NFL

Is NFL Parity Overrated?

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Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports

Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports

As we celebrate the end of the NFL season on Sunday with Super Bowl XLIX, it is duly noted that 18 days remain until pitchers and catchers begin reporting for Spring Training.

Football fans and naysayers turn a blind eye sometimes when baseball teams report optimism for the season ahead, because football fans claim that their league is the one with the greatest parity. Thanks to the salary cap, every team has a chance to compete and play in the postseason.

Rewind the season and you will see this is not the case.

The New England Patriots have been to the AFC Championship game nine out of the past 15 years. Their opponent in that title game, the Indianapolis Colts, is a perennial playoff visitor.

In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks are trying for their second straight Super Bowl victory and are in the postseason for the third time in four years. They also went from 2003-07.

Look at the Green Bay Packers. How often have they reached the postseason?

The point here is to remember that, while celebrating the NFL’s playoff opponents, you should remember that the league’s parity is just like baseball. There is no magic elixir that gets teams to the football postseason that haven’t been there in a while. Teams like the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars know it will take some time for their turnarounds to occur.

Meanwhile, baseball starts up in a few weeks with the Kansas City Royals having made their first World Series appearance since 1985. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles have also gotten back into the swing of things as well.

Remember this when football fans try to tell you their sport is best because it offers the most hope. Based on the last few years, I’d say baseball has done a better job getting different cities excited about the game.

Enjoy the Super Bowl.

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