The two major things that changed the makeup of all professional sports are money generated by television and courts that players went to in order to win their freedom as free agents.

McDonough attributes the modern transformation of professional sports to two structural forces rather than to on-field innovation: the influx of television revenue and the legal dismantling of restrictive labor systems. Television money expanded leagues’ incomes dramatically, raising franchise values and player salaries while also reshaping scheduling and the presentation of games for broadcast audiences. In parallel, players’ successful court challenges to reserve clauses and related restraints helped establish free agency, shifting bargaining power toward athletes and creating a competitive labor market. Together, these forces explain the escalation of salaries, the rise of player mobility, and the increasingly corporate character of major sports.