Tenure in sports is getting hard to come by

(photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images)

Yesterday, it was reported that the Philadelphia 76ers are in negotiations to buy out the remainder of Allen Iverson's contract. While it was rumored that the Sixers had begun planning this as early as two months ago, the fact that it comes while Iverson is missing time due to his daughter's health issues throws into question the reason why the 76ers picked him up in the first place. On the same day, the San Diego Chargers announced that after nine years, LaDainian Tomlinson has been released. During his time with San Diego, Tomlinson amassed one of the five highest touchdown and rushing yard totals in NFL history. Yet even he was given the axe.

The fact that both players got shown the door (or in Iverson's case, is getting shown the door) speaks volumes about how difficult it now is to remain on one team for years and years and years. The age of the John Elways and Reggie Millers and Tony Gwynns -- who played their entire career with the same club -- appears to be over, or at the very least is on its last breaths. It doesn't make sense why the 76ers would cut Iverson, who was signed on mostly to attract crowds, with only two months of the season remaining and with all the opportunity in the world to give A.I. a farewell tour (which are becoming rarer and rarer in sports).

In baseball and particularly in basketball, free agency gives players all the opportunity in the world to skip town. With teams like the Yankees and Red Sox and Cubs able to give players $100-million-salaries, and with a readily increasing number of teams who are incapable of supporting such players (Tampa Bay, Florida, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Minnesota), the likelihood of a baseball player playing anywhere for 20 years is almost impossible. Only the highest of the highly-paid, the Ichiros and Jeters of the world, have a chance to do it, and even they could sign on with another team for the final years of their career, ala Michael Jordan or Babe Ruth. And then there's the chance they could get cut as their production wears off, ala L.T.

Of course if any league has a consistency problem it's the NBA, which is about to experience its most anticipated offseason in its 60-plus year existence. Only six players have been on their team for at least 10 years, and that number probably won't get much higher with players such as LeBron, Amar'e, Wade, Johnson, Boozer, McGrady, and Ray Allen available for free agency.

Meanwhile, once again standing above all the other leagues is the NFL, which sees a pittance of offseason activity compared to the NBA or MLB. Sure, Tomlinson got canned, but there are still a few big-name stars who have spent their entire career with one team. Barring any Favre-like activity, it's hard to imagine that Tom Brady or Peyton Manning will ever play with another team. Still, pretty much every quarterback beneath them will cut at some point in their careers, no thanks to their lack of a championship ring.

Basically it's almost impossible to last on a team for more than 15 years, and with clubs like the Chargers and 76ers eager to abandon loyalty for the sake of winning, the feat only gets tougher and tougher. In order for it to happen, a player has to be great enough to be the best player on his team and must be paid accordingly. During his time on the team, he absolutely must win at least one championship, otherwise people will shout for a rebuilding process while claiming that it'll never happen with him (ala Philly fans with Donovan McNabb). In essence, it's only available to Hall of Famers.