Doesn't anybody know how to run a sports league?

With the collective bargaining agreement in the NFL set to expire in March and both sides far apart on many of the key issues, the best-run league out of the four major sports could be in trouble.

I would think that come deadline time, compromises will be worked out or no one will see a penny in any of this.

That's not going to happen, but it's amazing how this always has to go down to the wire.

Lots of grandstanding, lots of poising and no real progress until the harsh reality sets in that no check will be coming in the mail.

Baseball also has its share of problems, but with a Texas Rangers-San Francisco Giants World series — what, you and 50 million people figured New York Yankees-Philadelphia Phillies? — interest in these teams will be piqued.

Hockey still has too many teams — let's face it, the interest isn't there across the country — but at least they're not the NBA.

Here's a league that was a rising star from the 1980s through early 2000, when Michael Jordan began to fade away.

But with stars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the league looked to be staying strong.

At least you thought so until league commissioner David Stern last week mentioned the idea of contracting teams.

I never saw that coming, although in the bloated sports market, some commissioners always believed the more the merrier.

The more teams you have, the better is it is for the league, right?

Wrong.

Do we really need leagues that have at least 30 teams? You're under the assumption that each team can sustain the franchise, that cash flow for an organization is not a concern and the fan base is loyal and large.

Not in this day and age. Fans easily become disenchanted with players, their salaries, attitudes, lack of loyalty and hard work, etc.

Now, Stern wants player costs reduced by $700 to $800 million.

I can't even put that number into a context I can understand. Stern says he wants to help make the smaller markets more viable, not take them away, but how is that possible when teams like Miami can control the top stars?

The NBA's labor deal expires in June and it should be interesting to see what happens.

When it's time for a new deal in these professional leagues, the idea of lockouts and decertifying the players' union crops up, but the idea of striking is a lost cause.

It's been more than 15 years since there's been a strike by one of the four leagues and there's a good reason why.

Sports is still where the money is. It's still the best game in town.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.