Well, the really crazy things aren't the differences in income, which are small, but the differences in minimum payroll to survive. I mean, Kotets (chosen randomly, didn't check all JBBL teams) finished 5th drawing ~20k fans/game while only spending ~400k/week on salaries. I spend 640k and am on the lower end here, and finished 7th. The 10-20k differences in TV money are peanuts compared to that 250k/week difference in payroll. (And I know you *can* spend more, but the point is who don't *have* to in order to be competitive). Seems like a pretty reasonable strategy in a league like Japan would be to spend a few years finishing middle of the pack while raking in millions. Finishing middle of the pack in the NBBA is basically a money-neutral proposition (or money losing).
But this is a discussion for the "no more micronations" thread...