It all began with a simple discussion on the long-departed MILL Talk as to why the Charlotte Cobras failed to survive. It took on a life of its own.

My plan was to argue a marketing synergy killed the Cobras, that the team didn't get fans because it didn't promote and that it was not competitive, but couldn't afford to promote because it didn't draw enough fans (partly because it wasn't competitive). Somehow -- I don't even remember how, though I'll bet it involved some self-promotion -- this argument morphed into two of the original three Cardinal Rules (numbers one and three, along with six).

Since the spring of 1997, the list has grown from three to the current eight. Each is a common sense rule to follow in order to better a business' chances of being successful. Each, it should not surprise you, point straight to an action (or inaction) by the league or a specific team.

So, without further boring you, here are the eight thoughts that make up R.A.'s Cardinal Rules of Marketing:

Thanks to Fabio Gump for submitting Cardinal Rule #8, and to the multitudes of others who have helped shape the list over time.

Have a Cardinal Rule that I missed? Remember, derivations of the original eight are not allowed in the Cardinal Rules (though a well-articulated argument could persuade me to create a corollary or two), it must be worded in the form of "No business can succeed if" and it must involve some deficiency of MILL or NLL. If your idea survives this gauntlet, send it to raphilly@yahoo.com.