laws is evidence that it runs counter to free market principles? Do you realize that anti-trust laws are a massive limitation on free market principles? I'm not saying that they are bad, but they are HUGE limitations on free market principles. The ultimate free market would allow the NFL (or the NCAA or whoever else) to set up their system however they want and then anyone can decide whether or not they want to participate in the universe that the free market allowed that entity to create. That's the ultimate free market; allowing the NFL to have a CBA and salary cap (or the NCAA to have its rules) is a free market, not what you're suggesting. You have it completely backwards.

Again, I'm not advocating for a true free market here, but people cannot logically use a "pro-free market" argument to criticize the NCAA or any professional sport league's CBA.