HomeSPORTSFOOTBALLParity Running Amuck in the NFL

Parity Running Amuck in the NFL

By SAM MAXWELL
Staff Writer

PUBLISHED ON OCTOBER 2, 2011

According to dictionary.com, parity means “equality,” or “equivalence.” In this day and age where large markets and cash are the kings, the NFL has found a way to keep the parity and the “little guys” prospering.

Last season, the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts won their respective divisions, hosted playoff games, and were a combined 20-12. This season, they are a whopping 0-6 combined. Granted, the Colts are without Peyton Manning the most valuable player of the last 10 years, but the point still stands.

Flip to the other side of the spectrum and you have the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins, and Cleveland Browns. Last season, these teams had a combined record of 21-43. This season, their combined record is 10-2 and they all have at least a share of their division lead.

Last week, the Detroit Lions won in Minnesota for the first time since 1997 and the Buffalo Bills beat the New England Patriots for the first time since 2003. Finally, the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns are both 2-1, and are leading their respective divisions. These two teams have been the cellar dwellers for most of the last decade, but look poised to make a playoff run in 2011.

However, parity in the NFL is not a recent phenomenon. Look at the Green Bay Packers, for example. This organization is the class of the league and one of the most storied franchises in all of sports, let alone the NFL. Green Bay, Wisconsin-where the Packers call home- is the smallest city with a professional sports franchise in America! Not just the NFL, America! And yet, they have had a ton of success, most recently winning Super Bowl XLV last season in Dallas. In all of the other leagues, large market teams rule the sport.

 Let’s look at the NBA for example. Think about the most successful NBA franchises: New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons. What do all of those teams have in common; they are all large market teams.

The MLB is the same story. Think about the most successful franchises: New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants- to name a few. Different league, same outcome- all large markets.

Still don’t believe me? Let’s look at the NHL. Look at the most successful franchises: Montreal Canadians, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Even in the NHL the trend holds true- all large markets.

In the NFL over the past ten seasons, there have been seven different teams that have won the Super Bowl. Specifically, in the NFC, there have been 10 different teams representing the league in the Super Bowl. In this day and age where cash is king, for the most part parity is a thing of the past. But the NFL has something to say about that.

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