Do you think we'll see contraction in sports?

With multiple talk from different people regarding the recession and NBA teams that are losing money and NHL teams that are losing money and the thoughts that small market MLB teams can't compete with the big market teams, do any of you on the boards think that any owners in any league will have the cajones in this day and age to say that a team has failed and pack it up? And in which league do you think that it has the best chance of happening (albeit it a small chance...)?

I'd love to see expansion (just because I haven't before). But I doubt it will happen.

I don't know too much about the puck, but that seems like the logical candidate. I don't see it happening in basketball. There is goign to be a new bargainign agreement soon and I think the league is going to slaughter the players in this one and make it a lot easier for the owners to profit.

Rounds of contractions seem to occur in the WNBA every nine months.

I'd think the NHL would have to at some point at least over a short period of time. But I couldn't see it happening in the NFL, NBA, or MLB.

Expansion in the NHL will happen before contraction does. Id love to see contraction in the NHL. 30 teams in my opinion is just too much. 24 with 4 divisions would be perfect

I'd say it won't happen in the major sports because of the unions.

But, look at the mess today with the NHLPA.

Maybe if they expand the rosters, so there will not be any lost jobs.

So why is it that everyone thinks the NHL would be the first to contract? There aren't too many teams who are doing bad, and those teams could just be moved. I don't think there will be contraction in any sport myself, as everyone likes making money. Watching the NFL this year I feel they could contract 4-8 teams themselves and just strengthen the good teams.

I would think that the league where a team went bankrupt and had to be sold to the league itself would be the number one candidate for contraction talk.

Teams are bought and sold all the time...the Coyotes could have been sold multiple times but for some reason the NHL doesn't want them to move (probably don't want to admit they are wrong) so they went bankrupt. If they had simply been sold and moved to a place like Hamilton a year ago there would have been none of this bankrupt business, or being sold to the NHL, etc...There are plenty of NBA and MLB teams that are going broke as well...or just acting like the Pirates/Nationals/Sac Kings/Warriors etc...and barely attempting to compete.

The only sport that I would guess just about every team is doing well in is the NFL. I could be wrong, but I think they all make good money...mostly because there are only 8 games so people will pay high prices for them. Reilly's article in ESPN The Mag this week was about how "the man" is attempting to get rid of tailgating and in it he noted that Bears nosebleed seats cost $254 and parking (Parking!!!) costs $46! If the NFL played 20 or 40 home games a year it would be less of a novelty and more teams could have a problem with money.

And how!

and we'll probably see less europeans in the NBA, and more americans going overseas to play ball.

The Montreal Expos was run by the MLB for what a year, and the owners had voted to contract the Expos and Twins after the 2001 season, so it's not only hockey facing those kind of issues.

I think contraction would be a great idea for all the sports but I don't think it will happen. There are too many cities out there that would like a team so a team that is struggling can easily move to another team. Heck, lots of times they move even when they're not struggling. There's too much money out there and too many greedy rich guys trying to get their hands on it for contraction to occur, even though it would be better for the game.

What sport do you think would benefit contraction the least? Football?