"In less than 300 days, baseball's collective bargaining agreement expires. As major league owners meet this week to plot strategy, the powers that be will consider the probable push for a salary cap. The argument in favor: If teams are limited in how much they can pay players - that is, if the Dodgers cannot spend whatever they want - fans in small markets can believe their team can win."
"Tell that to the great fans of Sacramento. The Kings have the worst record in the NBA. In a league with a salary cap, and in which the majority of teams make the playoffs, the Kings have made the playoffs once in 20 years. Whatever this is, it is not parity."
"I wanted to ask the Kings how much a salary cap really helps a small-market team, given their struggles. The Kings politely declined interviews on anything related to a salary cap, since they own the minor league ballpark in Sacramento that temporarily houses the Athletics. The Kings' owner, Vivek Ranadivé, would like MLB to consider Sacramento for an expansion team."
"So, before a game last week, I asked Kings fans about the juxtaposition: Why can't the Kings win in a league with a salary cap intended to help them win? "I don't think it's a salary cap issue," Cheyenne Merced of Sacramento said. "I think it's an owner issue." Said another fan, Devin Pasua of Sacramento: "The Kings don't know how to spend.""
Major league owners are expected to push for a salary cap before the collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the 2026 season, arguing that limits on payroll would give small-market fans belief their teams can win. The Sacramento Kings have the worst record in the NBA despite operating in a capped league, making the playoffs once in 20 years. The Kings’ struggles suggest management decisions, not salary limits, drive outcomes. Successful small-market franchises credit smart front offices and coaching stability for sustained success. Kings representatives declined interviews on salary-cap questions; owner Vivek Ranadivé has expressed interest in MLB expansion to Sacramento.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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