Is the NFL Truly a Reflection of American Cultural Values?

Liberty. Equality. Justice. These are the founding principles of America.

For more than 100 years, baseball seemed to be integral to our democracy, too—but we as a nation now pass time by watching, thinking about and talking about football.

The NFL has been the unquestioned king of attendance, TV ratings, merchandise and revenue for years, with little sign of slowing. The NFL now markets extensively to nontraditional sports fans, weaving itself into the fabric of popular culture. Athletes have become entertainment icons, and commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't hesitate to call the NFL a "TV show," per Pro Football Weekly.

But does the NFL truly reflect the values American society is built upon?

There is liberty. Players, coaches, executives and even franchises themselves are at liberty to seek their fortune. Players who've built a market for themselves can be paid at market value. Coaches who perform are promoted, from the lowliest unpaid intern to the highest-salaried headman. Teams that win pack the gates and sell jerseys by the thousands.

This cuts both ways. Franchises that grow dissatisfied with their city can leave. Coaches can be fired for the slightest underperformance, regardless of track record. Players can be left by the side of the road the minute their film grades don't match their pay grade.

This is a very American idea: Success and failure are directly connected to ability. You can go from rags to riches—and riches to rags—all in accordance with the fruits of your labor. The meek can inherit the Earth in as little as one offseason. But the Founding Fathers also wanted liberty to maximize profit in the absence of King George's taxes.

That said, as in the rest of America, there is equality. The NFL pioneered the worst-to-first rookie draft to ensure struggling franchises have exclusive rights to the best young talent. The NFL pioneered revenue sharing; teams have split ticket money and TV revenue for decades, to make sure all franchises have the financial footing to be competitive.

Like America, the NFL's economic system is designed to balance the freedom to seek your fortune with a safety net in case you don't find it. Uncompetitive franchises, empty stadiums and perennial losers drag the quality (and profitability) of the league down, so the "winners" don't mind peeling some profits off to help the "losers" make good.

But is there justice?

I am writing this piece exactly one year after CBA talks between owners and players broke down. The primary issue? Divvying up the cash. Who deserves more money: the players whose talents we all pay to see, or the owners who spend millions staging and marketing the games?

Is it just that players can sign a multimillion-dollar, partially guaranteed contract before they play a down of professional football? Is it just that players sacrifice their bodies, and possibly their brains, for a career that averages just a few seasons? Is it just that there's a strong correlation between race and the highest-paid position on the field?

Socioeconomic problems aside, the NFL has a more profound justice issue: the integrity of the game. Officiating has come under harsher and harsher criticism, and Commissioner Goodell has swung his banhammer in direct proportion to fan and media outrage over on-field infractions—with little care for the objective severity of the crimes.

As per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the NFL docked the Cowboys and Redskins nearly $50 million in combined salary cap space for spending like there was no salary cap during the NFL's uncapped year. Not only was every dollar spent approved by the NFL at the time, there is no provision in the new CBA for this form of discipline. The NFL says the teams acted against private memos instructing teams not to fully leverage the uncapped year.

There is a legal term for such agreements: collusion. In January 2010, the players formally charged the owners with collusion for purposeful underspending in the uncapped year (as well as jury-rigging TV contracts). The NFL fought the claim at the time, but this seems to be an explicit admission of guilt.

The cap space will be distributed amongst the remaining 30 teams, so total player compensation won't be affected. But this reinforces the notion that Commissioner Goodell and the rest of the league office react to their daily whims, rather than act in accordance with the best interest of the league.

So what if the NFL isn't just? Isn't it too big to fail? Won't the NFL's inherent liberty and equality continue to produce compelling players, teams and seasons?

No, because there is no true liberty or equality without justice.

If owners and executives cannot rely on the expressly written rules of the league, how can they ensure competitiveness and profitability? If players cannot believe they'll be justly rewarded for their performance, how can they keep sacrificing their physical and mental future to play? 

If fans cannot believe the outcome on the field is just, how can they bring themselves to watch?