You know its the MLS when....

This belies the frequent criticism of MLS sending 8 out of 10 teams to the playoffs.

While, on the face of it, 8 of 10 does sound lame, other US pro sports don't have league-mandated parity.

...which, I think we can agree, was a wonderful success this season.

Viva parity. It must make our players better too.

 

You couldn't be more wrong regarding parity. Every league in the US except MLB has "league mandated" parity.

Every league has a draft inverse of record. The NHL has nominal revenue sharing like baseball to handle the Canadian teams problem of money shrinkage. The NBA and NFL have salary caps that continue to eliminate possible dynasties. (It has less effect in basketball due to the lack of fundamentals, luxury tax, and less players on the floor during a game so 1 player can be that much more effective.) Even Title 9 and the NCAA have limited money and scholarships to college football teams.

If your point is that MLS wants parity, I wouldn't agree with that either. MLS wants maximization of quality markets providing synergy for the MLS as a whole. A far cry from a level playing field of the NFL. Some teams in MLS have been treated with a much higher degree of preference, changing/ignnoring rules to let things go, and allocation setups.

 

No kidding! At least that makes the 2000 MLS Cup that much more enjoyable.

 

I'm not sure I can agree. We're thinking about the end of the season and ignoring how much 8 teams in the playoffs takes away from the bulk of the season.

For all this parity talk, let's not forget that DC United won 3 of the first four championships.

 

FWIW, the Revolution didn't need a whole lot of help to get into the playoffs. They were in playoff position all last week, and in fact, they could have lost the game and still gotten into the playoffs had Columbus won.

They DID need help to snag the #2 seed, however.

 

The NHL was criticized when the Hurricanes were the #3 seed as Southeast champions, despite the Canes having the 7th best record in the east.

That criticism, of course, was quickly forgotten.

Part of the issue is the East champ getting a #2 seed, instead of being seeded by their record. But this happens in other leagues.