409: The outrageous cost of professional sports

P&C drink and review Hell or High Watermelon from 21st Amendment Brewery, then, with special guest Longinus, discuss the cost of professional sports.  Why are we, in the words of Pigweed, willing to spend so much money to watch grown men play children’s games?   But that’s not to the point. The boys are focused on the cost of a baseball or football game. Why has it increased so much? Is it worth it?  From 1970 to the present – in today’s dollars – the cost for a family of four to attend a baseball game is about 4x. Who pays this, and why?  Along with this increase in prices, we have an increase in coverage. When Pigweed was a lad, there was one, one-hour show on sports. Now, we have several 24x7 sports stations talking about sports all year long.  There’s also the moral question. In a world that can’t decide what a woman is, sports provides some clear guidelines. The player is either in or out. The ball is in the strike zone or it’s not.  Another angle – people can’t sit quietly with their own thoughts. They need a distraction. Every bar and restaurant has constant sports. Is sports filling a hole left by the lack of religion, or community? Also, to what extent is this a public question? Is it in the local government’s interest to get people involved in local sports?