Are "Divisions/Conferences" a good/bad thing in sports?

[max]

Divisions/Conferences are a good thing in sports.

So is it my responsibility to provide reasons for this statement or is somebody else going to make me prove it?

*This is the main criteria juries use to prove guilt beyond all reasonable doubt.

[IceCap]

We could, but I don't think he's broken any rules per say.

It's "Per se".

I corrected Ice Cap on something! Yay, do I win a medal?

Yes. The CCSLC California-Ontario Medal of Excellence. If I had a graphic for it you'd be good to go

[mjrbaseball]

Here is a radical idea:

Re-shuffle divisions based on previous season's results. Forget geography. Each year, all first-place teams get moved to the same division, and so on. That way, a team that finished last one year will be assured of finishing first the next.

[Viper]

Since this is kind of on topic, I'll just post it here.

I just saw an old poster I had when I was kid, NFL crica 1997 I believe (somewhere around there) with team logos placed by division. First, while I wasn't really a conscious NFL fan until I was around 11 or 12, I don't remember the Seahawks in the AFC at all.

Then I saw this:

- Cardinals in NFC East

- Buccaneers in NFC Central

- Panthers, Falcons, and Saints in NFC West

I know this has probably been brought up a time of two on these boards, but does anyone know why that was the case?

A old-timer would be better served to answer this question, but I'll take the following stab:

1. The Cardinals used to be in St. Louis

2. There was only room in the Central when the Bucs joined the league

3. Everyone else got shoved in the west prior to expansion, and the Carolina/Arizona swap wasn't blindingly obvious to anyone who could do something about it.

That 2002 realignment was desperately needed and just about perfect. It is funny how much an NFC mainstay the Seahawks became. It's likely because I don't think they ever played in the NFC in their old blue/silver/green uniforms -- the "modern" Seahawks began in the NFC and don't really do much to call out their past.

Actually the Seahawks started out in the NFC, and the Bucs in the AFC, in their expansion year of 1976. The idea was to give both teams and their fan bases as broad an exposure to the entire league as possible, as quickly as possible, before settling in their "permanent" divisions.

So in 2002 the Seahawks actually moved back to their original conference, not away from it.

[ESTONES6]

Let me preface this by saying yes, I think they are a good idea for the sake of rivalries, travel time/expense for fans, as well as travel expenses for the organization, and lastly giving the opportunity for more teams to make the playoffs.

That being said, this isn't the 1940s where the main revenue stream were gate sales. Marketing and sponsorship is at an all time high and will continue to only get higher, TV deals and the formation of League-Specific networks (NFL, MLB, BTN) is turning profits at an alarming rate, merchendising is turning more and more profits... so there are many other avenues to generate profit, not just strictly getting people into the stadium (I won't even talk about getting a beer for $10 once you are IN the stadium).

With all that in mind, strictly speaking to the major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, Major College Football), Divisions become less about actual travel expenses, but more about getting people in to the stadium to see rivalries. Yes, SOME money will be saved by keeping travel times short, but its not nearly as big of a savings as it was 50-60-70 years ago.

When it comes to the small scale, i.e. Minor League Baseball, High School Sports, I think Divisions are imparative for all the afforementioned reasons.