The Cost of Fair Play: An Examination of How Salary Cap Proposals Have Affected Past Collective Bargaining Agreements and Will Affect the Coming NBA Collective Bargaining Negotiations

(9 Willamette Sports L.J., no. 1, 2011, at 23). This article analyzes the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Football League (NFL) salary caps. It describes negotiations that led to the adoption of the current salary cap systems in both leagues. It further describes the salary caps in their collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). The article then covers conflicts between the leagues and the players’ unions over the caps. It discusses the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) current “soft cap” and several exceptions. The article examines potential effects the salary cap disputes could have before and after the expiration of the 2005 NBA CBA. The author concludes that the NBA should do away with many of the salary cap exceptions in the interest of parity among NBA teams.