Yesterday Allen Barra had an interesting op-ed in the WSJ on sports tickets and compensation.His point was that these escalate,because people are willing to pay .If the consumer would not pay, then the seats would be vacant,the player salaries less and a bottle of ballpark beer less.
He concludes the reason that "ballplayers make so much and medical researchers so relatively little,is that as a nation (we ) are far more interested in having good baseball teams than we are in finding a cure for cancer."He goes on "if we put our money where our mouths are and support cancer,AIDS or Downs syndrome research and then buy our tickets with what's left over,athletes and rock stars will actually be paid what we pretend they they should be paid."
This is my philosophy exactly,and explains why when the Brookly Dodgers left Brooklyn, I went cold turkey on all professional sports.I realized it was big business and not a sport.As I said many times since to my incredulous children and grand-children "It's not my business."Thankfully I have remained true to my "boycott of the Sports Business" and have never regretted it, despite being an avid fan as a youth.
The corrallary of the above can be seen with the adulation and hero worship of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.Thousands line the Appollo Theatre ,as the news media spends hour after hour on this.Try and get these mourners to protest the alleged hangings in Iran of protesters.
When we look at the NY State Senate,Calfornia and Congress we indeed get the government we deserve.
