Nationalized Football League

We live in an ironic age, or maybe we don't.

But nothing could be more ironic than Rush Limbaugh's interest in buying the St. Louis Rams. There is a the long list of American socialist programs, a list that includes the U.S. military, social security, Medicare, the National Parks and all federal public lands, the interstate highway system, and the postal service.

But those are government programs, and you expect that from modern states. The NFL, however, is perhaps the most vivid example of a socialized private enterprise. Instead of operating under free market rules the NFL famously equally distributes both revenue (via its national television contracts) and talent (via the draft and a salary cap).

What could be more socialistic and un-American than a salary cap? A federal salary cap for every American actually passed the House during the Depression but died in the Senate.

Frank DeFord editorialized on NPR about the nature of the NFL's socialism on September 16th. Here is an excerpt:

Indeed, the NFL's descent into dreaded socialism began more than 70 years ago, when the league instituted a player draft in order to equalize its society — to remove, shall we say, odious class distinctions.

But the hallmark of NFL collectivism is that franchises share equally in television money — billions in guaranteed rights fees. Largely because of that form of socialized medicine, every team has a healthy chance to win.

Socialism is so ingrained in the NFL that reportedly, when the league approves a new owner they great him or her as 'comrade.'

I assume Limbaugh knows about the sharing of revenue, an issue a few owners over the years have challenged - and lost that challenge each time. Why would Rush want to join with a bunch of Bolsheviks like Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder?

And despite all the crass commercialism in NASCAR there is socialism there, too. Each car in NASCAR has to be basically the same so that driver skill and not technology decides who wins. According to my research, NASCAR rules ensure that each car is the same in terms of its "specific weight window" and "engine displacement." Apparently, details on how each car is built are very specific, as are rules for pit stops, inspections, and every other variable unrelated to the driver's skill.

So when making the grand list of American socialism add the NFL and NASCAR to that long and exalted roll call.