The rich are getting richer

On March 17, 2016 in American Sport in the 21st Century, we discussed salary caps. We learned that salary caps can limit a team on how much they can spend on player's salaries. Salary caps are used as a way of keeping costs down and balancing the league. This relates to the article because right now, the NBA has a soft cap of $70 million, meaning that there are exceptions that all teams to exceed the salary cap but their will be a penalty. Thanks to the "Larry Bird Exemption", there is no cap on a player once they have been declared a veteran, who has played 5 years on the team. There are NBA teams who are now expecting the league's salary cap to soar as high as $92 million this summer. This means that maximum contracts will automatically increase. This news is great for every player who's set to hit free agency this summer. The article also relates because athletes will be benefiting a lot from this. The timing couldn't have been any better for these athletes. The NBA already has the greatest salary of the top four sports teams

Read More: http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/nba-salary-cap-92-million-021616

You be the judge: Should sports have salary caps?

Athletes and drugs

On March 31, 2016 in American Sport in the 21st Century, we discussed drugs, why athletes take them, and what is being done. First off, drugs are chemicals which change the way that our bodies work. There are three types of drugs: prescribed, social, and performance enhancing drugs. Athletes choose to take drugs for physiological reasons, psychological reasons, and social reasons. Most of the times, athletes in the NFL do drugs for social reasons, such as Johnny Manziel and Josh Gordon. Unfortunately for already suspended Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon, he reportedly gailed another drug test, as he tested positive for marijuana and dilute. The NFL is doing what they have been doing; suspending players. The NFL has stricter, more rigorous and out of season testing as well as stricter punishments for those who fail a drug test. This isn't the first time Gordon as been suspended from the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy. The NFL is doing its best to keep athletes from doing illegal drugs. There is more money for increasingly efficient and effective testing programs. In 2015, the NFL spent $10 million on drug testing, which is a very high amount. With spending all this money being spent on drug tests, as well as stricter punishments, you would think that an athlete would stop doing drugs.

Read More: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15185642/suspended-josh-gordon-cleveland-browns-fails-drug-test

Take a look at a few star athletes who have been caught using performance enhancing drugs.

Media Rights: CBS and Turner

On March 22, 2016 in American Sport in the 21st Century, we discussed sports and the media and whether or not they could survive without each other. We learned that sports and the media are very closely related and that they are two of the most successful businesses in the United States. Sports are so popular because of the media; it generates enormous sales in circulation and advertising based on extensive treatment of sports. The article, "Final Four is under review for CBS, Turner" by John Ourand & Michael Smith discuss how the Final Four is moving back to CBS next year after Turner Sports carried the semifinals, finals, and Team Stream broadcasts. CBS and Turner alternate the years that they carry the  Final Four and championship game, as part of the network's landmark 14- year, $10.8 billion deal that runs through 2024. Turner pays close to 70 percent of the rights fees that's owed to the NCAA, and the prestige of crowning a champion goes a long way for Turner to convince cable and satellite operators to increase their licensing fees. This also relates because sports demand on the media and it is certainly driven by market forces. During the NCAA championship game, viewers may have noticed the game starting later and having longer halftimes. This is because the media chooses what to show us. They will do whatever it takes to stretch the games out to attract more viewers, as well as to make more money.

Read More: http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2016/04/11/Media/Final-Four.aspx