But to gain unrestricted free agency, players had to give in on the issue of adhering to a hard salary cap.

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Now the NHL is on much more solid financial footing with an improved degree of revenue sharing and a hard salary cap.

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Many major-league baseball critics argue that the lack of a hard salary cap eliminates roughly half of the 30 teams from winning the World Series.

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With TV revenue-sharing, free agency and a hard salary cap, the NFL is designed to prevent a reign akin to that of baseball's New York Yankees.

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Since 1994 the NFL has had a combination of revenue sharing among teams AND hard salary cap limits on team payrolls that truly minimize the importance of market location.

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