"Stern is lucky to have the rich history of the US's hatred of soccer, otherwise Bryant's Lakers would be playing second fiddle to Beck's Galaxy by this time next year."

That might be the craziest thing I've ever read. Do sports fans honestly care about the travails of the washed-up narcissist David Beckham? At least Bryant is a still-talented narcissist.

The author of this article misses the point. Without honest (or perceivably honest) competition, professional sports has no value. People don't just want their teams and favorite players to win championships, they want them to earn them. The league is enjoying a renaissance precisely because so many teams were in the money this year.