As long as you keep won-lost records and standings of the teams, there's going to be someone at the bottom. That's the sports are and that's the way life is.
What the heck is "useless" team? If my team beats a bad team, I enjoy the win just the same. Just about every bad team is financially viable anyhow, especially in the NFL where everyone is guaranteed massive TV contract revenue whether they win or lose. And if that losing team has an incentive to improve, let them go out and pay market rates for the best management, coaches, and players they can find. Or let them sell their franchise to someone who will.
That's real capitalism, not mercantilism or collectivism.
One other aspect on the football contract, in cities where there are bad home teams people still tune in to watch marque match ups. As much as people want to complain about the Patriots they pulled in huge ratings for the league. That translates into ad dollars and more money for the rest of the league.
Baseball now is inching toward ugly problems. Football has it right. Look at Pittsburgh. With revenue sharing, salary caps and all - the Steelers have a reason to fall in love with Big Ben. The Jets aren't goping to easily steal him away. But hell - what's the point of a Pirates fan committing a fan crush to Freddy Sanchez? They Yankees will take him away once they feel like it. That's not healthy.
It's not like dry cleaning. Mr. Jefferson would have been damn happy to move on up to the greatest dry cleaner in all of The Empire State. Drive all the losers outta business. But if Steinbrenner makes small market teams a de facto farm system, that is not good for the game. There has to be some type of concern for the greater good - of the league. That's all I mean.