Is He Worth it?
How much is enough? Where do we draw the line? Everyone is in a fight to get your dollar. Sports team owners don't just own a team. They are entertainment moguls. They own teams, stadiums, television networks, merchandising divisions. Where does this money come from? Where do you think? US!!!!! Fans pay for it ALL! A player signs a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract suddenly the nosebleed seats are out of your price range. The marketing director is now a major player on a team. Television contracts are so outrageous we pay as much to see a game at home as we would if we were there. We pay premium prices to get the access to the games. How many times have you wanted to go to a baseball game but can't afford any good seat? So you flip on the TV only to see some corporate weenie sitting in the front row of seats that were given to him as a perk. He's the one talking on his cell phone waving to the camera, saying hello to his family that he never sees because he's always "working". Corporate boxes, naming rights, television networks, where is it going to end? We have thrown so much money at these people we've actually caused a problem for them...the Luxury Tax. They have SO MUCH MONEY they get penalized for it and have created revenue sharing. How about giving some of it back to the people that made it possible. At what point do we say enough? Are we ever going to turn off the TV? stop going to the game? turn our backs on our heroes because they've lost sight of what it means in the first place?
I am not against the idea of capitalism. I feel a person should be able to make as much money as possible in every type of business. But we need to evaluate what "as possible"means. What makes an athlete more valuable than a teacher or police officer? Is it because they can do what we can't? What we've always dreamed of? Are we willing to pay obscene money to live vicariuosly through these people? How much does a field of dreams cost?
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