Friday, May 18, 2012

Bad Economy Threatening the Bread and Circuses of Professional Sports

One of the biggest diversions the establishment uses to keep people from looking at the real problems plaguing this nation is bread and circuses. Rome used the gladiators in the Coliseums as a way to keep people in a stupor. I have to admit, I do watch the NFL and NASCAR. My two-hour diversion a week to rest after fighting the New World Order the other six days. The other six days exposing the evil. Having this kind of diversion once, a week keeps me sane.

Seeing the economy in a downward spiral, disposable income is scarce. An economic collapse on the horizon is on many people’s minds. Right now with the Federal Reserve printing money to bail out the banks in Europe and the United States. With every dollar printed with no gold or silver to back up the value of the currency. Inflation robs the people's earnings and savings by devaluing the currency printing of dollars to prop up the oligarchs. As a result, it cost more to by fuel for the cars, food, utilities and other living expenses. People do not have the disposable income anymore for leisure and pleasure anymore.

Reading on the web, many professional sports leagues are feeling the squeeze of the economy. People are cutting back because they have no job and fear losing their jobs. The NFL and MLB are feeling it with a drop in attendance. NASCAR is feeling the hit from a bad economy. Racecar drivers are having a hard time getting corporate sponsorship. They have seen a drop in attendance too. There has been a decline across the board in all sporting events because the ailing economy.

What has people turned off too is high priced athletes holding out on their contract because they had a good year wanting to be paid a million more a year. That really fumes many people who can barely make end meat and who are grateful for what they have. Many people in hard economic times would be happy to be paid $200,000 a year as a bench warmer on a professional sports team if they can make the cut.

This is double-edged sword because many of these leagues depend on revenue from the TV networks. If attendance is down below a certain number, there is a blackout if certain number tickets are not sold. If this keeps happening, TV networks will not renew contracts with these leagues being televised or reconstruct the contract to encourage attendance. TV Networks are seeing a decline in revenue too because poor ratings of viewers and advertisers not buying ad space which funds these TV giants.. I do not think the media networks will shell out billions of dollars to sports leagues like those that they use to if there is a decline in profits and no one is attending the events.

One solution I do think might help bring attendance up some. Here they are. No more ridicules parking fees at the Stadium. Cities should open up all public parking spaces free for game time. Drop the price of tickets. Do not allow Ticketmaster to buy up all the tickets before the public purchases them. Ticketmaster sells them for high prices as legalized ticket scalpers. A ticket scalper who sells over the value of the price paid for profit goes to jail. Not Ticketmaster price gouging the people who does the same thing does it with impunity.

Stadium food venders stop charging $10 for a beer the size of the Dixie cup and $5 for a hot dog that is the size of a Vienna sausage(It seems like it,emphasis mine). Charging reasonable prices that compete with surrounding merchants will increase volume of sales. Why not rent out the booths to local venders to sell at the games to promote small business in the local economy. A few commons sense solutions will bring the volume up. Bring back some competition. It might help bring the numbers back up. It should not cost an arm and a leg to take the family to a sporting event paying for all the extra expenses that are ridicules to charge.

Finally yet importantly, Throw Homeland Security and the TSA out of the Stadiums, no one is going to go see a game if they have to get their crotch grabbed at the gate. People want to see a game to get away from the stress of a tyrannical government and the bad economy. The last thing people want to see is government in their face at the gate. TSA hurts tourism, they will be a part of hurting professional sport too if not dealt with. Removing the hassle free fees of overcharging at the concession stands, high-ticket prices and no government gropers at the gate. In this bad economy, NASCAR, the NFL, MLB, NBA and the NHL might be able to weather the storm for years to come if they become more fan friendly without burning a hole in their pockets. .

Getting rid of the sacred cows in professional sports where they use to get away with charging high prices has to be abandoned if they are going to survive the economic storms ahead. Common sense is the key if they want to increase attendance. Common Sense and the free market solutions has always been the answer if these leagues will listen to their fans. They will find out getting rid of the nonsense of stupid fees and expenses will go a long way..

2 comments:

  1. a small amount of what you are saying might be economic, but the truth is, people know when they are being screwed and a football game looks much nicer on the $3,000 52 inch LCD tv many people went out and bought. Also, these days, with trying to make a living, travelling to a sports event is a real hassle. Beer and hot dogs are cheaper at home.

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  2. Having this kind of diversion once, a week keeps me sane.

    That's called a rationalization. You know you are wrong to support them. But you do it anyway because you "need it".

    Every single dollar you spend on your addiction- every penny- goes into the coffers of those you hate. And it doesn't matter that you "fight" them in other ways. They have your money. What do they care about your blog, when they have your money?

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