Sports Illustrated Kids - USA (2022-01 & 2022-02)

SIKIDS.COM/ 9

W

HEN YOU THINK of the great championship teams

of all time, who comes to mind? The 1945

Toronto Maple Leafs? The ’78 Washington Bullets?

The ’06 St. Louis Cardinals?

Probably not. (Sorry, Cardinals fans.) History

remembers the teams that earned cool nicknames: the 1927

“Murderer’s Row” Yankees, the ’74–75 “Broad Street Bullies” Flyers,

the ’99 “Greatest Show on Turf ” Rams. The Dream Team. The

Steel Curtain. The Russian Five. The Big Red Machine. Fans love to

mythologize the dominant squads of the past. So why, in the present,

are they so concerned with making sure no team becomes too good?

Before MLB’s December lockout stopped all league business,

baseball’s owners went on a shopping spree, committing to $1.4 billion

Down With Parity

MIKE EHRMANN/GETTY IMAGES; ILLUSTRATION BY BRETT PARSON (KIP)

By Kip Shoremore

Hot Take

DOUBLE IN

PARADISE

The Lightning

have begun an

NHL dynasty fans

won’t soon forget.