakeholders, and balance would be difficult to achieve.
Salary Caps and Luxury Taxes have been dominant in professional sports globally. I’d point out, though, that dominant players and teams still surface in the salary cap environment. The NBA adopted its cap/tax system in 1984, and the Chicago Bulls still won six championships in eight years, including three consecutive championships twice. The NFL salary cap didn’t prevent the New England Patriots from winning three NFL championships in five years, and didn’t prevent Tom Brady from winning his fourth NFL championship two years later with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The salary cap system is created to control costs and create parity, but the most talented stars still dominate. Every game and every season isn’t equally contested.
I guess I see things differently than many others do. I watched Jordan and the Bulls in their prime even knowing that they were a juggernaut. I wasn’t a New England Patriots fan at all, but I still watched the games and appreciated their dominance. I’d argue that statistics show time and again that the greatest players attract people to sports, and the pursuit of parity should not seek to compromise individual performance.
Whether people want to admit it or not, part of the concern over lack of parity in European cycling is simply nationalism and local interest.
British broadcasters weren’t complaining during the Wiggins/Froome/Cavendish era. All was well when Sky/Ineos was dominant. I watched the Giro on HBO, which broadcast the Eurosport feed. The race coverage was great, but the pre and post race coverage was irrelevant to anyone who isn’t British. The entire broadcast following the end of the Giro was British commentators focused on British interests. There was more discussion of Thomas’ achievements than those of Pogacar.
So, truth be told, if Pogacar, Vingegaard and Van der Poel were British, you wouldn’t likely hear a peep about parity emanating from the British Isles. If they were French, there wouldn’t likely be a word of complaint in France. We see a similar situation in the USA, where TV money is dependent on success in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
When I have read the numerous recent articles about the lack of parity in cycling, they’ve struck me as disingenuous to some extent. What’s missing is the details. Rather than sweeping generalizations about “everyone” complaining about the lack of parity, specifics would be helpful. Who exactly is complaining? What are their names and what did they say. Not just UCI quotes but those of the real influencers.
The only way to be successful when implementing change is to address the real issues. I’d guess that any team that Pogacar, Vingegaard, Van der Poel, Van Aert, etc. are on will attract sponsors. Succeed and you will have sponsors. Fail and you will deservedly have fewer of them. Success breeds success. It’s a business! The concerning part of the conversation is that salary caps or other parity systems are supposed to be about furthering competition, not stifling success.
A point system would be difficult to implement because of disagreement over how many points to assign to various races, monuments, tours. A point system lends itself to lobbying/influence from various stakeholders, and balance would be difficult to achieve.
Salary Caps and Luxury Taxes have been dominant in professional sports globally. I’d point out, though, that dominant players and teams still surface in the salary cap environment. The NBA adopted its cap/tax system in 1984, and the Chicago Bulls still won six championships in eight years, including three consecutive championships twice. The NFL salary cap didn’t prevent the New England Patriots from winning three NFL championships in five years, and didn’t prevent Tom Brady from winning his fourth NFL championship two years later with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The salary cap system is created to control costs and create parity, but the most talented stars still dominate. Every game and every season isn’t equally contested.
I guess I see things differently than many others do. I watched Jordan and the Bulls in their prime even knowing that they were a juggernaut. I wasn’t a New England Patriots fan at all, but I still watched the games and appreciated their dominance. I’d argue that statistics show time and again that the greatest players attract people to sports, and the pursuit of parity should not seek to compromise individual performance.
Whether people want to admit it or not, part of the concern over lack of parity in European cycling is simply nationalism and local interest.
British broadcasters weren’t complaining during the Wiggins/Froome/Cavendish era. All was well when Sky/Ineos was dominant. I watched the Giro on HBO, which broadcast the Eurosport feed. The race coverage was great, but the pre and post race coverage was irrelevant to anyone who isn’t British. The entire broadcast following the end of the Giro was British commentators focused on British interests. There was more discussion of Thomas’ achievements than those of Pogacar.
So, truth be told, if Pogacar, Vingegaard and Van der Poel were British, you wouldn’t likely hear a peep about parity emanating from the British Isles. If they were French, there wouldn’t likely be a word of complaint in France. We see a similar situation in the USA, where TV money is dependent on success in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
When I have read the numerous recent articles about the lack of parity in cycling, they’ve struck me as disingenuous to some extent. What’s missing is the details. Rather than sweeping generalizations about “everyone” complaining about the lack of parity, specifics would be helpful. Who exactly is complaining? What are their names and what did they say. Not just UCI quotes but those of the real influencers.
The only way to be successful when implementing change is to address the real issues. I’d guess that any team that Pogacar, Vingegaard, Van der Poel, Van Aert, etc. are on will attract sponsors. Succeed and you will have sponsors. Fail and you will deservedly have fewer of them. Success breeds success. It’s a business! The concerning part of the conversation is that salary caps or other parity systems are supposed to be about furthering competition, not stifling success.