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There's something sick, about supposed Conservatives to be yowling about the free market/business!

Major League Baseball has a congressionally granted antitrust exemption. It need not adhere to the same regulatory strictures as ordinary businesses. Baseball ownership has thus formed a cartel that would be illegal in industries with less popular-political clout.

Anyone is free to start their own competing baseball league. However, they would have to compete against MLB’s congressionally approved cartel. So we are not talking about a free and open market here.

In a competitive, open market, a league with 30 teams could probably support six or seven teams in the greater New York area and five or six in the Los Angeles area. Two in each metro region is not competitive.

Finally, compare how MLB has done against the NFL since the NFL instituted revenue sharing about 30 years ago. Baseball was the most popular sport in the U.S. then, but now it’s third. Football was second, now it’s first. Hate to say it, but revenue sharing has worked well for the NFL.

You don't understand ... MORE teams are the PROBLEM , not the " answer. Also, it doesn't matter on wit, if a state/area could support 5 or 6 teams ( which they could not!);expansion has made baseball worse. I grew up in N.Y.C., at a time when it had THREE major baseball teams. Most of the time, the Giant fans were hating the Dodgers and vice versa. The Yankees were loathed, when either of the former teams played them in the World series. That was a time, long past now, when baseball was America's number one sport. That is, unfortunately no longer the case and more about that,anon. NO area/state, could now support 5 or six teams and the game would be so damned watered down, as to make it worthless! And yes, I hate the changes made to the game, because of expantion; with a passion!

Football and basketball were NEVER major sports (to listen to/watch) until BETTING and T.V. pushed them into the limelight. Revenue sharing is a lousy policy and does NOT explain anything at all; least of which what you're attempting to.

When I spoke about a " free market ", in regards to baseball, I was talking about the aility of a team to purchase FREE AGENTS/ build up a team outside of the farm system, and the class warfare enthusiasts, here, who, rather than talk about the game/series, would far rather whinge about George's ability to " buy " players...which IS a sorry excuse, considering how many of the Yankees' est, c ame up from the farm team. :-)

Something you have to remember is that a "competitive, open market" in a professional sports league is an oxymoron. A league by definition cannot function in that manner, because each team in the league must walk a fine line that is incompatible with a free market -- they must defeat their competition on the field, while at the same time ensuring that they don't beat them off the field (by driving them out of business). In addition to being part of the competition, the opposing team is also part of the product!