THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Why some teams have a chance to win, and others don't

The Seahawks will win the Super Bowl. 

This year? 

I don’t know, but they’ve got a shot.

John Schneider and Mike Macdonald, along with an army of coaches, scouts, personnel people and salary cap experts, already have started to flesh out an exciting team. 

The law of averages claims (more or less) that if you get close often enough, then eventually you’ll win. 

It might happen a few months from now, or in 2028. 

Or the next decade. 

But if you stay calm and take the word of an analytics guru, you’ll understand why the Seahawks will get to a Super Bowl. 

Sooner than, say, the Jets. 

Ditto the Raiders. 

And of course, the Bears. 

No team in professional sports can guarantee a championship on the opening day of a current season. 

Not on the morning of the Super Bowl, the first inning of Game 7 in the World Series, kickoff of soccer’s World Cup, yada, yada. 

On the other hand, many teams can report honestly that short of a meteor strike or a malaria outbreak, they’ll be fiercely competitive (again), and likely right in the race at the end. 

That’s why we’re fascinated by polls and rankings, because at any given moment, the Seahawks might be considered more of a title contender than the Rams. 

A WEEK later, it could be the other way around, as injuries, luck and all sorts of random occurrences push the good teams up or down. 

What we need to remember is that there’s generally a canyon-sized gap between a small cluster of teams who can win a title – and the large herd of also-rans who would need a miracle to reach the stars. 

Year after year. 

So. 

Why am I offering this view of the sports universe? 

Is there a point here? 

Yes. 

And it’s probably one that fans miss, even as they root for the Dodgers, the Chiefs, the Jaguars, the Kraken, Manchester United, any New York team … and on and on and on. 

Here you go. 

Championships are won by well-run organizations that have good ownership, clever executives, and in sports that require it, a bucket load of money. 

Cash is always great. 

I’d love more of it myself. 

In terms of running a sports business, though, your net worth (and willingness to spend) matters considerably more in sports like baseball and international soccer. 

In other words, sports that have no salary cap. 

What’s surprising, actually, is that bright management can develop teams to compete for titles in ANY sport, no matter what the rules about money. 

These well-run organizations don’t win championships every year — but seeing their teams struggle because of bad decisions is rare, rare, rare. 

The Steelers consider it a poor season if they don’t make the playoffs, and so do the 49ers. 

Seahawks, too, and we should be grateful for that. 

IMAGINE being a Bears fan. 

You say: “Wait ‘til next year!” 

Sadly, you don’t really mean it. Your only hope is divine intervention, and you know it. 

Hey, winning regularly in a salary-cap sport is really difficult, and it comes down to how an organization is run. 

Meanwhile, the Lions are a Super Bowl favorite, but the good folks of Michigan have waited decades for a team like this. 

The change? 

An organization making the right hires and putting the team into good hands. 

Think about it. 

The Cowboys are the children of glamor, attached to that famous star — but handcuffed by Jerry Jones’ poor decisions, this once-brilliant team is now just a loser. 

Remember when Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott were going to lead the Boys to Super Bowl titles? 

That was only a couple of years ago. 

Now? 

The dumpster is burning again. 

Just another adventure in Jerry World. 

The sad truth with many, many sports organizations around the globe is that it’s impossible to fire the owners. 

We’re lucky that there isn’t a disastrous owner with fingerprints on the Mariners, Seahawks, Kraken or Sounders. 

If Jody Allen eventually sells the Hawks, cross your fingers for continued solid ownership — hopefully, a group in it for the long haul. 

As for the Mariners, they’re not really cheap and hoarding every penny, as critics suggest. 

The truth is that this is not a rich ownership group. 

Despite howls from the fans, Jerry Dipoto has done a great job building a contender from the bottom up. 

As we said at the beginning, you can tell good organizations. 

They aren’t sunk at the bottom of the pool. 

Email: scameron@cdapress.com 

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens. 

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”